Bow-legged Day

Mike the MRI Guy made cheese for 10 years before he started as a tech. "A friend of mine got me into it. He was going to X-ray school and said I should go with him. I applied for MRI school just to see if I could get in. Only two out of 150 make it. A couple weeks later I got a letter in the mail saying I made it."

We cruised through the intake form, while we rode the lift up the outside of the semi that housed the machine. He had me lay down on the narrow tray and strapped my right leg secure in a precise position. He put the headphones on me and stepped to the control section of the trailer. With tiny jerks and roaring buzzes, my knee passed under the gaze of the magnetic eye. After 30 minutes he released me with a worried look.

"You must have a metal screw in your knee that's throwing a shadow. Does the doctor know about that?"

"Yes. I told him."

"Well, I hope they don't send it back." He led me off for the full leg x-rays with a warning not to move.

Once in x-ray, the tech had me change into hospital pants, while she taped up the quarters. When I returned from the changing room, she began to tape the coins to different parts of my leg.

"This procedure is so new that the company hasn't sent us the markers yet, but the coins work fine. Now climb that stool and set your foot on that line. I'm going to take 3 pictures of your leg. If you move, or even shift your during one we have to start over." No pressure? By picture 3 I feel like my leg is vibrating. The tech is happy with them anyway. I'm not. My leg has started to bow. I arrived at 7am and I left at 8:20am.