Taking pictures of my insides

I had my CT and MRI scans yesterday. The experience was not as stressful as I thought it would be, and Peter came with me just so I didn't feel anxious about travelling and finding the correct place to be.

The CT scan was straight forward, in and out in 5 minutes or less but the MRI was another experience entirely. I had one when I was a child, or maybe I had a few as I was born with hydracephalus which required a pair of shunts to remove the excess fluid from my brain. I was nervous as I was irrationally convinced that the internal structure might have been left which, being metal, would have been unhelpful inside a large, noisy magnet. I was fine up to the point I had the head brace put over my face, but as I slid inside I was suddenly overcome by panic. It was the fact the top of the scanner was so low over me and the speed at which I was put inside so I squealed and whimpered pathetically and asked to be let out. The technician reassured me that any shunts would be programmable and unlikely to harm me. She gave me an eye mask to help me keep my eyes closed and I managed to stay put for the 10 minutes required to get the required images. It was really loud, so loud I had been given ear plugs! I'm not a complete wuss but I was so glad Peter was there for a hug afterward!

As we were in Manchester, we had dinner at a local pub called the Deaf Institute. Surrounded by students and hipsters, we stuck out a bit but it was an enjoyable experience!

So that's the latest step along my way to better hearing. The technician who helped at the scanners said the images would be received by the doctors within two weeks. Having chatted with a few of my CI acquaintances online, I have discovered that typically, appointments with a surgeon are a matter of weeks down the line. So I could be back at the CI unit hopefully by the end of May. Just got to play the waiting game. Guess this is a good time to recommend a good chill-out video....And breaaaathe.

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