The Washing Machine

So today I went back to the hospital for my second MRI scan. What was different this time is that instead of scanning generally to check for problems, they were specifically looking to isolate the parts of my brain that control movement. This is so that they can take extra care to avoid cutting through or damaging those areas during surgery.

If you've never seen an MRI scanner, this is what it looks like:

Getting a scan is a bit like sticking your head in a giant washing machine. You lie down flat, the bed slides you in until your head is fully enclosed by the drum. You feel a bit like you're in a space pod, readying for take-off. You then have to endure 45 minutes of really loud whirring and banging noises as the scanner takes multiple images of your head from different angles.

To isolate the movement centres, I had to squeeze a sponge ball in each of my hands to trigger the relevant part of the brain. Somehow (I don't know how) they can see which parts are active and which parts aren't. Thank God for modern technology. Just 30 years ago, they would have had to rely on guesswork.

I was really impressed at how cheerful and nice the staff were, given the huge volume of sick and dying people they deal with every day. Just in the two hours that I was there, I must have seen another 6 people lining up for scans, most of them in a much sorrier state than me. The way the staff talked to and handled those patients, despite the daily pressures that they're working under, was inspiring. Hats off to them.