Someone Needs To Invent The Thundershirt For Humans

Wed. I had my appt. for the MRI for my back. Just as I’d predicted, I got a phone call on Tues. saying it had to be cancelled again! Just like the previous week, the woman on the phone told me that it hadn’t been pre-approved through our insurance yet. I didn’t get upset since I was half expecting this. I did ask her who I should talk to since it shouldn’t be taking this long. I told her I knew it was an expensive test and I could see how they’d try to cut costs if someone had had a lot of claims or tests done. I told her I hadn’t had any. She told me to wait while she looked it up again and then said it WAS approved and she was sorry that she had called in error. I was glad but I just have NO faith in Gottlieb Hospital. 😦 Makes me wonder if it had already been approved the week before and they’d missed it then too.

 

Everything went as smoothly as it could for the MRI. I got there at 9 am, filled out the paperwork and got called back into the Radiology unit. I was told to take everything but my underpants off and put on a robe. I put my glasses and watch in the locker with my purse and clothes. They hadn’t said anything about shoes so I wore my sandals and asked from the hallway if I needed to take them off. The technician said I could wear them for the test or take them off. That I could wear them over to the machine, which I did. I don’t care how clean the hospital floor is, I’m not going to walk barefoot on it. I took my sandals off and sat on the flat bed of the machine. This was my first MRI and I didn’t know what to expect. They basically tell you nothing except that you’ll hear banging and to just lay still no matter what. Then they put huge, heavy headphones like the kind from back in the day. If someone had to sit up wearing them, they’d get neck pain. I hate those type of headphones since they cover the entire ear and are tight and feel like you’re suffocating.

 

On the paperwork you fill out, they ask if you weigh over 400 lbs. They also ask if you’re claustrophobic. I’m not but when I feel crowded or cornered, I tend to feel panicked. I didn’t put yes and didn’t think I’d have a problem with the machine. I had NO idea that it was such a tight fit. I’m a little over halfway to 400 lbs. and when I was slid in, it felt like the solid top was only a few inches from my face. I could tell AS I was sliding in that it would freak me out if I had my eyes open.  So I closed my eyes and kept them closed the entire time!! My eyes were watering a majority of the time even though they were tightly closed. I wasn’t crying but it was more my body’s way to dealing with the anxiety. I’m big boned and even my arms felt pressed in against me. I tried to not think any thoughts that would make me panic. As soon as my mind started to go there, I made sure I changed my thoughts. It was starting to get really hot towards the end. It didn’t help that the tech had covered my feet and legs with a blanket. I must’ve been in there at least a half hour. The guy who took me out was white, the guy who had put me in was black. I was so unsettled, I couldn’t even make any idle chit chat. I think I’ve watched too many horror movies where the person is buried alive in a coffin! 😉

 

Late Friday I got a call from the nurse at Dr. Feelgood’s office. She said the doctor was referring me to an orthopedic specialist at Gottlieb Hospital. I asked if the scan showed if I have a bulging or ruptured disc in my back. She said no, that what I have is “mild to moderate degenerative disc disease.” Wonderful. 😦 I asked if I could go to one closer to home and she said yes but then I’d have to get a copy of the scan to give the doctor. Dr. Hennessy was in the same system and could access the scan from his computer. So I decided I would go to who my doc recommended. She gave me the phone numbers. He has an office in Elmhurst too which is even farther away.

 

This morning I called and made my appt. for an initial consult with the orthopedic specialist. She said he would look at the scans and check my range of motion when I came in. The soonest I could get in was 11 am on July 10th. This works out well since hubby’s next appt. is 10:45 am that same day! So he’ll go to his appt. while I go to mine. I’ll probably get in and out before he even gets in at our regular doctor’s. I asked if Dr. Hennessy was young or old. I just like to prepare myself. She said “He’s almost fifty!” like that’s ancient. So that made me feel better. Then I asked her one of the stupidest things but it is so “me”. I asked if he was nice. She said “He’s very nice.” Who’s going to say anything different if they want to keep their job?! Sometimes I even astound myself with my childlike naivete.

 

I can’t say I’m looking forward to this but I am curious as to what he’ll say I should and shouldn’t be doing. My regular doctor didn’t restrict anything but I’ve used my own common sense. I hope I never need another MRI. If I do, I’ll have to wear a Thundershirt like they put on dogs to keep them calm. Why hasn’t anyone invented that yet for humans? Someone needs to get right on that. 😉