December 28, 2017
It was difficult to get up and go to my appointment today. It hasn’t even been 24 hrs. yet since Barley died! But I had made this appointment before so I have to go. I don’t like having to pay a $205 co-pay, but I really want to know what the results of the MRI will be.
I have been prepped by putting on a paper gown and putting my “belongings” in a plastic bag and am now waiting in a small room. After several minutes, one of the assistants came in to tell me there would be a delay due to an emergency patient being seen. That’s okay, because there’s wi-fi in this small room so I can use my phone to surf on Facebook.
Once in the treatment room with more assistants doing various things, I surrendered the last of my “belongings”–my glasses–and watched, blurry-eyed, as someone put the bag in a locker in that room. I was assisted up onto a narrow table and positioned as I needed to be. I was admonished, several times, that I had to lie completely motionless for the 10 minutes or so of the procedure. I sighed. But I could do it!
I didn’t anticipate how very noisy the machine is! But my total focus was on staying still. No nose twitching or eyebrow raising or licking my lips. They had to yell at me (above the noise of the machine) a couple of times to tell me to be still. But eventually it was over. I had to wait a few minutes while someone took a look at the results to let me know if they would have to do it over because I moved. But they didn’t!
Now I can go home and figure out, with Linda, how and where we are going to put our baby boy to rest.
From: DEWATE SUMETANON MD
Sent: 1/2/2018 1:53 PM PST
To: Jacqueline Hegarty V
Subject: RE: Your Recent Office Visit
There was some natural wear and tear on your MRI, but nothing horrible or life-threatening. I do not recommend any surgery for your spine. If you’re interested in Pain Management, please email or call your Primary Care Physician’s office and they will place a referral.
** FINDINGS **:
SPINAL CORD: Normal.
DISCS: Multilevel disc desiccation.
BONES: Vertebral body height and alignment are normal. Marrow signal is within normal limits.
SOFT TISSUES: Normal.
C2-C3: Mild central bulging of the disc, no effect upon the spinal cord or exiting nerve roots. No canal or neuroforamina narrowing.
C3-C4: : Mild disc bulging extending asymmetrically posterior laterally to the right side. There is moderately severe right neuroforaminal narrowing, the left-sided foramen is clear and there is no canal stenosis. Mild asymmetric right facet arthropathy.
C4-C5: Anterior bone spurring noted, posterior disc bulging and bone spurring partially effaces the anterior epidural space. There is mild left neuroforaminal narrowing, mild narrowing on the right side also slightly greater than the left, there is no spinal canal stenosis. No facet arthropathy.
C5-C6: Anterior bone spurring prominent. There is posterior bone spurring and disc bulging causing moderate right neuroforaminal narrowing. The left-sided foramen is clear, there is no canal stenosis. No facet arthropathy.
C6-C7: A reactive endplates with reactive bony changes. Anterior and posterior bone spurs. No spinal canal or neuroforaminal narrowing, no facet arthropathy.
C7-T1: Unremarkable.
OTHER: Visualized posterior fossa within normal limits.
