I cab back to Rothman on the appointed day and time. Everything seemed OK. MRI’s were no big deal — I had no problem with a long shoulder MRI a couple of years ago, and that was with my head in the tube.
I had noticed my leg kick twitch had become more frequent and more violent recently, but figured I could control it. The Rothman facility wasn’t impressive. The walls needed paint and the space was about as tight as possible.
The scheduled procedure was long. The machine wasn’t latest generation and thus slower than new machines. They figured the knee would take 30 minutes and the thigh another 45.
After a short wait, I got on the machine and was put in feet first. This would be a snap.
They start on the knee — this is one noisy MRI. After a few minutes my right leg starts twitching frequently. After 15 or 20 minutes I ask for a halt and the techs agree. We can’t be getting decent images.
I tell Dr. Vitanzo what happened and also that the MRI folks could try again in about an hour. Peter then writes me a script for a single 5mg Valium. I take it down to the Rite-Aid on the corner of 10th and Market and discover the generic is $10 for a single pill (insurance co-pay actually) and the brand name pill is $9 since they will not bill insurance. Good grief. I order the brand name.
Since it was going to take them 30 minutes (in reality it was 40) to put a single pill in a vial, I headed over to MickeyD’s for lunch as it was clear I was going to be downtown for a while.
As soon as I get the pill, I take it and head back to the MRI.
Alas, it didn’t control the twitch at all. But this time we decided the doctors would prefer something to nothing and we do the whole 75 minute procedure.
I cab home not looking forward to the next day.
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