The power of negative thinking?

MRI result = negative! "Completely negative - everything looks exactly as it should." Just got the results today.

While I am SO relieved at the news, and while I marvel at the sophisticated technology that is available, I have grumpily thought to myself that the process of diagnostic imaging is often barbaric. With the exception of some ob-gyn ultrasound monitoring, the process is performed by a technician who is looking at the image while it is being taken. This technician is highly trained, and I'm guessing that part of that training involves "Advanced Poker Face".

Getting test results is not like what I remembered from the days of getting college exam test results at the BYU Testing Center. When I was a BYU student, we often took computerized exams (fill in the little circles). When I was finished, I would exit the exam room through a special exit room where I would hand my completed test to the testing center worker, who would run it through a scanner and hand me a printout with my test score within minutes (depending on how many people were in line before me). Maybe that's why I'm into immediate gratification when it comes to obtaining information.

Instead, I am at the mercy of the facility's immediate access to a radiologist, who reads and interprets the image. It's a function of organizational structure and communication channels between technician and radiologist, and not anything against radiologists - I have a friend who is a radiologist! And then the radiologist communicates the results to my doctor, who may want a written report and/or a copy of the actual images. My doctor does whatever they need to do with the information, and then if I cry "uncle" loud enough, I get the result.

I understand the necessity of the process, but I really wish there were a more streamlined way to manage it. I think the thing I dreaded most before I knew the result was if it were going to be one that required more testing.

Meanwhile, my fevers continue to move up and down the FM dial. 104.5, 103.8, 102.2, 101.9, 97.8, 99.9, 100.3, 104.1, etc., etc. It's my inner disc jockey. I was a disc jockey during my senior year in high school. Our high school had a radio station that played top 40 hits, and seniors could take a class in "radio", which included a part-time assignment after school as a disc jockey for the station. KPGR - I remember the call letters, but I can't remember the spot on the dial. I'm hoping my current "station" starts to consistently stay on the "negative" side of 100 degrees. The fever doesn't bother me as much as the chills. Those are a constant discomfort, no matter how many layers I pile on to keep me warm. We are going to change my medication on Monday, when my oncologist and neurologist can come up with an alternative. The expectation is that it will provide immediate relief, so I'm anxious to prove that theory correct.