Today was my latest brain MRI and I got to wear an interesting cage type helmet such as the one above. If you've never had a closed MRI of the brain, then this is what you look like before they slide you in the machine. There's some MRI places where you can watch TV with special goggles or listen to music but at my MRI place you just get tie-dye type ear plugs and massive banging, booming, whizzing, thwacking, and other such mishmash of loud noises.
The thing is I find it all incredibly peaceful. Most people don't. Some people freak out because it's kind of a small space and shooting the tube (vernacular for getting an MRI) makes them feel claustrophobic. I used to worry about that during the first two MRIs but I've had probably about six or seven now and I like to think of them as restorative meditation, of sorts.
They slip me in, I close my eyes, and away I go into an almost trance-like, slow-breathing state. I rather enjoy it and hardly move. I am a model (a fat one) patient because moving is a no no in the MRI process as it can distort the scans. We don't want any distorted scans now, do we?
I have not started the Christmas tree building process yet but I think I am going to bring the box in the living room tomorrow. Today I went to Wal-Mart and the pharmacy and I slept in until about nine so I didn't get as much done as I had planned. I also walked for the third day in a row slowly because my back has been bothering me and I'm not sure if it's Tysabri-related or not. Guess I should write it down in my book of symptoms and such and start tracking it.
Thank you to all our veterans and our current military people serving here and abroad. Happy Veterans Day and bless you for your service.
That's all I've got.
3 comments:
I was so happy to read that you find it almost soothing to go into an MRI too! I got so soothed last time that I fell asleep!
I thought I would freak out with the cage thing on my face and stuff but it was really okay.
What do you think of the Tysabri? I ask because my neuro wants to switch me to that and he gave me a month to "think it over".
I can handle an MRI, but the first few minutes in the tube, my breathing is really fast. It takes me a few minutes to relax. But that picture of that helmet thingy? I just don't know about that one!!
TR, I can't handle the interferons because of depression and liver issues and I liked Copaxone but it didn't like me so much. Constant fevers, huge welts, 5 IPIRs, I was just a giant body of red splotches and the neuro sent me to Rebif. That was worse on my body so I went to Tysabri.
You can't beat a once monthly infusion. I'm not sure how much it's helping yet but I am noticing more stiffness and some pain in my back which may be related to Ty or not.
So far, so good. I guess we'll see what the MRI shows!
And Abby, I do breathe fast at first but then I calm right down with my eyes closed.
Hugs,
W
Post a Comment