MRI scan #2

I had to go for another MRI scan last Wednesday.

Well, I actually had to go for the scan I was supposed to have in the first place!

I think I'm the piggy-in-the-middle in a power struggle between consultant and radiologist, but I'm keeping my head down on that.

Anyway, I was supposed to have an arthrogram followed by a scan, but the first time around the receptionist of the MRI unit called to say I only needed the MRI scan, no arthrogram.  My surgery was scheduled for last Friday, so I was a bit thrown to get a call on Monday scheduling me in for the Wednesday appointment.

That was my fault - we'd got back from France on the Sunday evening, but I didn't get around to listening to the answerphone until Monday evening; the surgery has been put back to this Friday and the Radiology Department had been trying to get hold of me.

The long and the short of it was Mr K. did want me to have the arthrogram, so I was back again last week.

This time I went to the X-ray department first to have gadolinium injected into my wrist.  I was fine with the needle in the wrist, fine with the x-ray dye in the wrist, and then not-so-fine when the Gadoteridol went in.

:-(

I felt like a wuss, and was back to normal within a minute, but because I'd come over all "wobbly" [felt as though I was going to black out, and had sweaty palms/tunnel vision], the poor nurse had to push me up the hill to the MRI building.

Wobbliness < 1 min; embarrassment > 5 min.

Having my should extended for nearly an hour [the machine was malfunctioning at first, so the radiographer restarted the scan, and then it was on a go-slow as it had had a busy day!] has upset the problem I've been having with that shoulder.  It's much better now, but I could do without that!

The scan was successful, so hopefully on Friday I'll be able to see the difference in the image [whether I'll know if it was worth having two scans, I'm more doubtful].

 I look like I've been "Tango-ed", but it came off pretty easily [if the wrist hadn't been tender, I could have scrubbed harder and it wouldn't have been any kind of challenge!].

I've still got a hard, tender lump just "north" of the ganglion, so I'm hoping that will have gone away by the time I have the operation; the bruising has gone - just in time for a new bruise from yesterday where the nurse took blood.

I was thinking "great, end of sharp things being stuck into me", but I'm pretty sure Mr K. is going to use sharp things on Friday.  I have to admit I'm not looking forward to it, but if I can have the nerve block (rather than a general anaesthetic) that would make it easier...

[I was very depressed after the last time I had a general, so am particularly keen to avoid that if at all possible.  I'd much rather be awake while someone is slicing into me!  I won't know until Friday morning which method they are going to use, so I get to fast/only sips of water from midnight just in case.  I'm fine with the fasting, but will miss my bucket of herbal Twinings!]

Now I just have to concentrate on not being nervous about the ganglion excision...