March
17
So, today was The Day. I had my MRI Arthrogram to find out WTH is wrong with my left wrist. I won’t have the official results until I talk to and/or see my doctor, but what I went through was very fascinating, so I thought I’d share.
First, I went into the x-ray room. They needed to x-ray my wrist because a doctor needed to see exactly which joint he was going to inject the dye into (since the wrist has 8 little bones, every place the bones touch each other is called a joint. He needed to know which space, or compartment to inject, and he needed to see the bones to do it.) He did this with a cool machine that pulled out over my belly (I was lying on my back) and was a “real time” x-ray. Meaning, hi, this gadget is taking a pic of your hand in real time, they don’t run to leave the room and push a button. It was kind of like the x-ray machine at the airport, but you could see exactly what he was doing in there on the screen. Very interesting.
The doc first injected me with a local anesthetic, so I didn’t feel the needle piercing into the soft tissues of the joint. (Oh the drama). Next, he watched the x-ray screen to make sure he was getting the right spot. Once he was there, the fluid felt like it was inflating my hand like a balloon. Very odd feeling. Afterward, they took me to the actual MRI area where I was asked many times, “No earrings? No keys in your pockets? Did you take your bra off? No barrettes? No pacemakers? No keys in your pockets? No phones? No jewelry? No keys in your pockets?” I understand, and I actually was relieved they asked me so many times, as forgetful as I am that this machine takes MAGNETIC images.
Anyway, so I’m in there, facing the torture tube. I’m actually glad they let me go to the bathroom first, as I was doing the MRI for a good 45 minutes. Ask to go potty before you do this! Especially if you had a Coke not a 1/2 hour before. So the radiologist has me lie on the bed/tray thingy on my belly, with my left arm out, like Superman. They wrapped a splint-looking thing to my wrist, to keep it immobile, then placed it in this plastic cuff-looking thingy and in I went.
Oh, and they gave me earplugs. Good thing, too, cause that machine is LOUD!
Anyway, I’m not a big claustrophobic, however, the moment they inserted me (snicker) I was instantly dizzy and nauseated. I have no idea if that was due to the machine, the fact I was inside it, or the fact I was on my belly moving on a platform going into a small round space. But vertigo overtook me for the first few minutes. I soon got over it, as there’s some light air blowing on your face, and I had a fluffy pillow to “nap” on.
I managed to sit still for the entire procedure, and it helped that all the nurses, radiologists, and doctors were very nice and helpful with my questions. At the end of it all, I asked if I could see the images. The nurse gave me a hesitant, “Okay…but he won’t be able to tell you any results.” That’s fine, I’m just fascinated by it all. So I saw the images for about a minute, while the radiologist is explaining about my little bones, the tendons, everything in there (as they took top views, bottom views, cross section views, and side views). As he’s rolling through the images (which I can’t make hide nor hair out of), I notice one in particular – of the dye all bright white against the stark shadows of my bones, seeming to be oozing out of one of the compartments on the far left of my ulna (the pinky side of my hand). Now, we all know I’m not qualified to read MRI’s, but it would seem to me this would be an indication of a peripheral TFCC tear. I just got a quick glimpse of it, and even staring at an MRI, I can’t see most things radiologists can see, so who knows, I might be totally blowing smoke.
Good news is, I should be hearing from my doctor within a day. The radiologist told me if I don’t hear back from my doc within 24 hours, to call them.
Bad news? Well, the doc who numbed my hand said it would last for about an hour. Here it is, almost 7 hours later, and the back of my hand is still numb. It seems to be getting better, though, little by little, so we’ll see how it goes. The tip of my index finger was numb up until an hour ago, and is fine now so I’m thinking that doc’s math was a little off.
Anyway, I just wanted to give you a play-by-play of what happened at the hospital today, as I know some people who are getting an MRI have no idea what to expect. Despite what your orthopedic surgeon might tell you, it’s not painful! The most pain I felt was the “sting” of the dye, but that just felt like a slight burning, and then it was done. Your wrist will feel uncomfortable with the pressure of the dye in there. Also, if you go to the bathroom after you’ve been injected, it might hurt a bit, because now, you’ve got your ligament tears and the dye in there, so take care with that.
When I see the doctor for the follow-up, I’m going to ask to see the films, because what I saw today was just a short flash. I want to be able to at least take a picture of the films to show you guys. I’ll let you know what my hand surgeon says now that my MRI has been achieved. 
~~Becka
) 
It’s still too soon for release dates, but the contract has been signed and cover art is percolating. Once it’s edited, then they’ll give me a date to give you as to when you can expect it. Until then, here’s my 
