So I woke up bright and early (well, not really, I'm just not used to being out in public this early) popped a valium, took the dog for a walk, woke Bob up, and headed down to Alta Bates for the MRI. Took another pill when I walked in the door. And then took another when they put me in the dressing room. I was good and looped, and I needed to be.
The MRI is an incredibly tight fit for me. Another five pounds or so and I wouldn't have been able to get inside it at all, I think. They set me up with an IV line for a saline drip and then the contrast fluid before I climbed on the table, and then once I was on it they hooked me up. The room was very cold. The machine puts out a lot of heat. And the saline was cold. Very weird sensation. After about 20 minutes in the machine they switched over to the contrast fluid in the drip. It was colder than the saline, and I could taste it, which was REALLY WEIRD. I was in there for another fifteen minutes or so - 10 of imaging and then a little longer while they confirmed the images were usable. Thank goodness they were. Despite all the drugs I was losing it. Then when they pulled the table back out of the machine and I could get up, I couldn't. Between the drugs and just being sore from lying still and face down for so long. It took a while to get off the thing.
Bob had to prop me up and steer me toward the car as we were leaving. We drove through McDonalds and I ate something and then went straight to bed. I woke up once for a couple of phone calls and then crashed again until about 3.
So now I have more news, none of it good. Pathology is back, and I am triple negative. So, that means most of the treatment options are not available to me.
The other bad news is that the MRI did exactly what it was supposed to do - identified two other hot spots that need to be biopsied. The first one is an inflamed lymph node, and the second is probably another tumor, but smaller. I'm waiting for the scheduler to get me in for those biopsies with the same doc I saw a couple weeks ago.
The MRI is an incredibly tight fit for me. Another five pounds or so and I wouldn't have been able to get inside it at all, I think. They set me up with an IV line for a saline drip and then the contrast fluid before I climbed on the table, and then once I was on it they hooked me up. The room was very cold. The machine puts out a lot of heat. And the saline was cold. Very weird sensation. After about 20 minutes in the machine they switched over to the contrast fluid in the drip. It was colder than the saline, and I could taste it, which was REALLY WEIRD. I was in there for another fifteen minutes or so - 10 of imaging and then a little longer while they confirmed the images were usable. Thank goodness they were. Despite all the drugs I was losing it. Then when they pulled the table back out of the machine and I could get up, I couldn't. Between the drugs and just being sore from lying still and face down for so long. It took a while to get off the thing.
Bob had to prop me up and steer me toward the car as we were leaving. We drove through McDonalds and I ate something and then went straight to bed. I woke up once for a couple of phone calls and then crashed again until about 3.
So now I have more news, none of it good. Pathology is back, and I am triple negative. So, that means most of the treatment options are not available to me.
The other bad news is that the MRI did exactly what it was supposed to do - identified two other hot spots that need to be biopsied. The first one is an inflamed lymph node, and the second is probably another tumor, but smaller. I'm waiting for the scheduler to get me in for those biopsies with the same doc I saw a couple weeks ago.
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