MRI DAY! - March 31st, 2010

Over the last couple of weeks my flank pain had tremendously increased and my pinched nerve made my right leg always irritated and aching...

My appointment was at 7:30am at Kelsey Seybold Sugar Land and I was told the MRI was a very simple process....so I wasn't too worried about it.

The MRI technician told me to lay on my back (similarly to the gentleman in the picture below) and I was rolled into this small cyclical piece of machinery. Let me tell you that although the 'pain' inflicted by this machine is non-existent, the MRI was one of the toughest things I had ever done. Mine also happened to take place in a mobile truck; it was darker and just a bit scarier altogether ;)

For one thing, if you're claustrophobic, you won't do well at all. By the time your body is fully inserted, you can't see the light in front of you or anything behind you -- as you're not allowed to move any muscle or limb whatsoever...And no, you're not allowed to sneeze or cough either...no excuses!

On the other hand, the sounds the machine does drives one crazy. With earplugs buried in my ear, I still tried to understand the sound patterns. I don't know why I wanted to analyze the machine sounds as the magentic waves were going through my body. The more I thought about it, the more I was in pain in that specific area of my body. Not fun.

The main problem I had was that I was instructed to stay still for 30 minutes. It might seem simple, but alas, to my dismay, my leg and flank were killing me that morning. It made it all the more intolerable.

20 minutes into the process, and after hanging on with my life, I started slightly moving and the technician asked me if I am doing alright as he is noticing blurry images on his screen. I told him to please pull me out because I was really hurt and needed to stand up and move my leg. He said if he pulled me out, we'd have to start over and do another 30 minutes....Toughest dilemma I had faced that day, lol.... I know what you're thinking....but I got out. I couldn't last another 10 minutes.
Getting mentally prepared is half the show and knowing what the MRI is about is the other half. I ended up finishing up the 30 minutes in one sitting but I was late to work.

If I ever have to do this again, I'll make sure to take pain medication before sitting in this modern coffin. It was a different kind of torture.

We're getting somewhere.... - March 26, 2010

After examination by the Neurologist and a Nerve Therapist, they suspected a nerve was pinched. Made sense as the upper right thigh area was numb.
As soon as I told her I had flank pain, she ordered an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and a CT Scan with Contrast.

It seemed like we were finally getting somewhere although I had done a CT Scan back in January...I did not know what to expect but I was excited to get the results....

Bring it on, Doc! I have more symptoms for you! - March 19, 2010

I made sure to book the next appointment at any cost. I left work right before our busiest hours (1pm) and explained everything to the doctor. He immediately referred me to a Neurologist. First smart move over the last 2 months....

Only problem is that he still requested a blood test....If you only knew how I hate those ;)

A semi-sleepless night - March 18, 2010

As if I wanted to reminisce what had happened 2 nights prior to this night....My upper thigh/lower hip started hurting at night...Same symptoms.

It wasn't a cramp, and I couldn't believe I was hoping I'd get a cramp instead...Although this time, I was ready for it! (hehe - Evil grin) -- I pulled out my pain medicine that ER gave me on Jan 22, 2010 and took it. It helped me (somewhat) through the night. From what I understand, these pills are quite wanted in the black market, lol...but Im glad I kept them to myself :D

I wondered why the pain would come at night, but it did -- just another message from God that I had to act fast and it was putting a toll on my sleep and health.

My first sleepless night! - March 16, 2010

As I was sleeping (very deeply I must add), I wake up due to a never-felt-before strong pinch in my upper thigh. It was 2:15am!

I put my hand on that area and I felt pulsation, radiation, tingling and a burning of the area. It felt like something under my skin was breathing! You pretty much could have put Liquid Nitrogen on my thigh and I would have been OK with it as the burning was continuous and intense.

The pain was so severe that I ended up not getting another minute of sleep the whole night although I had work the next morning.
I got online and started searching for such common symptoms but couldn't find anything concrete.

I remember hitting my mattress bed a few times due to the pain...The first pinch was a memorable moment, but one most needed as I now knew I had to take action very soon.

I was happy to know that the pain went away around 7am...the only problem was that I had to explain another 'crazy' story to my coworkers as they had to believe another "I didn't sleep at all last night..." ;)