I gotta go get an MRI.

[shilala]

A double series with dye, actually. This is my third shot in the tube. I think it's making me goofy.
Aside from that, I didn't realize my alarm clock had a 5:30 on it.
I'm supposed to be there in four minutes. I should get goin. :)

[Wanger]

Damn...good luck Scott!

[Savor the Stick]

Good Luck Scott, I'll be praying for ya. I just got my results back yesterday.....I have a 1/2 centimeter disc protrusion at L3-4 and various 2mm bulges other places. I'm going to ask the Doc to up my pain meds cause nothing is touching it right now.

Let us know when you find out some stuff:tu....I am kind of loopy right now with the stuff I'm taking.:confused::confused:

[14holestogie]

Good luck and best wishes, Scott.

Praying for some good news, brother.

[HK3-]

Pretend you are going into a torpedo chute. Maybe they will prescribe you some good meds? :r

[elderboy02]

Good luck! :tu

[tenbaseg]

Ugh, good luck. Those are no fun.

[markem]

Best wishes on the MRI Scott.

[TripleF]

Hoping and praying for the best bro!

[bowhnter]

Good luck!

[G G]

your gonna be late bro, but I hope it turns out good.

[shilala]

Thanks for the wishes, guys. :)
It went fine. The girl that runs the tube is a real sweetheart, and she's very good at what she does. I had to have 20mm's of dye for contrast, never even felt the needle go in. It's one of those good parts of not being able to feel my skin. :)
I looked at the films and I've developed another cyst in my spinal cord up top. The big one is at the bottom. I only got a local shot of that one, but it looks like a golf ball. :)

I found a neurosurgeon, and I see him on Sept 2nd. He'll likely aspirate (suck the cerebral fluid) out of the cysts and then see how my back responds.
Usually that brings about three months of relief.
I'll take a handful of needles and a mallet to the forehead if it makes things better.

The cysts are called Tarlov Cysts. Your spinal cord has three layers. Mine has holes in the center cord, and it leaks spinal fluid into the middle cord section. That's where all your nerve roots are, and it's not supposed to be there. The pressure is what causes all the problems. Weird stuff.
Every day is an adventure, but I'm close to getting some definitive answers and some real treatment. They gotta swipe your card a hundred times before getting to that point, but I'm finally getting to the end of a long road.
Now I'm gonna eat some more dope since Hal thinks that's a good idea, and I'm gonna have a Jolt cola to wake me up.
Last time the dye made me sick all dye.
Today I'm just gonna pray and ignore it. I gotta work on my humi.
When you guys see this one, you'll pee yourselves. :)

Thanks again for everyone's support. It means the world to me. :tu

[G G]

Glad to hear it went well Scott.:tu

[TheTraveler]

Glad it went smoothly Scott. You're always in our prayers. :)

[Wanger]

Glad it went well.

I've had some back problems myself, but nothing like that. I've gotten better to the point that I can do almost any activity I want. :)

[Mugen910]

Glad it went smoothly Scott. You're always in our prayers. :)

:tpd:

[kydsid]

Is Get Well Soon innapropriate in this case I dunno but I hope you do. In the meantime I have already sent a lovely floral related bouqet with a lovely smell to your door. :D

[aich75013]

Glad it went well.
Hope they can find a long term solution.

They still make Jolt cola? Haven't seen that since High School.

[marge796]

Are you going to DRMC???

[HK3-]

Glad to hear it went well.

Be careful playing with power tools when you're all doped up.

[MedicCook]

Good luck Scott.

[shilala]

Glad it went well.
Hope they can find a long term solution.

They still make Jolt cola? Haven't seen that since High School.
Yeah, but no "cola" flavor. All different crazy stuff. I just like the grape.

Are you going to DRMC???
Yes, I have been.
I'm going to make a brief stopover at UPMC, then I'm gonna go to the Tarlov Cyst Institute in Kansas City.
Everybody has to swipe the card, you know how it works. :)

[Blindjimme]

Hope they find a long term solution for you Scott. :)

[gnukfu]

Hope they can get you fixed up and normal again, well as close to normal as you can be Scottster!!!

[hotreds]

I wish you nothing but the best, brother!

[potlimit]

In the last 6 years I've had probably 25-30 MRIs... so I always try and find the humor in them (there's always something funny).

In August '03 my doc noticed something unusual in my blood work that led him to believe I had a brain tumor. So, he scheduled me for an MRI the following day, and let me tell you, that first MRI was the worst. Not only that, the suspense that night waiting for the results was horrific. Anyway, the next day I'm sitting in alone in the examining room waiting nervously for my doctor when he strolls in carrying the films.

"Well, let's see what we've got," he says, pulling them out. I feel as though I could puke at any second. He holds one up to the light, squints and says "what the. . . " The room starts spinning and I start making a mental bucket list as I thought for sure he was going to turn to me and tell me I had at most 3 months.

"WHAT, WHAT IS IT???"

He shook out of his gaze, "Huh? Oh, no, no... sorry. It's just that the tech drew an arrow here and they are NOT supposed to do that." I exhaled a huge sigh of relief, chuckling a little, then asked "Well, what did he draw an arrow to?"

"The tumor." Spinning again. "You have a 2 millimeter pituitary tumor." I can't help thinking that the pituitary is in the middle of the head and that that's certainly going to be inoperable.

"So, I mean, how long do I..."

"No no no, it's not like that. You have a very common, BENIGN tumor that probably won't be a problem in your lifetime. We just have to monitor it and regulate your hormones."

24-30 MRIs, 2 rounds of chemo and 2 neurosurgeries later... Oh well, que sera.

However, what I'm trying to say Scott is that even though I can remember with almost crystal clarity how awful I felt at times, I also smile remembering the times I could laugh at. It's cliche as cliche gets, but laughter (and the ability to find the humor in our situations) really is an awesome drug.

I hope everything goes well for you,
Mase

[marge796]

When will you be in KC? I'm just an hour down the road if you have time we should get together.


Chris.....

[shilala]

When will you be in KC? I'm just an hour down the road if you have time we should get together.


Chris.....
I don't have a clue.
I have to let UPMC swipe my card as many times as it takes, then we'll go from there. If I end up in KC, I sure hope it's soon. :tu

[leasingthisspace]

Scott if you do have some time free in KC let us know, I would love to be able to shake your hand.

[shilala]

Scott if you do have some time free in KC let us know, I would love to be able to shake your hand.
I'll be sure to let everyone know, it'll be my pleasure to meet you guys. :)