So, I had my first MRI this afternoon. Ironically, my knee had been feeling pretty good today--until I had to keep it completely motionless in this fucking thing for about 35 minutes. That was after the hour and 45-minute wait in the lobby, mind you.

That's the bitch of it--certain knee injuries seem to hurt more when you're just sitting still. Or after just sitting still, I should say. Driving in heavy traffic, in fact, usually causes me more knee pain than a 2-hour game of flag football. Not counting last Saturday's game, however, as that's apparently when this knee decided enough was enough.

The MRI process isn't as bad as I expected, although that may be because I didn't have to lie completely inside it. I'm not really claustrophobic, so I don't think that would've bothered me; but I can certainly see how it would freak someone out who was. It's not a very big space at all, and it feels a bit like you're going into an oven or something--although it looks more like a giant washing machine. The huge General Electric logo staring down at me definitely added to the whole "appliance" mystique.

You're also given headphones which do a decent job of blocking out the loud mechanical noises. Although, I could've done without the muzak that was coming through. Nobody should be subjected to instrumental versions of Elton John. In hindsight, the loud mechanical noises would've been the better option.

The most amusing part of the ordeal had to be the paperwork. I had to arrive early (which was clearly unnecessary, of course--did I mention the hour and 45-minute wait?) to fill out their forms. One of the questionnaires asked if the patient had any metal objects inside them, besides tooth fillings. The MRI being a giant magnet, it could obviously present a problem to someone with a pacemaker or metal plate in their head. But the last question was the one that struck me as a bit odd. "Do you have a penile implant?" Umm, that would be nooooo. But it begs the question--would such a thing actually be metal? Damn. That does not sound comfortable. Especially in an MRI.

Tags: mri