MRI

So... I never thought of myself as being claustrophobic. However, I've never really been in a tight space before today. Wow the MRI machine couldn't get much tighter. First things first, they scheduled my appointment for 6am at Children's Hospital. Come to find out, they schedule fetal procedures for the first appointment of the day. The offices weren't even open when I got there. They finally took me back at 6:30am, got me changed, gave me a questionnaire, and put all my things in a locker. My nerves were wrought. I had no idea what to expect, except what I know from the TV show House, and we all know how reliable TV shows are. 

The technician was very kind and took me into the MRI room and got me settled on the sliding board/bed thingy. I was relieved to find out that they were going to show me a movie during the procedure to help distract me only to discover, after several tries, that the machine wasn't working. Nice. To put a long story short, I am not a fan of the MRI machine. To be pregnant, super uncomfortable, having back pain, all while being shoved into a tube was not how I would have liked to spend my morning. I found myself having to use the breathing I used in yoga and while working out in order to stay calm. I am not one to panic, but I will tell you after an hour of having to hold completely still all the while an incredibly loud machine keeps making systematic buzzing noises and filling the tube with heat, I must say I had to stifle the panic.

By the time I was done, I was ready to run out of that place. However, I would say the most sobering part of the morning had to be when I got up and needed to find a place to change. When I went into the MRI room, there were no other patients. When I came out, the place was filled with small children, some playing with toys, other crying from fear, all waiting for their tests. It just brought me back to reality. No matter how much I disliked the MRI, I was an adult and could rationalize and calm myself. These poor little kids were scared, sick, and going through so much more. Quite sobering if you ask me.