MRI fun

So for those of you that don't know, my heart is broken. Like litterally. I went to the doctor in November because I pulled my hampstring, and he was like you have a heart murmur. And I was like, no you are supposed to be looking at my hampstring. Fail.

So he made me go to the cardiologist when is at some huge Naval hospital in Portsmouth. When I say huge, I'm talking this thing looks like a Mall of America or something. There are like 5 separate buildings with connectors, parking garages, food, shops. WTF kind of hospital is this. So I had to go get an ultrasound of my heart (I told the tech to check out my tummy too for my little one, but he didn't find that funny). This was all back in December, and the cardiologist said I had a pulmonic stenosis heart murmur and possibly a VSD (a tear between valves). He thinks that there is a grove right outside the valve that goes from my heart to my lungs that restricts blood flow there. He asked me if I got out of breath running. I countered with doesn't everyone? He said more than normal. And I said if my heart has been like this all my life, then that is normal to me. Score one for Meagan.

Anyways he needed me to get a cardiac MRI for confirmation of this. He asked if I That's fine. I love MRIs. I've had them for my shoulder, and basically it is scheduled nap time. You go in a tube for like an hour and sleep while there's soothing clicking all around.

So happy Meagan (who doesn't care about the heart thing because if I did a triathalon this summer, surely there can't be that much wrong with my heart) goes to get this cardiac MRI yesterday. I arrive (after getting lost in the fucking hospital maze and almost being late) and change into the stylish hospital gown. Then they take me into this room and bring out their GIGANTIC needles. I was like, excuse me, what the hell are those. They say those have the "contrast dye for my heart." Now, I start sweating. I've had a contrast MRI in my shoulder, but they just inserted it with a nice small needle. These were huge. Finally after panicing for for a few miniutes, they explain that they are going to insert an IV into me and the huge needles will go into the IV bag. Fine. I can deal with one small needle.

So they insert the IV (which freaking hurts), and tell me I can move my arms around to get ready to go in the tube. I'm like, nah, I'm good. I don't want to move with a needle in my arm. It takes them 10 miniutes to convince me that the IV is actually just a plastic piece in your arm. The needle was just in a second to puncture the skin, and then they take it out. Fine. I move my arm minutely, but it hurts with nasty plastic in it.

So then they are like, have you gone to the bathroom? I'm like yeah I'm good. They say you better be because its going to be a few hours. HAHAHAHA. Good one I say, the longest MRI I have heard of is an hour. They aren't laughing. They say they need so many images that it takes a "couple hours." Displeased, I asked them to define a couple and they say usually 2-4 but maybe longer. WTF, 2-4 hours trapped in the tube. Fine, 2-4 hour nap I say. This is good. Ooops, we forgot to tell you this is an interactive MRI. For cardiac MRIs, they can only take the images when there is no air in your chest and you aren't breathing. So throughout the whole test, you have to constantly listen to the cues to breath in, out, then hold your breath. NO SLEEPING.

So disgruntled Meagan is less than pleased to get on the MRI table, but whatever. THEN they strap down my arms because they will be pumping things through my IV and can't risk me messing it up. Also, they put all the EKG heart monitors over my chest and a huge lead plate. Basically, I can't move at all, and they haven't even put me in the tube yet. Suffice to say, I am slightly apprehensive of this now.

So finally, they put me in the tube and start. I can see how someone who was even slightly claustraphopic would freak out. Especially being strapped down, you are litterally trapped in a tube that you are all the way inside. I decide that if I had to, I could wiggle out the top or bottom, so I don't panic. However, if I were a fat person, I would certainly be nervous. I wonder to myself if they have a fat person MRI tube because I know people that couldn't fit in there.

The test proceeds for god knows how long. No clock in the room, so I have no idea. They keep having me hold my breath, so every time I start to doze off, I'm awaken by the annoying voice in the tube saying breath in, breath out, hold your breath. Grr. The worst part was when they pumped the dye in, because they push it in really fast and you can feel it going up your arm inside. It feels cold and gross. Plus, the IV leaked a little, and I was like uhhhh, guys? It's leaking. But of course, no one could hear me. I felt like a moron talking to myself. There is a mic inside, but they can only hear you inbetween tests.

So after 3 or so hours, they come in and take me out of the tube (damn my body was cramped from not moving for 3 hours). They said they had 1 more test to run, but its just a "phantom." Basically they have me stand next to the machine which they run it in the tube empty to I guess use it as a base of comparison for when I was in it. As I'm standing next to the machine, I feel woozy (that's the only word I can think to describe it). I felt like I did before I passed out at sorority initiation. But of course, no one can hear me while the test is going on. So I try to keep from falling over or throwing up. Finally someone walks in, and I'm like I don't feel well. Which they ignore, so I say it louder and they bring a chair over for me. I promptly fall into it and get tunnel vision. Then everythign goes black, but I can still hear and sense everything. I kept trying to open my eyes, but they already were open. I ask if anyone turned out the lights, but then my vision comes back in a tunnel and then fully.

I asked the tech WTF just happen, as he seemed rather unconcered that I blacked out for a couple seconds. In fact, he was just walking around setting up the machine. He said that oftentimes, when you are in the magnetic machine for an extended period of time, you will get naseous or pass out. It's really strong. UHHHH THANKS FOR THE WARNING.

Then once I can stand, he's all like you can go change and leave. You should maybe pick up a red bull on the way out. You look tired. Uhh, no making sure that this machine didn't like permanately damage me? Or seeing if I'm okay to drive? Guess not. Interesting.

I also forgot to mention that this Tech was a large black man who looked like he could play linebacker in the NFL and the guy who ran my MRI looked like the mad professor from Back to the Future. Fun times.

So I drive home and nap. Because that machine made me feel icky. All better now, but no longer will I think all MRIs are "fun mandatory naptime."

Tacos

I know, I know, I'm posting 3 times in as many days. I literally have over doubled the number of posts in this blog. But its Friday, and I hate being productive on Friday. I need to focus on getting into weekend mentality. I work too hard (not).

Anyways, yesterday I decided I wanted to make tacos. And make them with chicken like Emilia taught me. So I got home from the gym at 8, and realized that I had frozen the fresh chicken I bought because mommy said it would go bad after a week. Well, methinks, I will just cook it a little longer. It'll be fine. So I try to get it out of the packaging, but it is frozen to the Styrofoam. I run it under water for like 10 min and eventually it becomes unstuck (that water was fucking hot). Then I just put the hunk of slimy meat in my George Foreman and turn the heat all the way up. Says cooking time for chicken is 9-13 minutes. I'll give the frozen chicken 30 min.

So I shower. Check back 30 min later. Chicken is still pink. Hmmm. Oh the grill wasn't turned on. Come back 25 min later. Barely cooked at all. So I look up how to cook frozen chicken online, and it says you have to cook it double the time. So I give it another 20 min. By this time it's almost 930, and I give up and make soup. But since the chicken is already cooking, I have to finish it. Finally, around 945 the chicken looks done. So I cut it up and simmered it with the taco seasoning. Then I put it in Tupperware containers and saved it for tonight. I hope it is edible and not salmonella-ized.

I am an awful cook. Good thing I cook mostly frozen meals (many of which I manage to burn because I get distracted by shiny things)

Tiara

So upon the recommendation of my bestest friend, I watched the latest episode of big bang theory last night. She told me there was something in the episode that reminded me of her.

In the beginning of this episode, Howard's girlfriend (Bernadette) and him perform a magic show for kids. During this time, the kids are rather bratty and Bernadette yells at them. On the way home, Bernadette tells Howard that she never wants to have kids, which he decides is a deal breaker. She later decides that she will have kids if Howard will stay home with them while she gets to live a glamorous life and have friends (after all she makes more money than him). While this is all very comical, and maybe would have been me 5 years ago, I wondered why this made Emilia think of me. I don't LOVE kids 24/7, but I get along with them most of the time (after all I get to play dress up, and go to chuckie cheeses, etc).

As I was pondering why this particular episode would remind Emilia of me, one of the subplots of the episode comes to a conclusion. Sheldon has pissed off his girlfriend by not paying attention to his good news, so he wanted to buy jewelry to make up for it. He ended up buying her a tiara. When she got the jewelry bag, she disdainfully said that he couldn't buy her forgiveness, but then she opening it and.....OMG TIARRRA. PUT IT ON ME NOWWWW.

And then I knew why the episode reminded Emilia of me.

Happy Birthday to my Bestest Friend

As promised, I am updating my blog for my best friend. Coincidentally, it is also her birthday today. Happy 23rd Emilia. I wish I could be there celebrating with you!!

Anyways, I haven't updated this because nothing exciting happens in my life.

Let me see 2 weekends ago, I went out in Virginia beach with 5 or 6 other LTs here (all females). That was fun. It's nice to know that I have people to go out with when I need to, but none of them are like best friend material or anything. It's more of friendships of convenience. But maybe I'll become better friends with them as time goes on.

Oh well. There were some pretty sketchy ass people in Virginia Beach though. We went to this bar that literally had stripper poles in the middle of the dance floor on platforms. And for a while there, there were a bunch of fat cows for some kind of bachlorette party dancing on them, as well as some guy who had to have been in his 60s. I was scarred. I took my first red headed slut shot. And let me tell you, I like red heads, but apparently not the sluts. THAT WAS NASTY. I hate Jagger. After that, I didn't drink much because it was crazy enough to watch everything that was happening at the bar. Drinking was not necessary.

A couple company commanders (captains) somehow found us at this bar and hung out for a while, but I believe most of them are married and pretty boring. Lame. The rest of the night was pretty uneventful, except for the last 5 minutes. When the lights came on for last call, some guy came over to me and asked if I wanted to dance. I politely declined while thinking in my head that was the dumbest pickup line ever. Who asks someone to dance at last call? You had all night. Clearly, he was desperately looking for someone to go home with. Sorry, I require someone with a bit more game. Next, a guy that had been talking to my friend Sam, asked me if she had a boyfriend because he was "so damn into her" because she was "so hot" (I swear to god his accent made him sound like he was from the Jersey Shore). I thought about telling him that she would never be interested in him because she prefers something a little more feminine (aka she is gay), but I decided to just tell him she was taken). Then, as we were walking out to leave, some guy grabbed my friend's ass (as she was walking in front of me). So of course, I slapped his hand away and told him not to even think about it. I mean seriously, what the fuck? All of a sudden the lights go on at a bar and guys desperately make moves to get laid. And no a single one of them thought that maybe TALKING to a girl would be the first step??

I think I'm going back down to Virginia Beach one of the nights this weekend because my friend from high school Allison is stationed down there for 6 months for Marine Inel school. Woohoo. Now I have a place to stay that is closer to bars. Newport News is really quite boring.

Last weekend I went home because we had a 4 day. Sheldon meowed the entire way home. He is really becoming more of a devil cat. When I got to my house, he all but attacked my dog (who he had previously been nice to when I got him), and then he proceeded to follow around my poor cat who wanted nothing to do with him. Plus, he is not as lovey as he was when I first got him. He is more pushy about getting food and attacking my necklaces. I swear, he was just nice at the shelter so someone would take him home. He is actually a skizophrentic freak.

At home, I got to lead a couple workouts for my mom's diving team and they DIED. They all claimed that I should be a personal trainer, blah, blah, blah. No I am not actually that good, they just are all out of shape. The boys on the team liked it though, even though most of them were not as good at push ups, squats, etc, as they thought they were. They didn't like me correcting their form every few seconds. Oh well. I think it would be fun to be a personal trainer, but alas I have no time. Maybe when I retire from the Army.

Beyond that, it was a pretty chill weekend. I went to the bar with my mom Friday AND Saturday night. LOL. It's pretty sweet to drink with my parents and their friends. Although I feel kind of like a loser, they are hilarious. Plus, Saturday night one of my dad's friends (an FBI agent) was playing live at a bar. And his band is AWESOME. I don't care if they are close to my parent's age, they play good music and are fun.

So now I am sitting at work, trying to keep myself busy. I don't really have a lot of jobs to do, so I just pass the time until lunch, go home for an hour, then pass the time until 5 when I go to the gym. Really exciting life.

Right now, I am trying to plan a vacation somewhere. I want to go to Vegas over one of our 4 day weekends. Hotel prices are very reasonable, but flights there are over $500. It ridiculous. I want to go on a cruise somewhere. I just can't plan it too close to the summer because I am going to Ireland with my parents at the end of August for 5 days.

Oh in other news, I got approved to get PRK laser eye correction!! Yay. So now I am on a 4-6 month waiting list. I will get an email at the beginning of the month I am selected to get it, and then get the surgery at the end of that month (the last surgery). I can't wait!! But that could also put a snag in any of the vacations I plan, if it happens to coincide with that week I will be out of commission because of the surgery.