I had the MRI of the spot they found on my knee when they did the PET/CT scan. At the time we were busy with other surgeries so they said they'd wait until later to investigate it. Now is later.
MRI's in themselves aren't painful, but this one was for me. It wasn't an "open air" MRI machine like I've had in the past. This one sucked me in feet first to within inches of my chin and came right down on top of me. I was alarmed at first when it kept getting closer and closer, but the tech assured me it would stop. When it did, it was so close to my head that I had nowhere to place my arms. While this normally wouldn't be a problem, I'm still recovering from surgery under my right arm and I don't have full range of motion back in it yet. There was literally no where I could place it that didn't hurt. The tech did the best she could trying to help me, putting cushions under the arm, etc, but there was nothing I could do to keep it from hurting. Finally we both just agreed to get on with it and I would have to grin and bear it, so that's what we did. At least this place had headphones so I could listen to a music station. she asked me what kind of music I wanted and I said classic rock, I couldn't think of anything else off the top of my head. In hindsight I should have said pop or modern rock. I swear if I ever hear "One whiskey, one shot, one beer" one more time I'm gonna punch someone in the ear. And that's partly a country song, isn't it? The stuff they were playing was crap. I didn't know what was worse, the music, or the MRI banging away and pulsing away in my ears for 45 mins.
By the time we were done, I was hurting so bad I was almost in tears. As soon as I got in the car I took a double dose of pain pills. I still had work to do when I got home, but I just couldn't do it. The pain meds had kicked in, and I was so out of it that I ate dinner and went right to bed. I slept almost 12 hours straight.
I had a little "Scanxiety" because it seems I always get bad news from doctors lately, so I was prepared for the spot to not just be a harmless Baker's cyst, and I was right. My oncologist called while I was out shopping with mom today and told Deni I have a "perforated synovium"(?) of the knee, which is a perforation of the lining around my knee. He said alot of athletes sometimes get that... I am SO NOT an athlete! I don't remember having injured that knee at all, and it doesn't hurt either. So the onc referred me to an orthopedist and I have an appt with him tomorrow. He's a specialist in orthopedic oncology, and my onc said he would probably want to do some kind of surgical procedure to find out what exactly is going on. Apparently they are being super-investigative because I have Melanoma and it can pop up anywhere, anytime, for no reason at all, and they want to make sure this isn't because of it. Sounds like a biopsy is in my future.
If it turns out to be melanoma... then things get deadly serious. That would bump me up from a stage 3b to stage 4, I would be considered "metatastic", and my survival odds would plummet. I would also immediately become eligible for every kind of chemo they have, and maybe radiation too.
::Sigh:: Just when I think I have a handle on things. Mom is worried again, but it might end up being nothing. Fingers crossed.
MRI's in themselves aren't painful, but this one was for me. It wasn't an "open air" MRI machine like I've had in the past. This one sucked me in feet first to within inches of my chin and came right down on top of me. I was alarmed at first when it kept getting closer and closer, but the tech assured me it would stop. When it did, it was so close to my head that I had nowhere to place my arms. While this normally wouldn't be a problem, I'm still recovering from surgery under my right arm and I don't have full range of motion back in it yet. There was literally no where I could place it that didn't hurt. The tech did the best she could trying to help me, putting cushions under the arm, etc, but there was nothing I could do to keep it from hurting. Finally we both just agreed to get on with it and I would have to grin and bear it, so that's what we did. At least this place had headphones so I could listen to a music station. she asked me what kind of music I wanted and I said classic rock, I couldn't think of anything else off the top of my head. In hindsight I should have said pop or modern rock. I swear if I ever hear "One whiskey, one shot, one beer" one more time I'm gonna punch someone in the ear. And that's partly a country song, isn't it? The stuff they were playing was crap. I didn't know what was worse, the music, or the MRI banging away and pulsing away in my ears for 45 mins.
By the time we were done, I was hurting so bad I was almost in tears. As soon as I got in the car I took a double dose of pain pills. I still had work to do when I got home, but I just couldn't do it. The pain meds had kicked in, and I was so out of it that I ate dinner and went right to bed. I slept almost 12 hours straight.
I had a little "Scanxiety" because it seems I always get bad news from doctors lately, so I was prepared for the spot to not just be a harmless Baker's cyst, and I was right. My oncologist called while I was out shopping with mom today and told Deni I have a "perforated synovium"(?) of the knee, which is a perforation of the lining around my knee. He said alot of athletes sometimes get that... I am SO NOT an athlete! I don't remember having injured that knee at all, and it doesn't hurt either. So the onc referred me to an orthopedist and I have an appt with him tomorrow. He's a specialist in orthopedic oncology, and my onc said he would probably want to do some kind of surgical procedure to find out what exactly is going on. Apparently they are being super-investigative because I have Melanoma and it can pop up anywhere, anytime, for no reason at all, and they want to make sure this isn't because of it. Sounds like a biopsy is in my future.
If it turns out to be melanoma... then things get deadly serious. That would bump me up from a stage 3b to stage 4, I would be considered "metatastic", and my survival odds would plummet. I would also immediately become eligible for every kind of chemo they have, and maybe radiation too.
::Sigh:: Just when I think I have a handle on things. Mom is worried again, but it might end up being nothing. Fingers crossed.
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