Fun in the Tunnel
Have you ever wondered what an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging test) is like? Well, I know now so just for grins I will describe it for you. First and foremost, while is it a very loud and claustrophobic tube, it is painless and completely safe (no possible side effects like radiation). The only painful part was that, in my case, they used contrasting dye which was injected into an IV in my arm and well, I don't like needle pokes. Other types of MRI scans don't call for dyes or IVs.
After changing into a medical gown that opens in the front, I was wrapped in a blanket (it tends to be cold in those rooms) and escorted into the room with a machine that looked a bit like a space capsule with a sliding table in the middle. Although the majority of MRIs are done with the patient lying on their back, mine was done with me lying face down with my head on a headrest, arms stretched out in front of me (yep, think Superman without the cape) and openings in the chest area. This MRI only took pictures of the chest/breast areas so because it was a partial (not full body), it only took 20 minutes. Full body MRIs can take up to an hour.
The one most critical factor in getting a good MRI is being as still as possible. You can breathe normally and such. While 20 minutes may not sound like a long time; when you have to lay perfectly still it seems like an eternity. Because they were just getting images of a relatively small area, I could at least wiggle my fingers and toes and close and open my hands. That proved important because my right arm with the IV started to go numb and tingle. That was the single most uncomfortable thing about the whole procedure.
So once I was in position, the table slides back into the tube. When you are lying face down, you can't really see how tight the space is so that was not an issue for me. I could feel the closeness of the machine though as it slid back and ruffled the edges of the blanket.
By the way, I haven't yet mentioned it, but you are given hearing protection headphones. You have to have those because this machine is REALLY LOUD. And it has many different voicings. It vibrated, made whirring noises, clicking noises, banging noises, rumbling noises, sounded like a jackhammer and made a variety of other sounds; at times I thought it was trying to do a very loud telegraph message. ..-.-..---.-.--...--. (translated Cancer sucks). It is turning off and on as it is making these noises.
I didn't feel any pain or real discomfort; but I did feel some movement. There was one moment when the machine turned on and I felt what would best be described as a tingle coming from a rush of cold air being blown on my lower back. It was enough of a sensation that I jumped a little. But that was about all the sensation I noticed.
Once the procedure was done, the technician removed my IV and helped me to get back up off the table and told me the test would be sent to my surgeon by tomorrow. I hope it contains some helpful information.
I got dressed and left. Overall, this is a very easy test and it has a level of detail not available in sonograms, X-rays and mammograms.
In addition, I got a pre-op blood test done (that's two needle sticks in one day ... an all-time record for me), picked up a copy of my cardiologist report and last EKG, visited with Andrea (my cancer care coordinator) to ask questions about the surgery including post-operative pathology tests, lymph nodes, chemotherapy and such and get all my paperwork together to submit to AFLAC.
I learned a few new things in terms of how the lymph nodes figure into diagnosis, staging and treatment and as you'd expect, the more lymph nodes that are involved, the worse the scenario. It can bump you from stage 1 to stage 3. I also learned that my tumor has grown. At the time of the mammogram/sonogram in September, the largest part of the tumor was 1.4 cm. Now it is 2.1 cm. It is an aggressive cancer. That I knew. I need it out ... NOW.
All in all, it was a very busy ... but very productive day.
Next stop on this wild ride: Surgery on Dec. 11. I am ready. And hopeful.
P.S. I forgot on the initial write-up to include the funniest part. I started off with wearing a shirt and shorts that day as it was warm. She gave me a robe to wear but said there was no need to remove my shorts and underwear as the MRI was focused on my chest area.
They talk to you extensively about not having any metal objects anywhere on your person during the test including piercings, jewelry, etc. I had left that all off except for one ring that didn't matter as my arms and head were completely out of the tube. Except ... my cell phone was still in the pocket of my shorts under the gown. I forgot about it, the technician didn't check for anything and I didn't realize it had gone in with me until after I was done. I was surprised it didn't go flying or completely be destroyed but it was fully functional afterward and still nestled in my pocket. I guess that's only because the test was focused solely on the chest area and didn't affect any area south of the Mason-Dixon line. Note to self and to others: always check your pockets!
After changing into a medical gown that opens in the front, I was wrapped in a blanket (it tends to be cold in those rooms) and escorted into the room with a machine that looked a bit like a space capsule with a sliding table in the middle. Although the majority of MRIs are done with the patient lying on their back, mine was done with me lying face down with my head on a headrest, arms stretched out in front of me (yep, think Superman without the cape) and openings in the chest area. This MRI only took pictures of the chest/breast areas so because it was a partial (not full body), it only took 20 minutes. Full body MRIs can take up to an hour.
The one most critical factor in getting a good MRI is being as still as possible. You can breathe normally and such. While 20 minutes may not sound like a long time; when you have to lay perfectly still it seems like an eternity. Because they were just getting images of a relatively small area, I could at least wiggle my fingers and toes and close and open my hands. That proved important because my right arm with the IV started to go numb and tingle. That was the single most uncomfortable thing about the whole procedure.
So once I was in position, the table slides back into the tube. When you are lying face down, you can't really see how tight the space is so that was not an issue for me. I could feel the closeness of the machine though as it slid back and ruffled the edges of the blanket.
By the way, I haven't yet mentioned it, but you are given hearing protection headphones. You have to have those because this machine is REALLY LOUD. And it has many different voicings. It vibrated, made whirring noises, clicking noises, banging noises, rumbling noises, sounded like a jackhammer and made a variety of other sounds; at times I thought it was trying to do a very loud telegraph message. ..-.-..---.-.--...--. (translated Cancer sucks). It is turning off and on as it is making these noises.
I didn't feel any pain or real discomfort; but I did feel some movement. There was one moment when the machine turned on and I felt what would best be described as a tingle coming from a rush of cold air being blown on my lower back. It was enough of a sensation that I jumped a little. But that was about all the sensation I noticed.
Once the procedure was done, the technician removed my IV and helped me to get back up off the table and told me the test would be sent to my surgeon by tomorrow. I hope it contains some helpful information.
I got dressed and left. Overall, this is a very easy test and it has a level of detail not available in sonograms, X-rays and mammograms.
In addition, I got a pre-op blood test done (that's two needle sticks in one day ... an all-time record for me), picked up a copy of my cardiologist report and last EKG, visited with Andrea (my cancer care coordinator) to ask questions about the surgery including post-operative pathology tests, lymph nodes, chemotherapy and such and get all my paperwork together to submit to AFLAC.
I learned a few new things in terms of how the lymph nodes figure into diagnosis, staging and treatment and as you'd expect, the more lymph nodes that are involved, the worse the scenario. It can bump you from stage 1 to stage 3. I also learned that my tumor has grown. At the time of the mammogram/sonogram in September, the largest part of the tumor was 1.4 cm. Now it is 2.1 cm. It is an aggressive cancer. That I knew. I need it out ... NOW.
All in all, it was a very busy ... but very productive day.
Next stop on this wild ride: Surgery on Dec. 11. I am ready. And hopeful.
P.S. I forgot on the initial write-up to include the funniest part. I started off with wearing a shirt and shorts that day as it was warm. She gave me a robe to wear but said there was no need to remove my shorts and underwear as the MRI was focused on my chest area.
They talk to you extensively about not having any metal objects anywhere on your person during the test including piercings, jewelry, etc. I had left that all off except for one ring that didn't matter as my arms and head were completely out of the tube. Except ... my cell phone was still in the pocket of my shorts under the gown. I forgot about it, the technician didn't check for anything and I didn't realize it had gone in with me until after I was done. I was surprised it didn't go flying or completely be destroyed but it was fully functional afterward and still nestled in my pocket. I guess that's only because the test was focused solely on the chest area and didn't affect any area south of the Mason-Dixon line. Note to self and to others: always check your pockets!
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