Why are hospitals like a maze?

That was easy, and I got home about 12 minutes later than I anticipated! Thankfully, the hospital where the MRI was done was only 15 minutes away, and I arrived in plenty of time to find parking. Not that the parking lot was full, but I had no idea where it was (in the back), and then I had to walk around to the front to enter through Emerg since the hospital is locked up at 5 a.m. Then, the big question was how to find the Diagnostic Imaging Department. 

Thankfully, that was a non-issue as it was clearly marked on the big dots on the floor. I didn't even have to ask anyone, which is good because I didn't see a soul, except for a few patients waiting in Emerg. 

A path of dots to direct the way

Even within the DI department, markers were on the floor to indicate where you needed to go for each test.  

More dots on the floor

But it kind of begs the question—why are hospitals like mazes? Can they not have a central hallway, and you walk down one hall to find everything? It's like they started with one building, then added many more, and each one has twists and turns. However, this dot system is brilliant! 

AHA -- Now I get why there is a longer wait for MRIs. If you've ever had one, you know. I got on the bed, and the guy was arranging my feet (he said he was tying my legs down!), and then they put this weighted thing on my stomach. And you get a call button and earplugs. Imagine my shock when he said the test takes 20 - 25 minutes!!!! I didn't remember it being that long the last time I had one, but it's been almost 10 years. WOW! So, if they can only process two patients an hour, that takes a lot of time, and you can see why they don't want anyone to miss their appointment. 

So, off with anything metal, and while changing, I learned something else. Did you know this was a thing? 

Magnetic lashes

It appears I lead a very sheltered life! Well, no worry about removing my magnetic lashes! I'm not claustrophobic and didn't find it a super tight space, although I mostly kept my eyes closed. Although the noise is crazy -- beeps that sound URGENT like an alarm. That alone could set someone off! Towards the end, but I didn't know that at the time, this beeping started again. I decided to count the number of beeps, but I got bored around the 60 mark, and it continued. About that same time, I could feel my throat get dry, and you were not supposed to move. Yikes! 

I didn't want to use the call button. That would be wimpy, so I did what I do whenever I need to get away. I just zoned out. You just relax and drown out any of the noise and discomfort. I've done that with severe asthma attacks, childbirth, and whoever else I've needed it. Our minds are MORE powerful than our bodies, and if we let our minds take over (in a positive way), they can defeat much of the pain and discomfort. And I'm darn good at it now. I think part of it has to do with being patient. 

Anyway, after many beeps, the machine finally shut off, the table moved out, and I was done! There was no waiting, and all was good. I was back in the car and out of the parking lot before 6 a.m. Now, that's how I like medical appointments to go, and if it means going for an MRI in the early morning or even in the middle of the night, I'm in!

The screening said left hip, but I sure hope they got some of the back area so they can see if there is anything wrong. I had to stop in to see my doctor yesterday to get that prescription renewed, and I reminded her I was going today. She said she thought it might be bursitis. NO—I know it is NOT bursitis. That is a very focused pain, and what I have is NOT focused. Hopefully, I'm going to get the information I need. 

Speaking of the prescription, I walked to the doctor's office and got her to give me a year's worth of that bone density medication with one renewal. Yeah! But then she whipped that prescription off to the drug store before I could say boo. I would have the receptionist change the pharmacy, but she was gone for the day. I caught the doctor before she grabbed the next patient, and she said I could get the pharmacies to talk to each other. I hope so. 

This pharmacy that I'm not a fan of takes forever to fill a prescription, but I thought, just in case, I should stop by since it was on my way home. I talked to the pharmacist, who looked up the information. Oh yes -- she says, that one just popped up on my screen. Did that mean, she was about to fill it? I didn't even bother to ask. I told her I'd get the other pharmacy to call them and transfer it. I'm going to do that in person. I don't trust people on the phone! Am I old or what? 

So, all is good in the medical field, and now I have to wait about two weeks for the results. Let's see how bad the damage is and what, if anything, can be done about it. I'm not holding my breath - I think we just have to realize that there is some form of disk degeneration, and not a lot can be done. The discomfort can be eased but not eliminated. Hopefully, my pessimism will pay off, and they might say we have a cure for that! What I'm experiencing now is NOT nearly as bad as it was at Christmas time. I could NOT live with that pain. Although my situation is not right, I could live with this discomfort. 

I had not been down this way in a while, and I see there is some new building going up. This is where a restaurant once resided, but it burned down several years ago. It's nice to see something going up—and not a condo! 

A new restaurant? 

So, there's more good news at the house. The tray tables for the new chairs arrived. Now it's just like at the movies! We have two—his and hers! 

The new chair tables

I got some more sewing done, so that was good, and I got all the sashing strips cut from the fabric. All is good, and I'm not going to share with you what happened to that quilt until after I share it with the group at the beginning of May. 

My sashing strips for Chatsworth

I also need to work on this quilt, which is different from the one I'm working on for Many Blocks. That one is also by Lori Holt, but it's Farm Girl Vintage. This one is Vintage Christmas. 

Vintage Christmas

I'm trying to keep my calendar relatively free and book only one thing each day at the most. So today's appointment/event is already over, so I can move on. There is NOTHING else on the calendar for the day, but that doesn't mean I have nothing to do! There are loads! 

I finished that audiobook yesterday—The Inmate by Freida McFadden. Remember I talked about a twist? Yep, I did not see that one coming! Her books are so creepy from the perspective that someone can have some very evil thoughts! 

We have some crazy weather here, but I've been so lucky. Last week, when I had two back-to-back guild lectures, the first was in person, and the weather was beautiful. The next day, the weather was crap, and the lecture was on Zoom! 

This morning, as I was driving home from the hospital, they said the driving was terrible, and the entire east side of the city was icey. Thankfully, I live on the west side, and it is as dry as a bone! 

And that's it for today! I have an entire day to myself—it's positively dreamy! I hope I don't freeze with no deadline to deal with. Oh, I have deadlines, just no appointments. I need to work better with that!

Have a super day!!! 

Ciao!!!