I don't have an unnatural fear/phobia of either, but after being at the doctor in the past few days, that could easily change.
I had an MRI on my shoulder on Friday. Never had one before. My spouse has had several, and he made sure he warned me of all their horrors. He's claustrophobic, so I just kind of shrugged him off. The rantings of a loon, if you will. As I lay there on the bed, getting all hooked up and ready to go, I thought, "This is easy. I can do this." Then, the technician slid the bed back.
Don't ask me why, but the first thought that ran through my head was, "Oh, this must be what it feels like to be in a coffin." My breathing became rapid, my heart rate increased. I thought about layers and layers of dirt over me. I felt trapped. I almost had a panic attack. I talked myself out of it, though. I focused on my breathing and the music playing through my ears. By the end, I was better, but I never want to do that again.
Yesterday, I went into the doctors for the MRI results. Thankfully, nothing major is going on, just a bone spur/arthritis causing impingement. Yes, it hurts, but I'll survive. His solution to the issue was to give me a cortisone shot.
As he sprayed the Lanacane on my arm, I thought I'd be funny and told him, "Ow! That hurts." It really didn't, and he wasn't impressed. I don't know if he was trying to show me what pain really was or what, but he stabbed that needle into my arm and wiggled it around something fierce. THAT hurt. I've had tetanus shots, I know pain.
I took deep breaths and tried to ignore the agony in my shoulder. I walked out of there hating the doctor and feeling worse than when I went in. When I got back to work, the Lanacane wore off and I could barely lift my arm.
I told my spouse about it, and he thinks the doctor did something wrong. He told me every time he got a cortisone injection, his pain went away instantly.
I've decided that MRIs and cortisone injections are forms of torture. I'm trying to figure out a way to incorporate them into a story. Don't worry, you'll be the first to know when I accomplish that!
