The Nitty Gritty of Surveillance for a Girl with White Coat Syndrome
Most doctors appointments make me VERY anxious/nervous. The ones where needles are involved are the worst. The ones involving my lady parts are pretty freaking bad, too. I can handle getting a shot in my arm or a throat culture no problem. But if I need a blood draw, an IV, a pap smear…forget it. I start getting worked up weeks in advance. It really doesn’t make much sense to me. I have willingly sat through getting 11 tattoos (12 if you include the one I had covered up with another), 9 holes pierced in my ears and had my belly button pierced on two different occasions. But any kind of poking and probing medical procedure, I am an all around wreck.
When I first learned of my BRCA status and I had to start getting yearly breast MRI’s, the anxiety went sky high when I learned I had to have contrast administered towards the end of each one. The first three quarters of the MRI they did what they had to do without it but then they use the contrast dye to compare and contrast the images, I guess. I didn’t care why they had to do it. I just cared that it had to be done. The actual MRI in itself isn’t so bad; it’s the IV going in that makes me crazed. Most people take a Valium or an Ativan before an MRI because they are claustrophobic but I take it to try and relax before the needle is placed. The tech always pages an IV nurse to do the placement since they are better equipped at getting it in fast. I have also used Emla Cream, which numbs the skin, on a few different occasions. . This doesn’t ever seem to work, though, because they always end up placing the IV somewhere totally different than the numb spot I have chosen for various reasons. Doh!
For a breast MRI, you lay face down. Your boobs are placed into two holes on the table and your arms go straight ahead of you like Superman, if you will. If you close your eyes you cant even tell you are in the tube. The whole thing takes about 45 minutes. Its super loud as the machine makes all sorts of banging and clanging noises. They give you headphones and let you choose what type of music to listen to, which helps. And they give you a squeeze ball to hold in case you panic and you squeeze it, they will stop and check on you. In all my years of having them, I have never used the squeeze ball. Once the IV is in, I am good to go. The rest of the process is fine and I have never had anything suspicious come back from one yet.
I did faint once. It was before I knew my husband so my mom took me to the appointment. (Any kind of needle appointment involves me bringing along emotional support and a hand to hold. Its now always my husband.) This particular time it was my mom. So she watched me faint while they put the IV in. That was fun. Then they wanted to reschedule the appointment since I had fainted and I was like hell no. The thing was already in! So they gave me some crackers and water and we waited fifteen minutes or so and then it was go time!
Love and boobies,
Allison
( . ) ( . )
Actual photo of my hand during one of my MRI’s. I was proud I had survived!!