[Heather]

I honestly don't know where this post belongs, but this seems a reasonable place, as it is a NSV, in a way.

This past week I had to have my very first ever MRI (trying to find the cause of numbness and tingling in my left leg). When the doctor recommended it, I was a little concerned, as I had heard many people find them to be a tight fit, and they are not recommended for claustrophobics. I even asked my Dr if she thought I would fit, and she didn't seem to think it would be a problem. I'm don't particularly mind small spaces, but who wants to not fit?

So, Tuesday morning rolls around and I get in my exercise when I mistakenly park at the end of the hospital the furthest from the check in!

When I finally get a look at the MRI machine, it looks bigger than I had thought, and the worries flew out of my head for a moment as I lay down on the bed and got comfortable. The guy settling me in gets me a pillow for under my knees, and behind my head. "Hey, this isn't too bad, I could maybe even nap!" I'm thinking.

The aide asks if I want a blanket, as it gets cold in the tube. I think about it for a second, and decide that, even though I don't mind the cold, I'd rather not shiver, as movement is NOT recommended in an MRI. He gets the blanket, which is actually warmed through (!), and places it over my whole body, including my feet and hands. I don't always like having covers on my feet, so I move them, and then I move to place my hands on top of the blanket.

All of a sudden, the bed I'm on is moving into the tube... almost immediately it seems we are in, and I realized with horror that my arms, still folded on top of my chest, JUST BARELY FIT IN THE TUBE. As I move further in, they are scraping along the top!! It feels like I am just wedged in like a sausage!

I knew I had to remain calm, but I was truly scared I was going to get stuck -- either going in, or coming back out. I did manage to lie still during the 20 minute procedure (though at one point I was told to "breathe calmly" -- crap! I thought I was!), even with my arms lodged into the tube. And when I finally moved back out, I scraped again on the way out. But I made it.

Decidedly not fun at my size.

What was the victory? I swear if I had not lost 25 pounds BEFORE I got in the machine, I never would have made it!

I hope if I ever have to do that again, it will not be such a tight fit!

[haleys]

Hey, even a success like this is a big one! It really shows you how much 25 pounds, even if there's a lot more on the ultimate goal of someone's weight matters! So, congrats on the 25 pound loss making this a success! Keep it up!! Hope everything with your testing turns out to be alright. Take care!

[SkinnySquirrel]

Congrats - that is a strange NSV, but a NSV nonetheless! 25 lbs. is nothing to scoff at!

I have to admit though I'm a little jealous...not because you lost enough weight to fit, but I do NMR in my lab - which is the technique MRI is based on - and I've always wanted to be the sample. I'm a dork.

Hope your MRI results turn up nothing serious, and keep up the great work!

[Heather]

Nothing serious (I guess) -- I was diagnosed with herniated discs.

SkinnySquirrel, too bad you can't try one out just "for fun" -- though I didn't think it was fun this time, maybe if I was smaller...