Meeting Dr. Harris

Today was the first of 3 days worth of appointments here in Costa Mesa.  First thing this morning I had an appointment scheduled at Newport Diagnostic Centre to get an MRV (same as an MRI but for veins).  I've had many of these in my MS life so I'm used to the tight squeeze into the machine and the loud noises.  They always make you fill out a claustrophobia questionnaire beforehand which I've always been fine with but for whatever reason today was different.  Apparently I had gone too long without embarrassing myself and now was the time to do so!  As the technician rolled me backwards into the machine, panic set in.  I don't know if it was because it was all starting to hit me - that I was actually here and this was happening - or if it was because the IV I was given was especially uncomfortable, but I was not having it.  "Let me out, let me out, let me out" were the words I heard coming out of my (still embarrassed) mouth.

After composing myself, putting a sheet over my eyes so I couldn't see the tightness of the apparatus I was jammed into and going to my happy place for the next hour, I was done.  I was given a CD of the scans which I would bring to my doctors consultation at 3pm.

At three this afternoon I went to Synergy's office.  There, I filled out more of the same paperwork while waiting for Dr. Harris.  I met 3 other patients in the waiting room who had all come from Canada as well for the procedure.  Two were in wheelchairs and the other had a noticeable hobble.  As my parents told them that they were here with me and that I was the one getting the procedure, they couldn't believe it cause I "didn't look sick at all".  This made me laugh.  MS can be so obvious at times but more often than not it's a discrete battle.

Dr. Harris finally seen us and answered any questions we had for him.  After spending the past year researching things, I didn't have many questions left.  He looked at the scans of my neck/head and found the following:

• My right jugular: very nice and straight coming down from behind my ear (which is apparently normal and healthy) but then was showing blockages under my ear.  He said it was very typical of everything he's been seeing & treating and should be easily fixed.
• My left jugular: harder to detect what was going on from the pictures. The flow of blood is what makes the pictures clear but this imagine was not clear.  He said the reason for this may be because there is very little or slow blood flow, but possibly just poor picture quality. He said that he'll be able to determine if it needs or can be treated once he gets inside there tomorrow.
• Azygos vein: showed no blockages and looked healthy therefore needs no work

So that's that.  I have the first appointment of the day tomorrow which means I have to be at the surgical centre by 6am.  No drinking or eating after 10pm tonight.  The procedure itself should take 45 mins to an hour, then 2 hours in recovery.  I won't be put completely out... they said I'll be 'awake' but most people don't remember anything.  I hope I'm one of those people!!  If all goes as planned, I should be back in my hotel room resting by 10am.  ***For those of you who are expecting e-mail or text updates from my parents, keep in mind that there's a 2 hour time difference between here and Winnipeg and 4.5 hours between here and Newfoundland.  You may not hear from them til noon Pacific time!

Hope & Faith.

H. xo