…Until there’s new lesions on your brain!
Click, click, click, click, click
Growl, growl, growl, growl, growl
Click, click, click, click, click
Growl, growl, growl, growl, growl
Click, click, click, click, click
Growl, growl, growl, growl, growl
For those of you who have never had the pleasure of sitting in an MRI Machine, having a full scan of your brain and spine, this is about what it sounds like. That being said, some of the more modern machines can pipe in music of books on tape, but the more rustic, it’s just you alone, in a dark tube, thinking. Fortunately, I’ve never been claustrophobic and usually I freak the technicians out because I get too comfy and fall asleep and start snoring. Hey, it’s easy when they swaddle you in a nice warm blanket and stuff you in a dark place where you can just ponder, at least, that’s what works for me.
If it’s just your brain, it’s only about an hour. If it’s your brain and C-spine with contrast, ninety minutes. Full spine, upwards of three hours. Imagine, lying in a tiny tube listening to nothing but the above and your own thoughts for three hours. They pull you out at some point, jab you in the arm with a needle and inject you with the contrast dye so they can see active lesions on your brain (after the military and MS, no fear of those any more either). Fortunately for me, I have a pretty vivid imagination, and no fear of confined spaces, so most of the time I’m fine. I can entertain myself indefinitely, I just have to remind myself not to breathe or swallow while said noises are taking place, or they’ll have to repeat the scan and I’ll be there longer. The limiting factor is my bladder, which is a whole other blog topic. For those of my friends out there with MS, they feel my pain.
After 18 years of having MS and migraines, I feel like I am a human guinea pig when it comes to health care and the VA. I recognize that in spite many things, I am fortunate, I have health care; but sometimes, I wonder what they are doing to me. I have had 25+ MRI’s (forgive me, I lost count at some point) with contrast in 18 years. Also, I have had more than 10 CT’s scans, plus numerous X-Rays. I joke with my husband and my neurologist (ok, at this point it’s not a joke anymore) that I am going to donate my brain and my liver to medical science so they can figure out what the heck is the deal with not only relapsing-remitting MS, but contrast dye, and how it effects people.
I was SOOOOO close! After sixteen years, my MS was showing NO signs of progression. At the end of 2016, my neurologist felt that things looked so good, I didn’t need an MRI for three years. Joy!
On top of that, we had gotten on top of my migraines with a combo of me watching my dietary triggers, adding magnesium and vitamin D to my diet, and just watching my stress levels. Everything was turning up roses.
And then the mole people came out.
In 2017 I had a massive flare up of MS where I lost vision in my right eye for a time and had trouble with coordination. Unfortunately, when being given massive doses of steroids and immune system suppressants, your immune system takes a blow. I suffered from a severe case of pneumonia that winter, which took me “officially” three months to get back on my feet, but I didn’t begin to feel like myself again for about eight months.
But I clawed my way back to the surface, and here I am again. My doctor and I learned a lot of lessons. Fortunately, she’s on my side, and already she has said that next time (hopefully there’s not a next time) she’s pre-emptively writing me a note to have me take time off work when I have to take my treatments. She wants me to rest on a beach warm and sunny while this crap they give me eats away at me. I’ll take that.
Unfortunately, my last MRI came back with new lesions, so I’ve got to slide back into the tube this week and have another go. While I’m in there, I’ll hopefully dream up a New York Times Bestseller that will knock everyone for a loop. The options if the new MRI come back bad again aren’t pretty, but I’ll deal. And I’ll dream.
For those of you out there with MS and migraines, how is it going with you? Check out my website and drop me a line. I’d love to know how you’re doing out there.