MRI

Yesterday I did the MRI and I was able to get the blood work done on the same visit. When I found out that I had to be NPO( with out food after mid night) I scheduled the event for as early in the morning as I could so I would not have to suffer the discomfort of hunger anymore then I had to. I felt fairly fortunate when I scored a 0740 time slot. The time is good but also necessitated that I be at university Hospital way early. This was not an issue either since I regularly rides round 4:30 I would have mote then enough time to get to the hospital.

Isn’t it weird how even familiar things seem strange in the dark. To get to the lab at the university Hospital I park in the same area I do as when I go to physical therapy. I am up there twice a week but that is in the day light—I got lost I could not believe it. I had pull into one of the new hospital add on and back track and finally got to rehab. This was about 0700 and I get Radiology and Radiology does not even open till 0730! Hurray up and wait. I found a bathroom caught up on some old business and when I came back the lights were on in Radiology and I began clearing my throat trying to be obvious. Finally black haired ‘Denie’ looked up and asked if she could help me. I gave her my name and she gave me the paper work after making sure I was on her morning’s schedule. When I finally had my paper worked done I was led to an unmarked door and told to wait there. Denie indicated I was waiting outside the door because there was so little room in the MRI waiting room. Ok Not a problem.

So there I am at a non descript door in the bowels of the “old building” like I am waiting for the sign of some sort of secrete organization. I am wait till a perky black hair bops by opens the door and notices me and asks my name, I tell her and she checks her clipboard and lights up like a glow stick when she finds my name and tells me to wait for “ just a second” but soon returns and escorts me into the “room”.

Perky led me into a bay of rooms which looked like a set of Star Trek or a high tech Tanning salon: rooms with beds in the center of lighted doughnuts. She soon found a bed with a doughnut just for me and instructed that I needed to lift myself onto bed and lay down. This I could see could take a little effort and I began struggling to make the lift. Perky saw me struggling and called Becky, a flower smocked radiology person not nearly as perky as “Perky” but a whole lot stronger and heftier. Where Perky was friendly Becky was business, one the machine, sheet over my midsection pull the pants down and then told not to move—the machine told me when to breath and exhale and I was done in three minutes. I was soon back in my chair and out to the Lab for the “poke” blood draw.

The lab looked like it was run by Germans, I was checked in, poked and turned loose in less then ten minutes. I was only a half hour late for work and that was because I was trying to find a drive thru but there was nothing available readily on the way to work.

I was hungry but I was done with this part of my rehab experience. I am sure I have not heard the rest of this yet. In fact I am sure this is just the beginning.