Comments on: [cancer] White tube blues

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:45:51 +0000

I hope the stars you saw were Brad Pitt and George Clooney. (Or appropriate analogs for your preferred orientation and demographic.) Good luck. Yes, I know from the UGH.

By: TrinSF (Leigh Ann)

TrinSF (Leigh Ann) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:41:30 +0000

Mm, MRI’s. I both have problems with tight spaces *and* I’ve actually volunteered for research studies that involved repeated MRI experiences. They paid me about $100 to be in one of those tubes for well over an hour. I’m a little bigger than you are (well, a lot) and at the close end of fitting at all, so it was…well, let’s just say that it helped me hone my self-calming strategies. That was especially useful given that as a test subject, I had to listen to sad music, think sad thoughts, get really unhappy, and then do quizzes and answer questions, all while in the Machine, with my head strapped down to be completely immobile.

Thankfully, I guess, my “June Is Cancer Uncertainty Month” experiences this year have involved no MRI testing, just ultrasonic probing with The Nozzle (okay, The Wand, but close) and a biopsy that involved sticking something up my cervix and wiggling it around until I made unladylike noises and saw stars. Evidently July is “Wait For Results Month”. I don’t have to tell you how very UGH the whole experience is.

By: Janessa

Janessa — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:24:37 +0000

Hey Mr. Lake. Just started reading your book Mainspring and liking it as well . Sorry to hear about your cancer. If you ever find your faith wavering in western medical science, visit a place in Vancouver, Wa called Accunatural Healthcare. Acunatural.com is the website. I’m from Vancouver and was pleasantly surprised to learn you are from Portland. Good luck to you!

By: tetar

tetar — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:40:54 +0000

The Frankenstein celebrators at Walter Reed decided, for no known or good reason, that I needed a full body MRI — it’s called metrics gathering — and I actually went to the extent of showing up in charming ass-revealing gown, as coerced by my father. Well, turned out I’m one of those who can’t get one. I simply would not fit. They kept adjusting me and trying to slide me in, and could not get my shoulders to go. Even when I hunched them; can you imagine having to do that for 45 minutes with hunched shoulders? So they finally admitted defeat, after literally discussing greasing me up at one point, and tried to send me to an open MRI. Instead, I drove to Philly and my eye cancer specialist, who wanted to know WTF they were doing. He even called to find out. They declined to answer and he was furious. C’est la medicine.

By: Kai Jones

Kai Jones — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:13:18 +0000

I had an MRI some years ago to diagnose vertigo (well, to rule out a brain tumor really). I started with the tube but couldn’t take it even with Valium; they sent me to the “open MRI” office, which helped. While I still had to wear the hockey mask, since it was a brain MRI, my body didn’t have to be in a tube.

I hope your MRI results are definitive in some way.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:11:40 +0000

MRI’s suck. That’s just the simple truth, but when you’ve had as many as I have you do begin to become immune the white tube of torture.

First rule is, keep your eyes closed. Second rule, let your mind wander to other places, even other worlds.

My most recent MRI had me imagining that the clicks, hums and bangs were like an alien language. Yes, I’m far from normal but perfectly sane–I promise!

Whatever the results, you have friends and “followers” on your side.

~Amanda (@imakeart)