Well, that was unpleasant. I knew it would be, and was prepared for it, but it was still unpleasant. I guess I was hoping it would be better than I was expecting. It wasn't. But, it wasn't worse than I thought it would be, either. It was pretty much what I had prepared for.
It didn't help that I stayed up way too late last night and didn't get to sleep until around 2 AM. I am taking a night class that goes from 6-10 PM, and after psyching up to stay awake through four hours of lecture, I have a hard time winding down. So, I was reeaaallly tired this morning. I practically sleep-talked my way through my morning class, and took off immediately afterward to get to my 11:15 appointment.
Before the MRI, I went in to get the contrast dye (gadolinium) injected. Getting the dye injected was about like getting a cortisone injection. I would say it was somewhere in between the first cortisone injection I had, which was horrid, and the second one, which wasn't nearly as bad. The injection was done by a radiologist, with the help of a tech. Before injecting the dye, the doctor injected an anesthetic, which was actually the most painful part, but apparently makes the injection of the actual dye hurt less. Both the tech and the doctor told me the dye would make my hip feel 'full' because they were adding between 10 and 15 CCs. (Ultimately I think they added 11.) 'Full' is a good way of describing it. It didn't exactly hurt, but it was extremely uncomfortable - sort of how your arm is uncomfortable when you're having your blood pressure taken, only the feeling lasted for over an hour.
After the injection, the radiologist took a few X-rays to make sure the dye was in the joint. For one of the X-rays, I had to do 'frog legs' and that... hurt. Like a mother. First off, my leg felt so weird I didn't feel like I could move it. When I finally did, rotating it outward caused a massive amount of pain. I must have made a face because the doctor asked if my hip always hurt when I rotated it like that, and I said that was pretty much the case. It reminded me of the time I had to get X-rays of my elbow because it was totally swollen and I couldn't straighten my arm. The X-ray tech told me I had to straighten my arm to so she could get a good picture but it was like, 'Helloooo, that's why I am here - because I can't straighten my arm!'
On a funny side note, when I was going over the information with the tech before the injection, I noticed they had listed my birthday as being in 1940. LOL. I told her I was definitely not THAT old. I crossed it off and changed it to 1974. She said they must have been looking at my age when they wrote that. Then the doctor came in and looked at the paper and said, 'Is that right? Were you really born in 1974?!' I said yes. Then he asked, 'So that makes you how old?!' I replied that I was 40. Then he said, 'That's what I thought, but before I saw this I thought you were, like, 18.' I told him that apparently 40 is so old I'm not even offended when people say things like that. Ha.
I must have really been limping when we went downstairs for the MRI because the tech asked me if I needed a wheelchair. LOL. I had a short wait in the waiting room with a woman who was drinking barium and apparently having a very hard time with it. She asked me if I had ever had to drink barium before. Yup, been there, done that, in high school. I'm not sure which is worse, having dye injected or having to drink barium. Barium is seriously so gross it makes you want to throw up, and a lot of times the reason you're drinking it in the first place is because you've been throwing up constantly. I told her I had had to drink barium before and agreed it was awful. I decided maybe having the contrast medium injected wasn't as bad as having to drink it. Plus, when the barium passes through you, it's not pleasant. I'll leave it at that.
Eventually I went in for the MRI, and aside from being very painful, it was pretty uneventful. My hip was pretty much throbbing at that point, and lying down on my back is very painful. At first I was in such an uncomfortable position I had no idea how I was going to make it through 45 minutes, but then the techs at least put a pillow under my legs so my hips were not hyperextended (which really hurts me). Then they taped my feet together so it would be easier for me to hold still. And in I went. It was louder than I remember. And longer. The last time I had an MRI, I remember telling them to play classic rock, and I had to listen to '80s music the whole time. This time I also requested classic rock, and it seemed like true classic rock, although I could honestly not really hear much at all. I also remember last time thinking the time passed pretty quickly, but maybe that's because I fell asleep. This time I felt like the MRI would never end, but maybe that's because I was so uncomfortable (which is probably why I couldn't fall asleep). In the end, the tech told me I had done a great job holding still, and that they were able to get some great pictures. She said it so many times it made me wonder what most people do during the MRI. It's not as if you really have the choice to wiggle around. Since she kept going on and on about all the great pictures they had gotten, I asked her if she saw anything interesting. She promptly replied, 'Unfortunately, even if I did, I'm not allowed to say anything.' Darn. A by-the-books tech.
When I left, I was in an extreme amount of pain, but the pain wore off after about an hour. I feel pretty good now, although I am supposed to 'limit my activity' for the next 24 hours, whatever that means. Anyway, the arthrogram is done, and I'm glad I had it done because no matter what, it will help me make some decisions as I try to get through this mess. I have an F/U with my orthopedist next week, and until then, I'm just not going to think about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment