FLOWERS ON ICE

Right. to tell you all about what a Contrast MRI is and involves along with the transport saga that is endless, and, of course, weather dependant.

The Urology department appointment was eventually made for the week after the MRI and the same week as my ECG appointment, convenient but tiring for me. The only scanner they had free for the MRI was at the local cancer hospital so the appointment was there, it's a nice place although I wouldn't like to be a patient there, for obvious reasons. I was taken to the scan department by wheelchair and shown into a changing room where I had two gowns to put on, one with the opening at the back and the other with opening at the front, to preserve modesty. I had researched the process thoroughly and so knew that it involved more needles, not something I was looking forward to! I was put into the tunnel machine with the space helmet like before and the a cannula put in my arm at the inner elbow spot, although they had a struggle as the vein wasn't compliant as usual.

The cannula was connected to a syringe loaded with a solution containing the same type of silver as is used to coat CDs, also the cannula would be operated by computer from the staff 'safety' area where they operated the scanner from. First, there was the normal thudding noise from the scanner as it traversed my brain and spine then about 20 minutes later the machine stopped and the syringe attached to the cannula activated, a slight stinging sensation was felt in my arm and then the scanner noises began again.

Afterwards the fun began again – I was wheeled back to the dressing room and promptly forgotten about, I sat for a while like a good girl then realised it was the self-propelling kind with that had large wheels on the outside. So Pat decided she could move herself to the reception area to wait for the passenger transport. Foolish woman! Only 1 hand/arm had a little bit of strength! So what happened? Circles is what happened. At first I could only move in circles but soon figured out that if I gripped the wheel tightly, or as tight as possible with my right hand I could achieve a sort of forward motion, it wouldn't have fooled a policeman looking for drunk drivers but I was going in the right direction f0r a change, that is until I encountered a door! There is not enough strength in my right arm to open a Pull door so obviously I always use my left hand. The only movement I achieved was going backwards as I pulled the door open but ended up too far backwards and unable to keep the door open whilst I propelled myself through the opening. After a few attempts a member of the admin department took pity on me and pushed the wheelchair with me in it back to the main reception.

The reception area is also the snack-bar seating area and I love to eavesdrop whilst waiting! As I said earlier this was the specialist cancer hospital and there was some people whom I couldn't help pitying but others were the ones who broke every rule for visiting or accompanying patients. One in particular caught my ear – A woman accompanying her daughter who both looked like talk show rejects; the mother (about my age) was regaling the person next to her with her ailments over the past twenty years, along with friends and relatives death details, this poor neighbour was bald, obviously because of chemotherapy, and was sat looking very embarrassed but was too polite to tell the woman to shut up. It amused me that we will endure a person with no forethought like that but all complain when the bins aren't collected on the usual day.

After they had gone along came another woman my age with her very frail, elderly mother who had obviously got to an age where she decided she could speak her mind and no-one would be offended. I cannot now remember what she said but it amused me at the time, I commented upon her pretty ring and she proceeded to be give me the history and provenance of all eight or nine rings she was wearing. She obviously still had all her faculties even though she turned out to be nearer 90 than 80.

On the journey home I couldn't help pondering on the fireworks if the older lady had been present earlier when the younger one had been loudly giving all the morbid details of her life. Now THAT would have been entertaining!

Five days later I was at the out-patents again, this time to Urology for my pre-operation assessment, basically it was a series of tests to ensure I was fit enough to have the operation whereas all the neurological tests of the past few weeks had been to make sure I was fit enough for the modified chemotherapy treatment I would most likely receive for my MS. So I was enduring loads of tests [with needles] to make sure I was fit enough to be made fit! (Well fittish anyway) So once again blood was extracted and my blood pressure taken, also the operation was explained [to be honest I would rather not know what people are going to do to me whilst I'm unconscious] I came away with even more leaflets about the procedure, what would happen afterwards, and the benefits of epidural anaesthetic which is what I would be having. As this was only about a week before Xmas no admission date could be given, not that I was desperate to be operated upon.

A telephone call the same day did not help. The local housing authority rang in response to my complaint, good to get a response even if it had taken a solicitor writing to them to get that response. The story is of no-one being prepared to admit to their mistakes, my bathroom and kitchen were 'modernised' during September and October 2008 and as a result of bad workmanship and being ignored for 6 months the leak has now created mould on my Living Room wall therefore the new wallpaper put on in December 2008 needs replacing and the new kitchen needs an entire corner replacing but the housing department thinks I should do the decorating but as I didn't cause the problem why should I pay? Anyway I digress, the house is another problem that will be solved when it is solved. [forget it for now woman and deal with your health at moment]

I was back at the hospital again the next day to have my heart checked, thank goodness it was the last test. I would now have just over 2 weeks with no hospital attendance, time to breathe and even smell the flowers as they say. But it's December and there are not any flowers to smell!