Favorite Things Friday: MRIs

This may seem strange to you, since I have spoken about my medical related anxiety disorder, but I really enjoy Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI tests). I have one today, but I'm not anxious about it all. I am actually looking forward to this test, believe it or not.

I had my first MRI when I was 16. It was a horrible situation that ended up completely different than the initial diagnosis (thank goodness) but I became fascinated with the entire process once I was in the device. 

Way back in those days, MRI machines were brand spanking new and extremely expensive! The hospital where I went for my test was part of a group of hospitals who had pooled together their monies so they could buy an MRI suite that traveled from hospital to hospital. When my doctor thought I had a brain tumor (long story, but I didn't), my hospital had the suite, so we went from appointment to hospital pretty much immediately.

When we got there, I checked in and asked the lady at reception if my mom could come into the suite with me (since everyone knew about my anxiety issues - we came prepared). The lady called the MRI folks. "Your next appointment was wondering if she could bring her mother with her." "How old is the client?" "How old are you, honey?" "Sixteen." "Sixteen." "Oh my goodness, she's just a BABY! Yes, she definitely needs to bring her mommy with her!"
Apparently everyone else they had seen was an older adult, so a teenager was a definite novelty for them. So, Mom and I went into the trailer and got ready.

I was apprehensive - I went into the trailer thinking that I had a brain tumor and my mind was going absolutely everywhere. I was tense, I was scared, and I was in a strange medical situation. Then the test started.

I was enthralled.

The basis of rhythm as a diagnostic tool hit me deeply. At 16, I knew about music therapy, but all I really knew was that there were people out there who did music therapy. So, a medical test that used rhythm expanded my ideas about what music therapy could be. The rhythms that I was bombarded with during that 90 minutes made me think about other things that rhythm does. I was able to think about that while in the MRI tube staying completely still.

My brain started to organize the patterns. I was singing songs in my head that matched the rhythm and tempo of the MRI machine. It was difficult to stay still, but the rhythms filled up my brain so I could stay still. As the test concluded, I had a specific song in my head. The same song was playing on the radio as I walked out. I have no idea if I could hear the song from the suite or not. The entire situation was strangely provoking and stimulating at the same time.

I am still enraptured with these types of tests. It thrills me that the human body responds to rhythm and tones on a cellular level. I'm actually looking forward to this procedure today to diagnose the damage to my knee so we can move forward.

(If you are interested, I did not have a brain tumor. The indicator that my doctor had seen, along with the onset of my balance disorder, led me into many years of ophthalmology appointments, significant tests to rule-out other conditions, and an eventual diagnosis of a birth defect and Meniere's Disease. I'm thinking this upcoming diagnostic process should be much simpler than that one was. The best part about the MRI way way back? My doctor told me that my siblings could NEVER accuse ME of being brainless! He had seen pictures of my "beautiful brain!" He knew our family REALLY well!!)

So, I'm going to leave for the hospital in a couple of minutes to go into my second MRI. I hope I will still find it fascinating and will be able to relax enough to enjoy this process yet again.

Happy Friday!

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