Claustrophobia

Had to get an MRI for my arm last night – had pain for 3.5 weeks now, and it’s just not getting better.  All I think about is OW MY ARM HURTS, ARM, ARM, ARM, ARM, ARM.   I tried to soak it in alcohol this weekend for Jon’s bachelor party, but that didn’t work.  OK – it did for a while, but now it hurts again.

I’ve had MRIs before on my rotator cuff, so no big deal, right?  Not right.  The guy asks if I’m claustrophobic, and I say no.  He says the last two were – it was a big mess.  No problem here, I say.  I’m a big brave boy.

Get in the thing, all is cool.  Then is seems to get smaller.  And harder to breathe.  He asks if I’m OK.  I say I don’t know.  He takes me out.  I relax a bit.  Back in I go.  Immediate panic.  What the fuck?  This has NEVER been the case before.  I ask what we can do – he says “We can give you drugs.”  Excellent answer.  Fork them over, I say.  He says no, you have to get a prescription from your doctor.  Jeez.  Call my doctor, who phones in a prescription for 2mg of Ativan to the pharmacy in the building.  I go get my one pill (for $6, thank you very much), eat it down, and wait for it to take hold.

Needless to say, it worked great.  They could have put me in a coffin and nailed it shut, and I wouldn’t have cared.  Did the shoulder and the neck in about 40 minutes.  We’ll see what the deal is.  Then I’ll research getting over claustrophobia.  With my luck it will be something you have to have implanted.  Into your ARM.