Peering Within

Today I had a date with a sexy Hitachi Airis II open MRI scanner, and I have to say I think we really hit it off. That's her pictured above. The only downside of our little rendezvous was that I kind of just laid there the whole time, but I don't think she's mad at me.

In all seriousness, though, I'm bummed out because I can't see the doctor for the follow-up until Monday, almost two full weeks since the initial injury of my knee. Then, finally, I will know the extent of the damage and if I will need surgery. Considering that it's been a full week since my knee collapsed and I still can't walk on it, move it quickly or bend it fully and my entire leg looks disfigured (seriously, my calf muscle is now half the size it used to be and now it's lumpy), I'd kind of like to get a quicker resolution.

The variations in medical care in this country are really astounding. If I was a professional athlete, say a football player, and I blew out my knee during a game, I'd be in surgery and then in rehab within two days. Since I'm just a regular dude, I have to wait in the emergency room, then wait to see an orthopedist, wait for an MRI, wait for a follow-up appointment and then wait again for actual surgery. If it turns out I need to be operated on, it will be a miracle if I go under the knife within three weeks of the injury date.

At least I'm finally getting some kind of return on all those medical insurance premiums I've been paying for years.