Sponsored (in part) by Atari

With shoulder pain not getting any better, I decided to seek the professional advice of someone who actually knows things about bones-- an orthopedist. I went through the run around with my regular doctor about getting a referral before I realized that "PPO" means not having to ask to go to a specialist.

So I check out orthopedists on the computer for my insurance and up pops a fella I will never forget- the doctor who happily drained my knee last year. He knows his stuff, so I decided to seek out an appointment. In luck, I got one for Monday (this) morning. Like a responsible citizen, I arranged for a 1/2 day sub, only to be awarded a snow day.

So I get in my little car that could and drive over to the hospital where the office is. It was a slippy slidey ride, but I made it with minutes to spare. Of course they make you fill out about 6 yrs of paperwork, so my shoulder wasn't spared from the moment I got there. For those of you who didn't know, my shoulder's so messed up that it hurts to write. Fun times and a clipboard.

So I finally meet with the doctor, and he pokes and prods and decides that it's a bad sprain rather than rotator cuff. He orders an MRI to rule out a tear and writes me a prescription for 6 weeks of physical therapy. Again, fun times. It is funny when you're an adult though, and can get your doctor off on a tangent about teaching. My last name (and flowy hair) make people want to talk to me I guess. And shhh... I have a sweet spot for doctors :-P This guy was married, but a very cute doctor walked by my room a few times. I'd let him look at my x-rays anyday... haha

Due to the snow, I was fortunate to get the MRI done that day. Having had a CAT scan, I thought it would be no big deal. Stick me in the tube or whatever and tell me to hold my breath... whatever.... This MRI machine (like most others I assume) wasn't like that at all. I had to climb onto this table and maneuver my shoulder into this little cuff thingie. The technician then propped up various parts of my body with cushions before offering me a blanket to put over me. The procedure takes a staggering 40 minutes!! I'll take the blanket, sister...

So I'm laying there with this cushion 1cm from my nose and I hear various sounds, each with it's own character and volume. The story in my mind was as follows:

I'm in my living room playing a grueling game of fast-action Pong on my Atari. I get up to go to the bathroom (my obnoxiously loud fan). I them return to play another round of Pong before it starts to rain torrentially. The sound makes me return to the bathrooms (obnoxiously loud fan), before I am shipped off to Nam with my machine gun. I pop off a few rounds into the jungle before returning to play some Troika. I switch to Nintendo and play some Excitebike. I return to the bathroom (obnoxiously loud fan) before the rains come again. The rains beat down for quite some time before I resume Nintendo, switching to Duck Hunt. My adventure ends with one last round of Pong. I win.

Still uncertain about my shoulder's outcome, I hope this MRI's the one and only for me in 2006.