Rough patch

Thursday, October 15th, 2009 12:27 pm
rolanni: (spring wind)
[personal profile] rolanni
Home sick from the day-job yesterday (insert "can we just get over this?" rant here).

Yesterday, we also received news that Steve's stepfather, who is 84 and rather frail after a stroke and various other medical adventures, was in the hospital with bacterial pneumonia, disorientation, and dehydration. Apparently, the disorientation went away quickly once he was hydrated, but the pneumonia isn't so easy. Still, there's no fever, so the hospital was going to release him today. The younger brother was to drive up from North Carolina last evening to pitch in, and help take the load off Steve's mom and the kids-on-the-spot.

On the plus side, I found that Luken has gray eyes and (formerly) sandy hair, and that we have apparently never described Cheever McFarland at all, except to say that he's a big guy. Our powers of narration are Nothing Short of Awesome. Ayuh.

Today holds the promise of delight in the later hours, when I'm to present myself to the Traveling MRI Unit in order to have my rotator cuff scanned. Have I mentioned that I'm claustrophobic? Very claustrophobic? And that of course with the whole neck-bone connected to the shoulder-bone thing going on, my head will have to be inside the tube? For twenty minutes, while it makes noises like a bowling alley? And, yanno, inside the tube? The doctor has kindly ordered me up a Valium. This had better, she said darkly, work.

The weather is clear and the trees are brilliant. Maybe I'll go out for a walk.

Date: 2009-10-15 05:20 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
If good thoughts will help at all, I'm sending them out. I know exactly what you mean about the MRI. Here's to Getting Through It.

Date: 2009-10-15 05:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] baggette.livejournal.com
I'm not claustrophobic, but the way I would describe the experience is,
"Lie on your back and put your head in a five gallon bucket. Now, have someone drum, very fast on it for twenty minutes."
However, even doing that won't really prepare you adequately. The room is cold. Wear your socks and if they will let you, your arm socks too. Being warm takes a lot of the stress out of it.

Good luck...........prayers for you!

Date: 2009-10-15 05:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dhw.livejournal.com
The valium helps much when they put you in God's Magnet.

Just remember not to bring anything ferromagnetic.

Date: 2009-10-15 06:04 pm (UTC)
ext_5457: (Default)
From: [identity profile] xinef.livejournal.com
I had an MRI done a couple of years ago, full head inside for roughly 1/2 hour. I was offered music on the ear phones they provided (you can't use your own as they almost definitely contain ferro-magnetic metals). Choice were generic pop, rock, country, classical (forget exactly). I figured that classical would be the least likely to be vile and annoying at random. And it did help. My biggest problem was boredom. Like completely still for 1/2 hr.

You might find out if you can bring your own CD or audio book, etc.

Date: 2009-10-15 07:22 pm (UTC)
ext_267964: (Default)
From: [identity profile] muehe.livejournal.com
This will make a great scene in your next book -- some accident in space and the character is stuck in an access tube (in the engine room). How will they deal with the panic/emotional stress?
Write it all up while it is fresh in your mind, you can fit it to the book when the time comes.

Yes, I am making light of stressful situation.
No, it is not done with malice. But maybe if you think how your character would deal with it – it will be easier for you.
Or better yet, think nasty thoughts about me.

Date: 2009-10-15 07:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jennifer-dunne.livejournal.com
Dunno how you feel about roller coasters, but try thinking of the darkness (well, dimness, actually) and bars of light on the walls as being almost exactly like Disney's Space Mountain roller coaster "launch" section, and the cramped space, vibration and clackety-clack as being a lot like the "rocket" during the ride.

It put me in a very happy place when I was getting my MRI (and they had to do my abdomen, so I was ALL the way inside the tube, with just knees-down sticking out). I'm not at all claustrophobic, and until I reframed it, I still thought the tube was Too Darn Small.

Then I decided it was cold and kinda dim so I should just go to sleep. Freaked the nurse out totally when I came out of the MRI, completely still and unresponsive. :-)

Date: 2009-10-15 07:36 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] difrancis.livejournal.com
I had to be all the way in too for my lower back. Yippee. Wish they'd given me vallium. So what helped me is keeping my eyes closed (even putting a cool cloth across them), and they have a fan that blows through sometimes and if that can happen, it gives a better sense of fresh air and not being trapped (only works if the eyes are closed).

Good luck. Hope it goes well. Hope the vallium works very well indeed.

Valium ...

Date: 2009-10-15 08:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bonkabonka.livejournal.com
... is odd stuff. Or, at least in my case, put my brain in an odd place.

Some years ago i had to have my four! impacted! wisdom teeth out all at the same time and the dentist was unwilling to simply put me out. So. The day before the great event, they had me arrive at the office to fill out a bit of paperwork in exchange for a tiny little paper packet containing a single pill and a simple note to partake of it at least fifteen minutes prior to being worked on. I, of course, forgot to take it until about five minutes prior. Thus the whole time when they were doing what dentists do, I fretted and obsessed about not having followed the directions precisely.

I still think back to that and shudder. I mean, dental procedures are hardly pleasant but I do not like that my brain went kitschy-wompus without having other symptoms.

Date: 2009-10-15 08:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lornastutz.livejournal.com
fortunately, I'm not claustrophobic but I can atually feel the fields (not just hear the clangs). Was told this actually makes sense since if I put on a mechanical watch it's dead inside of 30 minutes (seriously) and you should see what happens to a radio signal when I get near it.
Lorna

Cheever

Date: 2009-10-15 08:55 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
oops, he's originally an inch or two taller than Shan (Partners In Necessity, p.587) but is Xtrang-sized by the end of I Dare (Meisha Merlin ed., p. 454.) Wow, as you say, not even auxiliary hair or eye color; I would've sworn...

Re: Cheever

Date: 2009-10-15 11:12 pm (UTC)
ext_3634: Ann Panagulias in the Bob Mackie gown I want  (animals - gecko nom)
From: [identity profile] trolleypup.livejournal.com
And I'll bet that if you ask random fans what he looks like, they will come up with clear descriptions!

Re: Cheever

Date: 2009-10-16 08:12 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] keristor.livejournal.com
Yes, they have the same sort of "describe without actually describing" ability that Anne McCaffrey has. I remember someone asking about dancing on Pern and getting the response "Oh, there are lots of descriptions" -- er, two which did any more than just say "there was dancing" and none which actually described any of the dances, but the fans were convinced that it had been narrated in detail.

(I would have sworn that Cheever had been described as well, he's just so 'present'.)

Re: Cheever

Date: 2009-10-16 04:12 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] grassrose.livejournal.com
I see Cheever as stocky and rather large, short curly or wavy dark hair... maybe a moustache. Eyes hazel or brown - not "cute" but not overly gnarled, either.

I have no justification for this image. It's just what came to mind when he first appeared in the books.

Date: 2009-10-15 10:54 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mardott.livejournal.com
Oh for pity's sake, I did it again. Anonymous is me. WHY does this $*%&* computer keep logging me off???

MRI Stuff

Date: 2009-10-15 10:55 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] k1ndleuser.livejournal.com
Definitely take a favourite CD, warm socks, and ask if they have blankets available. Just in case, take something like a mohair rug of your own. You'll be able to wear thick socks and warm pants. The noise is a bummer though.

Date: 2009-10-15 10:57 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mardott.livejournal.com
Umm.. I'm the first anonymous. This is getting hard. I think I'll take a nap.

In an MRI tube.

mri

Date: 2009-10-15 11:06 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
I visualize the knocking noise as the sun's rays warming me as I lay on a beach.

open mri

Date: 2009-10-15 11:12 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
You do know they have open MRI machines. I just had one two weeks ago and I'm severly claus... The machine is bigger and your not tightly enclosed.

Check it out...you'll never regret it.

Date: 2009-10-16 11:13 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
If it helps, there is a description of Cheever (although not his hair / eye colour I think) in the chap book story where they buy the sinners carpet and in I Dare when Pat Rin sets up shop.

Tricia

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