MRI

MRI

I recently received the results from my latest MRI. My GP quickly reassured me “You’ve still got a brain in there!”

Yeah, thanks! Standard ABI humour!

He then proceeded to tell me the technician who did the report for the MRI was so shocked by the AVM he rang my GP the morning he was next at work, to ask if he was aware of what he had just found.

When he told me this part, I smiled a little and mentioned I had told them I had an AVM! And did they not read the referral?

We both agreed they had not!

Bloody Nora!

The MRI was to tell me if there had been any damage from a fall I had, had years earlier and many other things had taken precedence at the time including my maybe dislocated left shoulder.

Having not seen the Specialist I had meant to see at my hospital at the Specialist Clinic a month earlier.

My GP had referred me instantly to have the MRI under a scheme where if it’s thought to be Cancer, you get prioritized and it was bulk-billed.

When the receptionist had taken his call. She had asked how serious it was? He booked it for me while I pointed to times in my diary that were better.

He answered “Well, it’s the brain! So, it’s pretty important.”

And it was booked amongst everything else the following week.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis

“Now tell me, what’s wrong with you?” a shoulder specialist asked me once. You might immediately think my shoulder, correct? Since that was his specialty.

But there’s that thing all medical personal do when ‘assess you!’

To which I replied “How long have you got?”

But first I must digress.

In my early 30’s as you may have read I was working as an Admin Assistant for an NGO. You know, “Admin” it’s that term meaning you do EVERYTHING that is delegated to you and some for really crappy pay.

Oh, I loved that job! I was really good at that job!

Anyway, work became stressful (another time) and my left arm which had always “worked” lost some of its strength and dexterity…

I struggled to touch type, so I hid this by typing very efficiently one handed and tried to hide my weak left arm by sitting my elbow on the desk or in my lap. If I answered the phone left handed I really knocked myself out putting the phone to my ear…

I had a colleague who had a son my age with MS, No! I don’t have MS (Multiple Sclerosis)

Honestly, I think that would be worse than what I have…

So, everyday Tony, my colleague would ask me if I’d seen my doctor yet?

What? I don’t have a doctor…

Actually I had a GP, whom I didn’t like much, so I got a new GP not long before and made a list.

On the bottom I said list was my left arm! I explained the occasional weakness that I’d had for years that came and went…

His response was immediate and he didn’t seem to need any further explanation.

He stated “Ok, let’s get a CT scan!”

I was a little surprised. Booked the appointment not knowing what to expect and went one morning on my way to work.

They injected ‘contrast’ into my arm and when I loaded myself up with all of my bags and carefully navigated the stairs to get back down to the ground floor. The technician watched me very carefully…

I could do stairs rather easily back then, but words from the wise, when the technician watches you like a hawk, he knows something already that you don’t know!

And it’s probably not good new…