MRI Tips and NYU Post Sandy

I had another MRI today to track the progress or lack thereof of my retroperitoneal fibrosis (lets keep our fingers crossed on that one). Retroperitoneal fibrosis is a mass a fibroid tissue that grows because of inflammation of unknown origin and though not intending to ends up crushing all the things it grows around. For most RPF patients this causes lots of pain and can often lead to kidney failure and death. For me it has caused problems with my eating due to pancreas, spleen, and stomach involvement.

That being said I had to go into Manhattan today for the MRI. Unfortunatley, NYU is a hot mess! Hurricane Sandy devestated this medical center in so many ways it would be hard to describe them all. The worst damage I have seen was done to their Emergency room and all offices held in the basements of their many buildings. If you came for a MRI prior to hurricane sandy you would have seen this.

660 1st Ave. NYU MRI Location - Basement

The same location today looked like this.

660 1st Ave. NYU MRI Location - Street side (in trailer)

The flooding destroyed all the machines in the basement so they had this temporary structure built until the repairs are completed. In fact I had to duck around some guys working on the lights to get to the changing room and then was told not to remove my shoes because of all the construction debris on the floor, it wasn't that bad though.  I survived the MRI which as far as I'm concerned is not truamatic or difficult in any way, its just boring. Seriously, how people stay awake inside that tube is beyond me.

Here are my tips for your next MRI:

1.) Tell them to turn off the radio. The music is horrible and way to loud anyway.

2.) Bring earplugs. The dull thwacking noise of the machine can always be muffled a little more.

3.) Have the person turn down the volume on the Headphones or your eardrums will explode when they do finally speak to you.

4.) Practice holding your breath before you go. The better you are at staying still the quicker you get done.

One Last Thing:

Funny story before I go. There was this really big mean looking guy with a goatee in the waiting area. He had a scowl on his face the whole time we waited and I overheard at least five separate calls where he was very rude to his family and his employees (guy made sure everyone in the room knew he was the owner of a Popeye's Chicken). This guy even had the nurse cowed, which if you know any nurses that's pretty hard to do.

So he goes in the same time as me and I can hear them giving him directions on how to use the emergency buzzer (which rings a buzzer for the radiologist to hear). Next they put him in the MRI machine and then start to close the door, then you hear it buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. He didn't even stop buzzing when they finally backed him out of the MRI.

I didn't laugh because...well it just wouldn't have been right. But it reminds me that people aren't always as mean or as tough as we think. In fact their probably not as tough or as mean as they think. Either way try to cut people some slack because you never know what they are going through.