...in the event anyone thinks I am utterly ridiculous by the time they finish reading this. FYI it was very theraputic for me and still highly entertaining .
Actually, there weren't many bright spots. Which in this case was good. I had my annual MRI on Thursday. I love the new technology. It takes 20 min. They post the scans and 2hrs later, after having crab bruschetta and salad at a nearby restaurant, you can review them on the computer at the doctor's office. While sipping you're breve.
So the good news- no new activity, brain is not atrophying-and some bright spots (aka lesions) have even disappeared since last year. I learned that as a brain does shrink the space is filled with fluid. So the doctor said water head is more appropriate than air head. But I don't think it sounds as good.
The bad news- I was a complete idiot at the doctor's. I got a fit of the giggles and it was like when you are in church and you are trying not to laugh and then suddenly everything is hilarious and the harder you try the funnier it is. Last time I did a similar thing when he was doing the reflex, tap your fingers, tap your toes etc routine. I think the one that really got me was the walk the line "sobriety" test and finger on your nose. I can't really explain it. It was just funny at the time.
Well this time it was his use of the word sphincter- which I know is a common and perfectly normal word and the human body actually contains something like 50 of the things-but I'd never heard a professional say it and it caught me off guard. And the harder I tried to not smile the funnier it was. And then he would say it again. I had my hand covering the lower half of my face and tried really hard to look serious. But then there it was again and I was helpless to fight it off. Finally, I just rested my forhead on my hand and silently haffmmmped into it . All the while praying it would not come up again. And then it did. And I was a goner.
Poor Shane was sitting across from me and not at all as amused as I was, so the Unflappable Dr. Brown- as we now call him- could direct his comments to him. But then he would catch me out of the corner of his eye and apparently I was such a sight that he was becoming infected by my behavior. He gave a little chuckle and then accidentally snorted, thought he'd try to pass is off as a coughing spell, and finally gave into it. Which of course only compounded exponentially my hysteria
So we are both just busting up- me at the doctor and Shane at me- and the doctor just sits there and says,
"So I'm just going to keep talking here"
Shane apologized or something and explained it seemed to be a certain word that was setting me off.
"Yes", said the Doctor, "I know. I've been trying to avoid using it"
(The other funny thing is that I guess there is some thing called pseudobulbar effect or something like that, common in MS patients, where they have strong emotional reactions to something not really emotional. Like they might just start cracking up everytime they hear the work "brick" or something. I felt lkind of bad for him as he might have thought this was the case with me. But I didn't want to tell him , 'no, I'm just really immature.)
Just knowing he knew made it even funnier and if I noticed a substitute word I was in coniptions again. So either way I was equally in trouble.
I explained, once I could talk, that
"I think its been stressful lately or something, this is the second time today I've been set off and had an emotional meltdown. Maybe I just need a good cry."
Shane said,
"Well, then this must have been a good release for you".
I was undone.
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