The MRI

Well, here’s what I know now that Oscar has had his MRI.  First, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford is amazing.  Simply amazing.  I have never had a medical experience like what we went through today, and while I certainly never want to need to visit there again, I would have complete confidence in them if I did.  Second, I found out that Oscar can tolerate general anesthesia, although coming out of it isn’t his favorite thing.  Third, I’m fairly certain that he will never like doctors.  I’ve never seen the tantrum like the one he threw today, although I hesitate to call it a tantrum, since I really do think that it was pure and unadulterated fear.  He was fine through registration, but the moment he saw the exam room where he was going to be weighed and measured, he. lost. it.  LOST it.  His heart rate was 181, which seems a bit high to me, but the nurses just shook their heads and kept doing their thing.  We got to the pre-op room (basically a big ICU-looking room) where he had his own bed and flat-screen tv where he could watch cartoons, but he wanted nothing to do with it.  We were there at least an hour before we got his “happy juice,” which was the only thing that calmed him down, and that didn’t even do it entirely.  They thought it would knock him out, but he was still kicking until they put the mask on him 45 minutes later (although he was a laugh riot once we got him into the MRI area – until he started this game when he would inhale and then stop breathing, scaring both me and the anesthesiologist).  He’s been fine since he came to and settled down after getting off the anesthesia, and we have spent the day hanging together.  He’s completely his normal self now.

I was really hoping that I would be in the room when he had the procedure, but they sent me packing.  Sadly, this means that I cannot confirm that Oscar has a brain.  This was part of my goal for the day, since I so frequently wonder whether he has one at all when he chooses to do things like leap from his bed, etc. I was thinking that I could look back when those things happen and think “but I know he actually does have a brain, the insurance company paid a bizillion dollars for that MRI” (and there is no way that today’s outing did not cost a bizillion dollars).  The downside to not being in the room was also that I wasn’t able to see for myself whether he has a brain tumor.  It did occur to me, though, that even with all of my medical training, which has come exclusively from annual exams, ER visits and the tv show H0use (ooh, and Grey’s, back when it was a good show), I might not be able to determine whether Oscar has a brain tumor.  I’m going to guess that there’s no blip on the screen flashing “hey, this is a tumor, moron.”  As a result, we’ll have to wait to hear the results from the neurologist instead.  I’m hoping that news doesn’t take as long to get as it did to schedule the MRI itself. 

The most important thing I know since going through this today is this.  I am a freakishly lucky mom.  I don’t care whether Oscar has a brain tumor.  I don’t care what is causing his “eye thing.”  He is a healthy child (whether or not he has vision in both eyes).  I am always thankful that he is healthy, but sometimes it helps to see first hand just how not healthy he could be.  I saw a lot of examples of that today.

Finally, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who sent messages wishing us well.  You are all so sweet to have been thinking of us!  I’m off to dump the kid in the tub and see if we can get his EKG stickers off his chest.

March 25, 2009 - Posted by Oscar and Etta's mom | Doctor, Oscar