Gangsta Scans

Today was MRI day. A bilateral breast MRI with and without contrast to be exact. At this point, I have had two rounds of scans, so why this one? The pre and post contrast/dye helps to ensure no additional areas of concern in either breast has been missed. I am really glad they do this due diligence before putting you under the knife.

You will arrive about thirty minutes prior to your scan time to get your fancy gown (I will share that later) and pants and will answer a series of questions ahead of going to the scan room. The MRI technician will start an IV in your forearm in order to inject the dye. You will lie face down on the table with the girls dropped below you in cushioned openings. They will feel quite breezy while hanging there. Your ribs/sternum lay on a divider which is a bit uncomfortable. Your head goes down into a round pad similar to what you see on a massage table, and they put a pill under your feet to bend your knees a bit. You put your arms above your head like you are Superman. This all happens fast and before you know it, they slap some headphones on you, and you are off into the wonder tube.

Now the nurse took down my preference for music, and as requested, my headphones kicked on, with “I’m representing for them gangstas all across the world, (still) hitting them corners in them low-lows, girl…..” thumping out both sides. The noise of the machine sounded like my 1995 computer trying to dial up the modem, and I mentally escaped to my college dorm room. I know people say this machine can be intimidating and claustrophobic, but I fell asleep. I also feel asleep in a fire truck once. It’s totally possible.

Initial images are taken before the dye is administered to establish a baseline view of the breast tissue. A gadolinium-based dye is injected via an IV line, which helps highlight areas of increased blood flow, making it easier to detect abnormalities, including tumors. The scan lasted about 35-40 minutes if I was tracking properly. I did take a picture to show how red my chest was afterwards just since that is likely the least uncomfortable part of the whole process. Besides the XXL gown I had to cling to in order to keep my stuff covered. Overall, it was pretty simple!

I saw a great quote today on my friend Monica’s page. “No one has a right to sit down and feel hopeless. There’s too much work to do” – Dorothy Day. I felt this was super appropriate given my current situation.