Sunday, June 13, 2004


After speaking with my Mom today it occurred to me that I once again did not fill in the blanks in my journal....bad internet writer. Bad.

A few days back I wrote that I'd answer one of the games on Valium but failed to explain the drug use at all. Last Tuesday I had a 2 1/2 hour MRI to make the new Doc happy and I am a little clastrophobic. For those of you who aren't sure what an MRI is it is that big magnetic tunnel (there was in Terms of Endearment) that one is put into to get very good pictures of their soft tissues. It is very noisy and the opening feels like what one imagines a coffin must feel like. I hate it and the Valium was just the one time to calm me down. The last time I had an MRI I had a panic attack and almost freigned a heart attack to get out of the test.

Then, as if that wasn't enough, I had to stay up until 2am Tuesday and get up at 5am for a Sleep Deprivation EEG on Wednesday morning. They aren't troubling at all but I always worry that I will either snore or, heaven help me, fart during one because the whole idea is for you to GO INTO a deep sleep for the test. That's why you have to stay awake the night before. (So that one falls asleep, not farts.)



I know this info is a bit dry but I don't want to me known as "That Druggie with MS." So, since my mom thought it, I figured the rest of you must too......don't worry I am not a menace to society running around calculating financial statements and driving cars on dope.



* picture from this site: http://www.wcsscience.com/magnet/mri/imaging.html



ckays1967 at 10:21:00 PM PDT Link to this entry

This entry has 15 comments: (Add your own)
nope Sharky....it's not me. It's a direct link to a website (gosh I am lazy) and it's a little bit smaller than the machines I get into. Or maybe it's just they seem bigger when I am standing next to them.


I don't have any digital pics or a digital camera....or the dough to but one. :)




Comment from ckays1967 - 6/17/04 9:15 PM



what, this wasn't dry at all. very interesting. :)
so, is that you in the tube over there?? or is that just
a sample picture of an MRI machine?

I'm not claustophobic, atleast I think I am not.
I guess it would be a terrible time to find out if you
are one being in one of those for 2 and a half hours!

My mom has been to two sleeping deprivation things.
the first one didn't work, and I haven't yet heard about
the second results....

anyway. just chatting a book in here...
just dropping in to say hi! :)
Comment from babyshark28 - 6/16/04 12:24 AM



Your comments about sleep deprivation were so funny! MRI's as you describe here are the reason I want to be cremated...no coffin for me.
Comment from gbgoglo - 6/15/04 5:46 PM



MRIs are not fun but I did laugh about the sleep thing. Thanks for sharing. The info is not dry. Information becomes knowledge and knowledge is power.
Comment from dbaumgartner - 6/15/04 3:47 AM



I had an MRI one time. Not fun!!
You have a nice journal.
http://journals.aol.com/lovegroveb/JustDucky/
Comment from lovegroveb - 6/14/04 5:25 PM



Lisa.....When we were talking my computer froze and then kicked me off. Because of the Valium I was too tired to even mess with it so I went and watched TV. :) I enjoyed our short talk though!!! :) Thank you for your friendship.
Comment from ckays1967 - 6/14/04 1:41 PM



I have had two MRI's and hated having them done. Like you I feel trapped. First two times I struggled through it. Last time I said no way unless they gave me something to help me. They did. Glad you got something to help you relax. HUGS, my friend. *Barb*
Comment from barbpinion - 6/14/04 8:16 AM



You are too funny! I sat here laughing at the fact that you were afraid of snoring or farting in your sleep! ha! That would be something that I'd worry about too, but would never mention it. haha! I'm still laughing! Very cute!
As far as the MRI goes, I know how you feel because I just had one. I am not claustrophobic but I thought for a split second that I might "lose it" when my whole body was inserted (if you will) into that thing. I had to keep my eyes CLOSED and keep telling myself that I was okay. I kept thinking "What happens if the electricity goes out and I am stuck in here?" or "What happens if the city is bombed by terrorists and I am stuck in here?" OH God! It was a bit frightening! I really enjoyed your entry!
Comment from rha4497496 - 6/14/04 7:10 AM



Your mother over-estimates the ability of your readers to comprehend. Even if I don't comment, I try to read all of your entries. I read the entry in question and didn't even catch the Valium comment, or if I did, I thought it was a reference to the game. Would it really be all that bad to analyze Financials while on Valium? I have several months to catch up on at work. I thought maybe Valium wouldn't hurt. ;-) ---Robbie
Comment from krobbie67 - 6/14/04 5:09 AM



Onestrangecat is right. Any city should have open MRI`s by now. But the noise continues! Ugh!
V
Comment from deabvt - 6/14/04 3:43 AM



Around these parts you can get an MRI the way you said or they have "open" ones now so you don't get that coffin feeling.
You don't sound like a druggie. My pastor's wife has MS so I understand a little bit about MS. very little, but I see the way she struggles at times and at other times she seems ok. I know when she takes some meds she is just wiped out for a while.

Kathy
Comment from onestrangecat - 6/14/04 2:27 AM



Christina, I do not think you are a druggie. On the contrary my sweet daughter, I was worried that something was seriously wrong in your life and that you were upset, which is the reason most people have to take a drug like Valium. I'm relieved to know that this is not the case... Talk to you on Friday when you get the MRI results back. Love and miss you, Mom
Comment from tsgerkin - 6/14/04 2:12 AM



And I don't know why that stupid comment posted twice...please save my face and delete one! Thanks! Lisa :-]
Comment from mlraminiak - 6/13/04 11:17 PM



Christina, I DON'T think you are a druggie. You IM'd me (on valium) the other night...we had a short exchange, and then you disappeared! It was a little weird, but I figured it must have something to do with your chronic illness, so I wasn't the least bit judgmental about it. Don't apologize...anybody who is worth having for a friend will understand, or at least give you the benefit of the doubt! Lisa :-]
Comment from mlraminiak - 6/13/04 11:16 PM



I completely sympathize about the Valium and the MRI. It is very claustrophobic in one of those tubes. You deserve whatever it takes to relax during one.
Comment from sistercdr - 6/13/04 10:23 PM