March 14 – “Latest malady alert …”

Latest malady alert …

I had an MRI on my head yesterday.  The purpose was to see if I have some kind of tumor growing on the nerve that controls hearing in my right ear.  Might be something much simpler, like gritting my teeth or some kind of dental issue.  But apparently all the symptoms point to this malady.  An MRI look at the head is the only thing that can officially rule it out.  So, here we go …

 

Yes, they really did schedule it for Saturday morning at 8:45.  Me and the front desk girl were the only ones there.  And I mean from the time I entered the clinic building to the time I arrived at the desk on the second floor.  No one.  It was eerie.  Oh, and she wasn’t wearing a mask.  So I pulled mine down, too.  Hey, who were we going to infect?  She was six feet away, behind a glass wall.  Rebellion, anyone?

 

I got checked in and settled into a chair to wait.  At my appointment time, she told me that they would be right with me.  Right.  She said the same thing fifteen minutes later after she saw me dozing off and on.  She apparently called someone.  It worked.  The tech came out with the previous victim … er, customer … er, patient.  He wasn’t wearing a mask, either.  The tech was, but she never mentioned it, so I didn’t even think about putting mine on.  At least not until she ushered me into a little dressing room and told me to remove all my clothes except my underwear and put on the nifty paper scrubs she had for me.  I was to leave all my belongings in the locked locker.  So my mask stayed there as well.

 

The test went as well as could be expected, I suppose.  27 minutes for the first go-around.  I kind of dozed on occasion and almost dropped the little disaster, come and get me out of this thing ball I was handed at the start.  I managed to stay still enough, I guess.  The she pulled me out of the machine and started an IV full of dye to course through my veins.  She warned that it might give me a stomach ache, but that would pass.  Then she crammed me back into the tube for another 17 minutes.  It was quite the photo session, but I made it through. 

 

My back was sore from the hard table and the requirement to stay flat and still.  She asked if I needed any help getting up.  I held out my hand and replied, “Oh, yeah.”  She was a pretty strong lady.  I didn’t give her much help, but she hauled me right up to a sitting position.  She turned to leave and tossed over her shoulder, “You may be a little dizzy.  Be careful.”  Heeding her warning, I sat on the side of the bed for a few extra second before following her.  Good thing, too.  I was indeed dizzy.  Made my way to the side of the room to have some support as I gathered myself.  Strange feeling.  Finally, she guided me back through the maze that led to the elevators. 

 

So, I made it through.  There are now rumors that some brain matter was even detected.  Unconfirmed rumors as of yet …

 

Isaiah 66:13 says, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you …”

 

Father, thank you for the miracles of yet another invention of the creative minds you gave us, that MRI machine.  It is amazing what it can show.  Amen.