The old man was a bit claustrophobic. He compared the MRI process to being shoved down a sewer pipe and having somebody bang on it with a wrench. Like father, like son – I wouldn’t normally call myself a claustrophobe, but that did it.
In fairness, I hadn’t really considered it. My only other MRI was an “open” one two years ago, and the place I picked (because it was close to work) was pitching “non-claustrophobic MRI” on their website. Then I was given earplugs, laid on a very narrow bench (which cause my shoulder to sag and exacerbated the pain which brought me there in the first place), had something plastic snapped over my face within millimeters of my nose, and then got slid waist-deep into the sewer pipe, the upper part of which was so close my eyes crossed trying to focus. And of course my head was braced in such a way as to be immovable, and my arms were pretty much stuck, and well, paralysis plus sensory deprivation plus no way to gauge the passage of a half hour equals HELLLLLLLLLLLL NO.
I guess I wouldn’t have been as affected if it hadn’t been for two things: one, the fact that they specifically billed it as “non-claustrophobic,” thus catching me out with the bait and switch (a MAJOR trigger for me), and two, the notion of sitting there for a half hour with nothing to hear but the ringing of my ears and nothing but a wall of plastic directly in my face and unable to move. I don’t recall how it went at the last place two years ago, but I seem to remember it was kind of brisk in the paper gown and I nevertheless started to drift off to sleep. And really, I’m OK with that, especially if it’s going to be two sessions to get neck and shoulder alike.
In summary: Palo Alto Imaging of Palo Alto, CA, is at best disingenuous in their salesmanship. At worst, they are liars, and they can eat a bag of dicks. Meanwhile, I will be enjoying a relaxing trip to Sunnyvale Imaging Center on Thursday. The moral of the story: always defer to the people with whom you have a pre-existing relationship, and – as always – don’t get cute.