I cab back to Rothman on the appointed day and time. Everything seems 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 deep in the tube, which won’t the case here — I hope.
I’ve noticed my leg kick twitch has become more frequent and more violent recently, but I figure I can control it. The Rothman facility isn’t impressive. The walls need paint and the space is about as tight as possible.
The scheduled procedure is long. The machine isn’t latest generation and thus slower than new machines. The techs figure the knee will take 30 minutes and the thigh another 45.
After a short wait, I get on the machine and get put in feet first. This will 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 can 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 head over to MacDonald'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 area.
Alas, the Valium can’t control the twitch at all. But this time we decide the doctors would prefer something to nothing and I do the whole 75-minute procedure.
I cab home not looking forward to the next day.
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