2005-12-06 - 7:21 p.m.

So I've been having trouble with my left eye for the past few months. A coworker noticed it looking "funny" over the summer - that it was more prominent than my right eye. I attributed it to puffy eyes during allergy season and kept taking my generic Claritin.

Fast-forward to the first week of November when I had my yearly eye exam. My eye dr. noticed the increased prominence of my left eye and said it was worrisome, and could indicate thyroid trouble. I finally realized that what I thought had been eyestrain from working too much, or watery eyes because of allergies, may not be the case. I was having bloodwork done anyway so we added a thyroid panel, which came back "normal."

Therefore my PCP ordered an MRI on my eye, which was scheduled for today at 12:15. I took today as a personal day off from work (use it or lose it) and duly went there. I figured it would be a piece of cake, they'd stick my head in the machine for 15 minutes and that'd be it. I pooh-poohed my mom's offer to go with me.

Boy, was I WRONG.

1.) They wanted to stick my whole body in the machine.
2.) I have claustrophobia.
3.) My shoulders jammed against the sides of the tube.
4.) I rested my hands on top of my stomach. The attendant got me half into the tube and told me to put my arms by my side. There was no room for them!
5.) We determined that the MRI wasn't going to happen today.

I was very shaken by the whole experience. They have an "open" MRI there but that doesn't look much better. My plan is to fax my dr. tomorrow to ask about Plan B. I remember having a CT scan in my teens and it wasn't nearly so bad.

Meanwhile I've been taking acetominophen and naproxen sodium for the past week or two to help with the aches and pains.

*sigh*