September 2021 - Part 5 - A MRI and a Sewing Challenge

 The day after I came back from London was the day for my MRI. I'd filled in the form, and tried not to feel anxious about it. I knew I needed this MRI, because then it meant they could see what was going on inside my back, and then the Doctor could do something about it. Hopefully anyway. 

I can't explain how a MRI works, if you're looking for a full description of it's inner workings, then you'll need to look elsewhere. All I knew was that inside the machine there was a group of magnets that would spin around, creating an image of my insides. So I turned up, waited about 5 minutes then had the scan. You're in a trailer in the car park of the medical centre which I thought was odd considering how expensive these machines are. I thought it would actually be inside the medical centre. Anyway, the technician got me to lay down flat on my back, which was a struggle in itself. I was then slid into the machine. Just as it stopped, I pressed the emergency buzzer to come out again, as there was a 10p coin stuck inside the machine near where my head was. I told the technician, and he said it had been there all day, and as I was the last one, they would get it out once my scan was done, and it was nothing to worry about. Bizzare how I'm not allowed any metal on me, but a coin can join me for the scan! So I laid back down again and was slid back in. It was so painful to lay flat, and half way through, he spoke to me over the intercom and asked me to try and be a bit more still, which I tried my best to. But the pain was becoming worse, and it was causing my back and shoulder to ache & twitch. I sort of had to just grind my teeth and breathe deeply and focus on the sounds of the machine. Sometimes it sounded like gunfire, other times like someone hammering, other times like when something metal is hitting the glass door of your washing machine. But my favourite noises were the ones that almost sounded like a techno dance beat, that I'm sure someone else has heard and turned it into a chart topping hit. I spent most of the time staring at the 10p coin and thinking of random things to try and distract myself. 

Anyway, just as the waves of nausea were about to push me over the edge, I felt the bench I was laying on being moved out and I could stood up. I think another couple of minutes and I would have vomited. I'm not claustrophobic, it was more the amount of pain I was in being laid flat. Normally at home I have to sleep on the left side, as any pressure on the right side of my spine causes me a lot of pain. Anyway, I spent some time sat in James's car just calming down and gradually feeling more normal, before we headed home. At least it's done, and all I have to do now is wait for the results. 

Otherwise, the rest of September was normal, working hard as best as I could through the pain and the gammy leg. We were raising money for charity, and we had a day where we had to dress up as superheroes. I struggled to find a costume that I could A, fit into, and B, that didn't cost the earth. Since when did fancy dress costumes cost more than a suit? I was in Fabricland one day looking for some ribbon for my mum, and came across a blue material with white stars on it. I thought to myself, why don't I make myself a costume?

It's been 10 years since I did GCSE Textiles, and I thought to myself, it will all come flashing back. It didn't, and nothing about making superhero costumes came back to me either! I found a template online of how to cut the material out, got our housemates sewing machine, and set myself to work. The first costume I got all the proportions wrong, and it looked ridiculous, but the second one worked well. 

(ignore all the wood - James was about to build raised beds in the garden)

Not bad eh? The materials literally cost me a fiver, which was good, some people had spent £50 on costumes. I was happy to be able to make a donation as well, and happily, I was not the worst dressed! Can't get better than that. But I've still got the costume, so if the need arises again, I'll be dressed and ready to fight crime while drinking wine!

I was also recognised at work (for something other than my incredible costume making skills). I had won Team Support Manager of the region for my work in increasing productivity & customer service in the store, for which I received a gift card for the store. I was very chuffed, particularly as I didn't know I'd been nominated! It's such a lovely thing to have your hard work recognised and celebrated

Otherwise, the only other noteworthy events in September was a customer complaining that someone had parked their mobility scooter in the only free disabled parking space & seeing a fox in my Grandparent's garden.

I couldn't decide if this was ridiculous or genius. Are you allowed to park your mobility scooter in a disabled space? I'm not sure, on the one hand, I think the spaces are only for cars, and if you can shop long enough that you can leave the scooter in a parking space then maybe you don't need it as much? But otherwise, it's a space designated for people with a disability, so I guess it does count? It's not our car park, so I had to just apologise to the customer and advised them to speak to the parking warden as they would probably know best. I didn't see them again, so I don't know what happened, but the mobility scooter disappeared soon after.

Foxes are interesting creatures, this one is quite tame, due to the fact my Grandparents feed it from the front door the scraps leftover from dinner. I did advise them against it, but they seemed happy doing it. I did say though that if at any point it got aggressive or bit them then to stop straight away. But apparently it was very docile and friendly, and so they called her Annie. Quite a nice name for a fox! And I don't know how they discovered it, but Annie quite likes pork chops and custard creams. What a combination!