Breast MRI's and "This is a Message from the Emergency Broadcasting System"

"Uh, Hi...this is Tom with the MRI department at KU Med. I need to speak with you regarding your breast MRI...we need to go over your medical history and some safety instructions. If you could please call me at...."

I swear I've heard that message from Tom at least three times, and now he's calling me about the abdomen MRI next Wednesday. And I'm sorry but what's this stuff about safety instructions? What in goodness name could happen that I need *safety* instructions!?

Turns out it's nothing I need to worry about. Turns out Tom's a nice guy to talk to on the phone; I wonder if I'll get to meet him sometime.

*****

So I get there early and sit in the hallway contemplating what this is going to be like. You have to remember that every single test I have done and every test I will do in the future are brand new to me. So I was a little startled when the MRI began and it felt like I was inside the Emergency Broadcasting System. :)

They gave me the rockin' blue robe to wear (apparently there are different robes/colors for different procedures; makes sense) then took me back for an IV. Again. This is really beginning to make me want that port surgery; I've been stuck at least 7 times so far and have probably two or three more before that surgery is done. *Sheesh*

Anyways they take you back to a room with a very large machine that kind of had a "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" sound going on in the background. You lay face down on a table that has two holes cut for your boobies to hang in. They then push something, I'm not sure what, against either side of your chest, and then put earplugs in your ears telling you "It can get kind of loud in there".

Um, okay...

So then the MRI guy (sorry MRI guy, I've forgotten your name) tells me that I just need to relax and not move and that he will talk to me through the intercom to tell me how long each scan is. They put an "emergency" squeeze ball in my hand and left the room. I hear the MRI guy's voice click in...

"You ready?"

*thumbs up from me*

"Okay. First scan is 30 seconds"

***WAH***WAH***WAH***WAH***

I damn near jumped out of my skin!!! That was NOT what I was expecting. I don't know what I was expecting, exactly, but I sure know it wasn't that!

"Second scan is 2 minutes"

***TUEY*TUEY*TUEY*TUEY*TUEY***WAH WAH WAH WAH WAH WAH***

Holy carp! This was craziness! Hahahhaha!!! I literally felt like I was inside the Emergency Broadcasting System. I was half expecting the MRI guy to come over the intercom saying "This has been a test of the Emergency Broadcasting System. This was only a test". Hahahhaha!!!!

I will admit that on a couple of the longer scans I dozed off. Especially two of them that were the same sound in a consistent rhythmic pattern the entire length of time. Those lullled me off to a quiet place so that was nice.

This entire scan took about 30 minutes and it wasn't until the last 5 minutes or so that I began to get uncomfortable. It was a slightly uncomfortable position to lay down in in the first place; face down, arms above head, boobies hanging down, and a slight bend in the table right under your abdomen applying pressure on the bladder. Yeah, that was fun. Then my right shoulder started to hurt and my hand started to go to sleep. Thankfully they were done before I started fidgeting cause it would've happened.

Later this upcoming week is another MRI (at least I'll know what to expect this time!), a lymph-node biopsy, and the first chemo session with a Neulasta shot the next day. That's gonna be fun. Then the countdown to no hair will begin. Yessssssss.......*pumps fist in air*