Well, I Just KNOW You Want to Hear About This

Well, I Just KNOW You Want to Hear About This

As part of the checking to make sure that my fall and concussion of a few weeks ago (just go back on the blog, it’s all there, to my embarrassment) I had an MRI this past week. With and without contrast. Prepare to spend some time, and it requires a needle in your arm.

This is a closed MRI machine, and when you are having your head scanned it requires a face cage like a hockey goalie (screwed on to the assembly below your head), with your head and arms padded in with little plastic pads so you won’t move. Oh, and to keep you from being uncomfortable (?) they blow air on your face.

I must confess I am a wizard at having MRIs. I can be absolutely still (and not be drugged or drunk) during the whole thing – about 45 minutes or so.

What an astonishing experience this is. In order to do this without moving, you must put yourself into a completely accepting, relaxed state. I’ve tried white-knuckling MRIs before, where you stay alert and just keep bearing down, harder and harder, to hold still and will it to be over. Impossible.

The better way I’ve discovered is something like self-hypnosis, something like meditation, and something like taking a nap. There is loud thumping in your ears, air in your face, you’re on uncomfortable table – and yet it becomes almost pleasurable.

When I’m doing this there here is a bouncing light in front of my closed eyes, in the darkness, that grows and shrinks, bounces from one side to another - you can watch it as it travels. I’ve discovered this is a wonderful time to meditate and pray blessings on family and friends.

Some of you are shaking your heads and saying, “poor thing”. Don’t deny it – you are. But what is the nature of consciousness? What is the nature of willing yourself to be comfortable in an alien space? I actually find myself perfectly relaxed, and I believe I go to sleep. Or something.

But there is the loud banging that does intrude…part of the time it’s sequences of seven higher and lower pitched bangs, repeated several times. The first time comes it surprises you, then each time you are startled less and less.

Does this mean that you can become accustomed to just about anything? My Daddy would say, “You could get used to hangin’, if it didn’t cut off your wind”. And I think he was right.