MRI and Kelowna Trip

Yesterday we were in Kelowna again for my MRI. We got to stay at my cousin's beautiful home where we feel very comfortable. It has been nice to be forced to come to Kelowna for care, because I have gotten to see my cousin and her husband. It had been too long. My cousin and I are the same age and were the best of friends growing up. Life got busy and kept us away from each other for years, but not anymore. I want to see her more often. She's only 4 hours away!!
Anyways my MRI was yesterday and here's the story....
I wasn't in anyway scared to do an MRI....I mean, it doesn't hurt, it can't make you sick...what's there to be scared of? When I got there they promptly had me undress and put on a gown. I did so and waited in the waiting area with my husband. Then a man came over and told me he was going to give me an IV. This was news to me! I hate needles...oh well, I guess if you are going to get a needle, it's best to do it on a whim to avoid all of the nerves leading up to it...it hurt by the way. I find most men are rough when giving needles, they just jab you. sucks...(but I'm a bit of a baby). Next a bubbly, sweet girl came out of nowhere and sat down beside me and asked me a few questions like have I ever had metal in my eye, do I have piercings etc...then she explained the MRI process. I can't remember what she kept saying but she was insinuating that I may not like it and want it to stop. She told me if they had to stop the MRI, they would have to reschedule (which wasn't possible for us, this was my only shot) I was like "No problem, I can do this, I'm not worried!!"
I followed her into the room and saw the machine (which looks like the ones on TV). I had to put in ear plugs (it's a noisy machine). they taped a little red dye marker on my right breast (so they know when looking at my results, which breast is which...I then kneeled on the bed, put my face down into a hole (like a massage table) and there were holes for my boobs to fall into. The lady pressed my boobs into hole so they could get a picture of all of my breast tissue. Super flattering. I was comfy cozy, no problem! Then she said she'd back me into the tunnel and leave the room. As she started backing me in the tunnel, I could feel my hands press the sides of the tunnel. I could also feel the air tighten which made me aware of how tight my surrounding were. All of a sudden a switch flipped in my brain. I started panicking...my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest!! I realized if I wanted to pull my arms out, I couldn't! I knew I could squeeze the ball and they'd let me out, but that would take even minutes!! I felt likeI lost control, and I freaked! But when the lady spoke on the speaker "Are you ok Megan?" I said "Yep." I realized I could control the panic. I needed to. I needed to get this thing done, once and for all! It was quite funny actually. I starting breathing slow, deep, controlled breaths. I started thinking about Mexico, and the sweet trip I want to take there when this is all over with. It worked. I was in there for a total of 50minutes. About every 10 minutes or so, I would freak out a bit, but then I would calm myself down. Funny how you don't even know you are claustrophobic hey? The rest of the appointment was fairly uneventful. They pumped dye into my IV for the last 10 minutes, but it just felt cold and had a bit of a funny taste. Small price to pay for extra detail on my MRI. Overall it was a quick trip to Kelowna. I did stop at a hippy store for a scarf for my soon-to-be bald head, and when the sweet clerk asked me if I wanted help, I basically told her why Iwas looking, that I had cancer and needed something soft for my head, that still looked pretty. After I said this to her, I realized for a minute, that I may have made her feel uncomfortable. But then, she asked me what kind of cancer I had. I told her and she paused and said. "My sweetie has leukemia." it turned out her husband who is only 42 was diagnosed with the 2nd worse kind of leukemia. The more I look around, the more I see cancer everywhere. It seems unfair. Even scary. But it is a big red flag waving to all of you. Enjoy every moment. Stop complaining about things. If you are unhappy with your situation, change it! Live healthy!!! Love every moment. Observe all of life's beauty and joy. You never know when it could be taken away, or compromised.