Thursday, May 17, 2007

MRI Fun

Yesterday I went for an MRI so the doctor could find out whether or not I in fact had a stress fracture. Oh wait, I didn’t write about the doctor visit, did I? Yeah, not something I necessarily wanted to dwell on. In a nutshell the doctor had an X-ray done which showed nothing but he thought there was a chance it was a stress fracture. Also, he thought if he could show me real proof that something was wrong then maybe I would finally take a break (er wrong word) from training. Therefore, an MRI was in order.

This is actually the third time I have had an MRI. About 6 years ago I slipped two discs in my back. Actually the whole back incident is one of the main reasons I take fitness so seriously. Let me share with you a little sob story. One day I was in kickboxing class convinced that beating the crap out of a punching bag would totally make me feel better about getting dumped (sad but true). It was there on the sixth floor of the Reebok Gym where I literally heard my back “pop.” Two surgeries and a year of physical therapy later I was back at the gym. If I could go from walking with a cane to almost reaching Jennifer Garner perfection a stress fracture has nothing on me.

I am actually pretty good with pain, shots, hospitals etc but the MRI is really a test of your patience. First off the imaging center was running an hour late, and then I get into the freezing cold MRI room. I lay completely still while magnetic beams clicked and clanged all around me at a deafening pace. Your eyes are essentially left to watch white paint dry. Yeah, that’s what an MRI is like. Good times. While I was about 75% in the tube I was left to think….how the hell did I let this happen? At the same time my leg was so happy in its new immobilized state. I thought to myself during the next week you will do nothing to the leg. I will not bike and will only moderately swim with a pull buoy. Leg, you have won. Congrats. You can stop screaming now.

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