My results were, I get to have blood test, video/eye tests, a spinal MRI next week, and if they can’t figure it out then, another brain MRI in June. Yay. 
OTOH, it is all in an attempt to avoid a spinal tap, which may make it all worth it. If I don’t end up needing one anyway. 
Lok
Heh… I’d rather have an MRI than a lumbar puncture any day!
The spinal/brain MRIs last a good, long time. I kept falling asleep during mine a couple of years ago.
A spinal tap must suck, but be glad you don’t have to suffer through nerve tests, with the giant, electric needles and the other shocks. The worst part was I had to go back to work after my nerve tests on my leg, and I was wearing khaki pants. When I got back to the office, I had little blood spots all over my pant leg.
I misread this as MRE.
That would’ve been a good thread.
Believe me, I am more than willing to do the other stuff if it means I don’t have to do the tap. But I might go through this stuff and then still need the tap. This would be a bad thing.
Maus, since mine is at 8:30 AM and I usually don’t go to bed until 6 AM, I won’t be a bit surprised if I fall asleep. 
Lok
I wouldnt be afraid of a spinal tap. They sound rather painful and scary (The needle is really long), but they numb your back first, and you do not feel a thing. They really are not as bad as they seem. I had one a few years ago, came in at 8am, had it done at 9am, and left at noon.
I hate brain MRI’s. I had one in first grade, and complained about the sound, so they gave me some sleeping syrup and I slept through the rest of it.
The people I know that experienced spinal taps have said it really depends on the person doing it. My mother had one that was horrible, then her next one at a different hospital was virtually painless. But I will continue to hope I can avoid it. It is going to be months either way.
Lok
Did you come up with a good cover story?
“Yeah, there was this horde of monstrous mosquitos…”
Back on topic (more or less):
Thanks for the information, all. I need to call and schedule an MRI for my shoulder to see why it makes a variety of crunching noises when I rotate my arm, and knowing more about this mysterious (but not quiet) procedure is making the process easier for me.
They just figured I was up to more stupid numb leg tricks, and was showing off by sticking thumbtack in my leg again.
I can’t speak for a shoulder, but for a spinal/brain they lay you out on the slab, put a big pillow under your knees and a small pillow under your neck, and slide you into the MRI. You lie there and stare at the white plastic six inches away from your nose, and listen to the hypnotic bang-bang-bank knock-knock-knock until you fall asleep.
I’ve had three so far. The first was OK. Nothing special. The second seemed to be flawless - it was done by a neurologist and I barely even noticed anything going on. But, the next day, I was leaking spinal fluid (causing extreme pain, nausea and inability to stand) and needed a “blood patch” which was done by a true hack of an ER doc who caused far more pain in their attempt to numb the area than the actual process would cause.
Thats the way to make me feel better! Thanks gotpasswords! 
Lok
I had an MRI of my brain [disclaimer]… it was eight years ago so maybe things have changed…[/disclaimer] because I had had two classic brain aneurysm symptom episodes.
I didn’t think it would be any big deal. It turned out NOT to be fun.
They told me what to expect, that there would be no pain involved. They said I should bring a loved one along to stand at the bottom of the tube and hold my toe. This helps if you are at all claustrophobic, since that way you know there is someone you trust there to pull you out if you feel it is necessary. They also offered me valium [sub]only, of course, if you have said loved one there to drive you home.[/sub] I thought this was silly. I have only been claustrophic once, when I was crawling through a hay tunnel at a Halloween party. I figured it wouldn’t be a problem, since the tube isn’t all that long and you are in a room instead of being trapped in a tunnel under eleventybillion bales of hay. Which would make ANYONE a bit nervous to my way of thinking. I’m tough, I’m thinking, and I don’t need no steenkin’ drugs or peoples holding my toe for something that isn’t even going to hurt.
So they put me on the table and told me not to move AT ALL during the test, which they explained was in progress whenever I could hear it happening. Fool that I was, I didn’t ask about the breathing aspect of the situation. Then the table moved into the tube and the noise started. It sounded like monkeys were dropping coconuts on top of the tube. LOTS of monkeys, dropping LOTS of coconuts. It WAS noisy, but no problem…until I realized I couldn’t breathe without moving…at least a little. So there I was, holding my breath and starting to feel a bit trapped. The minute the coconuts stopped, I breathed a WHOLE BUNCH REALLY FAST and then held it again when the coconuts started in once again. After a few episodes of this, possibly I was hyperventilated or oxygen deprived, take your pick. So then I started to feel claustrophic. And I wanted OUT OF THERE!!! But my practical side said “Cheri, if you freak out NOW…you’ll have to go through this aGAIN! It is only 45 minutes of your life. Quit being such a baby.” So I started planning how I was going to handle it NEXT time, since I was fairly sure I wasn’t going to get through it THAT time. That was working well, so I started listing all the people I SHOULD have brought with me to hold my toe. Then I made my grocery list. THEN I started naming the monkeys.
I got through it. And when they pulled me out, they told me how amazed they were that I hadn’t moved AT ALL. I explained that the not breathing thing had been a bit difficult and they told me that of COURSE I could breathe shallow breaths, [sub]you idiot…implied but not spoken[/sub] and I was too hyperventilated/oxygen deprived to smack them so all was well. AND they confimed that I did, in fact, have a brain. It also turned out that said brain didn’t contain an aneurysm, which was of course a great relief.
My conclusion? If I ever have to have another one, I’m bringing someone with me to hold my toe. AND…I’ll ask better questions beforehand.
Barbarian, I’m glad you don’t have to have surgery. Here’s hoping the physio works well and that you have a complete recovery. Are you ever going to make it back to live in this little corner of the world? I sure hope so!
When I got an MRI I didn’t really know what to expect, not much advance information. So I walked up to a machine that looked like it had a small little concave area and I figured I must stand in front of this thing.
That’s when they pulled the table out from the hole and told me to lay down with my head on the end closest to the machine and I suddenly realized what was going to happen.
I’m not generally claustrophobic, but being 5 or 6 feet into a hole that is barely wider than my shoulders, well that was not an easy transition. I relaxed eventually, but holy crap that shocked me.
I’m glad you didn’t have an aneurysm Scotticher 
But I don’t know if I’ll make it back to the PNW. I’m allowed to live in Manhattan for a few more years, then I have to return to Canada, but aside from knowing I’ll be in a city I have no idea where in the country I’ll end up.
You guys have it easy, doing your anatomical MRIs. I do research in an fMRI lab. The f is for functional. Instead of a relatively quick anatomical MRI you can fall asleep in, we have you do a very boring task (or worse, stare at flashing checkerboards) for about an hour to an hour and a half. We pay you for your time of course, but since I work in the lab, I can’t get paid when I have to test new studies. Fun.
So what were the monkeys’ names?
Sounds like the opposite of my diagnosis. My neurologist assured me that I didn’t have MS, so that wasn’t why my leg was numb, but they did find that I was rather brain damaged. So much so, that the radiologist suggested emergency brain surgery to put in a shunt to drain the fluid that was where a significant portion of my brain should have been. My neurologist suggested that they not, because 1) I had obviously been born with the brain damage, 2) I could still walk, 3) I could talk coherently, and 4) I didn’t habitually urinate on myself.
My sister said she could have told me about the brain damage, and save me several hundred dollars.
Why was my leg numb? After a lot of nerve tests, she told me I should take an Advil every morning, and stop crossing my legs when I sit.
So Maus, after you do something wrong, do you look at people and say, “Sorry, I’m brain damaged. I will try harder next time.” My speech patterns and my ability to find words when speaking are messed up, enough so that it is noticeable even if you didn’t know me before. So I find myself telling people “Sorry, my brain is melting and having some problems finding words right now.”
Lok
Thanks…and me too!
Well, it’s nice to be able to keep up with what’s going on with you here, and I’m glad I was able to meet you before you moved East. Take care!
They didn’t let me take any of them home [sub]they didn’t even let me SEE them…in fact, they claimed there WERE no monkeys. 
And then they looked at me funny.[/sub] so all of the names didn’t stick in my mind. I seem to remember KongKing, Bubba, CocoNuts and TyroRex as contenders, though. And George, of course.
I’ve been thinking the exact same thing ever since last year when I had several cranial MRIs. I was completely fascinated by the rhythmic and melodic patterns being generated – they could easily be used in a composition. I’m an accomplished musician, but not a composer by nature, so I haven’t had the nerve to try and put something together. Maybe I will, though…