It's Going To Be Uncomfortable

Last night I went and picked up my race number and t-shirt for the Mother's Day 4 mile run on Sunday. I'd just like to say that it's not like I didn't listen to the doctor yesterday, but I've already paid the money and this will be my 7th race (out of 9) for the marathon qualification, and I've decided that I will just walk the 4 miles. That can't be against the rules, can it?

This morning I went to get my MRI for my elbow. After yesterday's appointment, I am thinking that maybe I sprained/bruised my arm and that's the reason for all the discomfort, but I guess I'll wait and see. I really had no idea what to expect. I've never gotten an MRI before.

I don't think the technician was very excited that I couldn't straighten my elbow all the way, as I guess that makes it harder to get clear images. I felt like pointing out that if I could straighten my elbow, I wouldn't have been there in the first place! The technician had to test out several different positions before he finally ended up having me lie down on my back with my left arm shoved in this torture device that kept it straighter than I wanted it to be. I also had to keep my right arm above my head the entire time.

After he got me all positioned, he said it's going to be a bit uncomfortable and really loud. Okay, what he didn't say is that it's going to sound like someone is shooting at you and it's going to happen sporadically, so try not to jump when you're startled at the loud noises! After about 10 minutes of being fairly uncomfortable, he came back in the room and asked me if I had moved. I told him that I didn't think so, but I suppose it was possible. To make me not move again, he ended up putting something heavy on top of my left hand, which made it go from fairly uncomfortable to completely uncomfortable. At this point, my right arm (above my head) was totally numb and I had to will myself to keep that arm still as well.

I have to say that it's not a totally unpleasant scenario, but keeping your body completely still is almost next to impossible. The biggest bummer was at the very end when I was trying to get my right arm to wake up and the technician told me that the doctor would probably have the results on Tuesday, so I could call him then and ask about the results. I am pretty bummed that I have to wait 4 more days to find out what exactly is wrong with my arm!