research study...

the MRI i had done this morning is part of a research study that penn is doing that uses spectroscopy with MRI technology to help diagnose brain abnormalities without having to do surgery (i.e., a biopsy). even though i had already had the biopsy done, there's still some confusion as to what this thing is, so i fell right into the category of patients that meet criteria for this study.

the scan lasted almost an hour--about twice the amount of time for a typical brain MRI. a typical MRI uses a 1.5 tesla magnet, this one uses a 3 tesla magnet (by the way, terms like "spectroscopy" and "tesla" mean absolutely nothing to me). at one point in the scan, the MRI tube SHOOK!!! holy crap. i hate MRIs. i've never been claustrophobic in my life, but being stuck in a tube that is so small that the top is only inches from my eyes is just a little too much for me. just thinking about it makes me anxious--think being buried alive but with an opening at your feet. it's miserable, and quite a challenge to spend an hour trying to distract yourself from thinking about the fact that you're in a little tube with loud knocking and buzzing noises all around you.

anyway, it's over now. i made it through. and hopefully this will be the last of the MRIs for a while. i got my biopsy slides from graduate hospital on thursday and dropped them off to dr. grady's office on friday. i was told that i'd hear from dr. grady "mid-week". so here's to more waiting...