Well, that last post of mine has really gotten out of hand, hasn’t it! I’ll try to keep this a reasonable length. As I said, I had the MRI at some point in that long novel. It really couldn’t be much easier, I mean – you basically just lie there and try not to move. And let’s be honest: the hardest part was beforehand: the worries. Well, the worries and the preparation; part of the preparation is taking an enema two hours before the MRI. Apparently, the images generated can be partially obscured by anything in the colon, giving the radiologist and doctor a full and clear view of any problem spots in the prostate.
There are many different methods to perform a prostate MRI, and some even involve “sleep medicine” (for the patient – not the doctor lol). There are versions where some sort of coil is inserted into the rectum as part of the imaging process; I assume this is also the procedure that also involves the ‘sleepy time’ drug. And luckily, no alien probe was involved in my MRI. There was some concern initially because when asked I replied that yes, I had once had metal removed from my eye by a doctor. To be honest, it happened two or three times a week at the shipyard, often with 8-10 pieces in each eye. But that was a long time ago and if any pieces were left behind at the time, they are certainly gone now! Nevertheless, I had to have an orbital x-ray done before the MRI to make sure no metal was left in my eyes; there was no.
On arrival, after checking in, I was led to a locker, given ‘yums’ and asked to strip down to my underwear and socks, and put on the pajamas. Then I was led into the room and climbed onto the table. It was very comfortable and I felt right at home. It was only 8am and it was single digit cold outside, but luckily the temperature in the room was comfortable. As they were inserting an IV into me to inject the contrast dye, they explained that I would hear a lot of loud and unusual noises from the machine, but not to be alarmed, and most importantly, DO NOT move!
They put in earplugs for the sound and then placed headphones on me so I could hear the technician’s comments and instructions and also hear music. The machine then transferred me into the tube where I would remain motionless for the next 40-45 minutes. The machine was quite loud at times, producing a wildly varied cacophony of clicks, buzzes, clicks and other noises, but never unnerving. However, the machine completely overpowered the headphones’ ability to deliver music to me. Well, that, combined with my poor hearing and the earplugs they put in, basically made the music pointless.
And just like that, it was done and I was on my way home, wondering when I would see the results. This place offers a patient portal that you can sign up for, which gives you access to your appointments and medical records, so you have immediate access once posted. It took until Tuesday afternoon for the report to be posted; I’ve been checking this almost every hour since Monday morning, but finally it was an automated email from them saying a new report had been loaded into my file that alerted me.
I’ve probably read that report five out of six times, each time leaving with a big smile and sigh of relief on the words “it is very unlikely that there is clinically significant prostate cancer.” There is so much negative that would have come from a “probably present” evaluation, and not just from the obvious health perspective. I should stop walking – something I love to do and something that provides me with a huge source of health benefits. It would also really hinder our babysitting; Teddy and Charolotte need us in their lives and my daughter needs help; I would hate to be the cause of this having to stop, even if just for a while. And I’m no superman, but I have a pretty good track record of being at least somewhat bulletproof when it comes to health; I’d hate for my prostate to be the pin to pop that “healthy as a horse” balloon (as silly as it may sound). But you don’t have to worry about that for now!!
Next on my list of medical adventures is a coronary artery calcium scan. Because I have NO family medical history, because I have high blood pressure, and because I have high cholesterol, my doctor is concerned about my heart health. Even though I can hike 16 miles or more in the deep New England heat of July, that doesn’t mean I can’t drop dead from a stroke or cardio event on a rainy Tuesday. To be honest, I don’t worry too much about it, but you can’t bury your head in the sand! I’m on blood pressure meds, but have resisted the cholesterol meds until now because of everything I’ve read about the side effects. So a calcium scan uses an ultrasound scan to look at the buildup of calcium in the arteries of the heart and is intended to provide a “score” on your risk of a future cardio event. If the score is low, you’re probably doing things just right and don’t have to worry; but if the score is high, it’s best to start taking those medications as soon as possible! There’s more to come here.
In the meantime, we look after two grandchildren two days a week – Mon and Tue. The other three days they are in daycare. That’s difficult for us; we have always done our best to put the needs of our children and grandchildren before our own, something I think every parent tries to do. But I’m just a few days away from turning 68 and although I’m in pretty good shape, it’s a lot to look after a two-and-a-half-year-old and a four-month-old all day. And since my wife has underlying health conditions, that’s hard for her too. In fact, it was she who figured out that two children, full-time, five days a week, might not be survivable for us. My daughter completely understood and found excellent childcare for them for the other three days a week.
Now I have to say that I am fully aware of how fantastic many daycare centers are. And I am completely confident that many of the people who care for these children in child care provide more love and care than many children would receive at home. And I know absolutely how much they will learn there that they would not learn here with us, and also how immensely the social skills of the children there will flourish. I know all these things, but I still feel like I’m letting them down by not keeping them here; like I’m rejecting them. (And God knows I’m not.) And that weighs on me and depresses me. But I’ve seen pictures of them while they were there and both are clearly having a great time and receiving incredible care there. So…the die is cast and we’ll see where it ends up. If for some reason either child doesn’t thrive there, you can rest assured that we will figure out how to care for them five days a week.
January still has two scarce days. So far I have gone for 60 mile walks six times. To put it in perspective, I only got out once last January (for 7.8 miles), so I’m very happy. And since I didn’t walk at all last February, I should have a good chance of surpassing that goal too lol. My goal for this year is 50 miles per month – we’ll see how that goes! But regardless of that specific goal, the real goal is to improve and sharpen my health. I hope you get out into nature, wherever you are. Stay healthy, dear reader!
