Multiple Sclerosis and My Latest MRI
Let me start out by saying, I am a pretty average person in most ways with the exception of having multiple sclerosis which is a disease that impacts thousands of Americans (I am not sure how many exactly). However, that is really just background information for this story which I will circle back to a bit later. This has been quite the week for me as I had a bunch of my regular checkups scheduled (regular exam at the doctor, and a dental cleaning). My trip to the dentist started off pretty much like it always does with the dentist commenting on how much sugary sodas I drink (I love Mountain Dew) and of course my sweet tooth in general (chocolate, licorice, all the usual candy staples).
My next visit for the week was to the local medical center to get yet another MRI on my brain and spinal cord (relatively common for those of us afflicted with MS). My regular neurologist recently moved to another town so I am getting a new one (referred by my previous doctor). I went into the MRI machine and to my surprise it took a lot longer than normal. Normally I am in the machine for about 45 minutes max, but this time I was in the machine for an hour and a half. You would think that a person would get used to lying flat on their back for this procedure, but it’s just so darn uncomfortable… Anyway, my heart goes out to everyone else that has to endure this on a regular basis.
Just to give everyone a feel for what this is like, I am a pretty normal sized person (6′0″ and about 180 lbs.). I was inserted like usual into my temporary little cave. When it’s closed the MRI machine is about 2 feet in diameter (at least that’s my take on it, it’s probably a little bigger). All I know is that my elbows were touching the sides of the cylinder and my nose was about 3 inches from the top of the machine. The first few times I did the procedure it was just flat out terrifying because I felt too confined and the machine makes a series of annoying clicks throughout the whole process. As I said before, normally this procedure only takes a max of 45 minutes so image my discomfort being in such a small place for over an hour and a half. I don’t care who you are, that is going to leave a lasting impression on anyone.
So anyway, there I laid as the MRI technician did a very thorough look at my brain and spinal cord. The tech running the procedure was apparently programming the computer to take more cross-section images of my brain. I guess that takes a bit longer (I later found out why they were doing this).
The end result of my week was that I had a couple of more cavities (big shock), normal plaque build-up, and unfortunately I have secondary progressive MS. In essence, the disease is not going away and not getting any better (which of course I could have already told them that). So I decided to write this blog article just to provide an example from a patient’s perspective. If it weren’t for the MRI, my doctors wouldn’t have been able to confirm that the disease is progressing as easily. Which would have meant that my physical therapy program wouldn’t have necessarily been changed to help me try to slow the progression of the disease. It’s tough having MS, but I am very glad for procedures and technologies like this which really help people.
This is a guest post written by David Ryan. David is an active writer and musician that specializes in six sigma certifications his site is located here. We wish all the best for David and his family as he goes through this difficult time!
