So Carey had an MRI (that's Magnetic Resonance Imaging, for those of us who didn't already know) on 9/1. For a thorough gander at her hidden and abnormal lady parts. To see what the dealio is with the double uteri. She asked me to tag along for support, so I did. Fortunately I had the day off due to the forced unpaid vacation library furlough. Once we got to radiology (a creepy underground laboratory) we both had to fill out forms in order to be eligible for the MRI (Carey) or to just be in the room during the procedure (me). Apparently the magnetic field in the MRI room is a force to be reckoned with. You pretty much had to swear that you were in perfect health, well, at least physically. Psychologically speaking...I'll get to that in a minute. So we signed our lives away. Then the radiologist told us what could go with us into the room and what had to stay behind. Belt, zippered hoody, watch, jewelry and even credit/debit cards (because they could get demagnetized) all had to stay. Then the technician walked us into the room. Surrounding the big white plastic box that was the MRI was a room, stark white-white like something out of THX 1138,
a fragment of a sterile future dystopia. I was offered a seat, a folding chair about 5 feet away from the sterile beast. Carey had to climb up on a gurney. The radiologist wrapped her in warm towels, then a rib-like rack and then strapped her all cocooned up to the gurney. Feet and chest all strapped in. Carey was told to not move her feet once inside the MRI machine(?). The technician gave us each a set of ear plugs because the scanning gets really loud. For Carey they also gave her headphones with KEXP piped in. Then they pushed the button and the gurney very slowly moved into the shallow cave in the center of the enormous machine. Seriously large. Like 20 x 20 x 20. Then as the radiologists sealed the door they told me it was a good thing I brought something to read because this was going to take awhile. Also, they cautioned if I needed to get close to the machine to take my glasses off. Magnetic field and all, remember? Carey minds well have been 50 miles away from me. She was so wrapped up tight. Restrained. Constrained. Trapped. I started to grow anxious. Like seriously anxious. Like panic-attach anxious. I tried to talk myself down rationalizing that I could be stuck in a room for 30 minutes no problem. But the noise was getting to me. And the sight of Carey was making me extremely claustrophobic. I began to feel the straps around my own body tying me down. Helpless. I had to do something. So I knocked on the control window for the radiologist to stop everything, unseal the door and let me ask them a quick question. I asked if once this thing started if I needed to leave would I be able to. They said no. Ok. Just checkin'. So I sat back down while they resealed the door and started up the MRI again. But I couldn't take it. I couldn't calm down. It was fight or flight and I had nothing to fight with or against. My heart was a mass of hot energy and my brain was being constricted to the point of madness. I knocked on the control window again for them to stop the machine, unseal the door and let me out again. Naturally they were annoyed. I asked if I could stand behind them and look through the control window. They said no. Defeated, I walked down the hall to the waiting room. Some big help I was. I started to imagine Carey freaking out (like I would), opening her eyes looking to me for support and finding a big fat empty chair. I feared she'd be really upset. 40 minutes later she entered the waiting room hair messy and eyes half open. I stood up bracing myself for a tongue-lashing. But then I noticed her hair was all disheveled. Her eyes were barely open and she had a dreamy look on her face. Carey slept through the whole thing! And the radiologists were able to talk to her through the headphones telling her right when I left the room. I was just relieved that she wasn't mad. Of course Carey fell asleep. That's so like her. If I, on the other hand, had to get an MRI, I would need heavy sedation. Add claustrophobia to the list.
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