07-21-2023, 07:16 AM
Yesterday I got the NMRI with dye.
At 9:37 am I drank this little vial of liquid. It contrains tiny men (and women) armed mostly with Kwan Daos and spears. Their job is to reconnoiter at the thyroid and fight off any iodine that tries to congregate there. Iodine really likes the thyroid, but we really want it going to the brain.
So that's the extent of my understanding of this.
At 10:37 I get injected with iodine. I recall that Lucius Shepard had gotten iodine treatment as a kid and they totally fucked it up. That was probably early in their understanding of its dangers and before the large-scale use of Kwan Daos and spears. He was always having issues getting the medicine, which came by mail.
I wait 3 three hours. Then they introduce me to Mr. Big. Mr. Big doesn't talk much, not like an MRI. The technician is either very inexperienced or overly cautious. To get the best image, you have to get Mr. Big to circle the head as close as possible. But you daren't let it make contact. I swear, he spent a half hour checking and rechecking. At one point, when he seemed ready to go, he unpacked me and had me go sit in a chair as he refussed with it. But eventually it is showtime. 35 minutes of silence. When I'd open my eyes a slit to look out, Mr. Big is looming close, but always in a new spot.
A loud beep wakes me. Startled, I raise my head and hit Mr. Big. Oh, great. This is the reason you don't want to doze during one of these scans. Anyway, a few minutes later a woman comes out to tell me I'm done. She keeps assuring me I didn't move. I can only surmise that the beep signaled completion.
LCF and I leave.
I hear from Kaiser later in the day. It's all gobbleygook, and it warns as much, and says to have it explained by your physician. But I can understand it enough to see that it saw notable abormalities.
I fully expect to have MSA confirmed. But maybe I'll learn more about the stage, what progression I can expect, etc. I expect to hear from my new neurologist today.
At 9:37 am I drank this little vial of liquid. It contrains tiny men (and women) armed mostly with Kwan Daos and spears. Their job is to reconnoiter at the thyroid and fight off any iodine that tries to congregate there. Iodine really likes the thyroid, but we really want it going to the brain.
So that's the extent of my understanding of this.
At 10:37 I get injected with iodine. I recall that Lucius Shepard had gotten iodine treatment as a kid and they totally fucked it up. That was probably early in their understanding of its dangers and before the large-scale use of Kwan Daos and spears. He was always having issues getting the medicine, which came by mail.
I wait 3 three hours. Then they introduce me to Mr. Big. Mr. Big doesn't talk much, not like an MRI. The technician is either very inexperienced or overly cautious. To get the best image, you have to get Mr. Big to circle the head as close as possible. But you daren't let it make contact. I swear, he spent a half hour checking and rechecking. At one point, when he seemed ready to go, he unpacked me and had me go sit in a chair as he refussed with it. But eventually it is showtime. 35 minutes of silence. When I'd open my eyes a slit to look out, Mr. Big is looming close, but always in a new spot.
A loud beep wakes me. Startled, I raise my head and hit Mr. Big. Oh, great. This is the reason you don't want to doze during one of these scans. Anyway, a few minutes later a woman comes out to tell me I'm done. She keeps assuring me I didn't move. I can only surmise that the beep signaled completion.
LCF and I leave.
I hear from Kaiser later in the day. It's all gobbleygook, and it warns as much, and says to have it explained by your physician. But I can understand it enough to see that it saw notable abormalities.
I fully expect to have MSA confirmed. But maybe I'll learn more about the stage, what progression I can expect, etc. I expect to hear from my new neurologist today.