Magnets Resonating Inside
The chronicles of my brain and the Korean hospital system continue...
I had an MRI yesterday morning. I was pretty anxious going into the whole thing, but once it all began I became incredibly calm.
When I arrived at the hospital I was handed a pair of pants and a robe-like shirt that I was supposed to change into. I was escorted to a changing room and left to sort myself out. Before I was even finished unfolding the pants I realized there was going to be problems. The waist was elastic and fit quite well, but the length of the legs was comical. They looked like capri pants that I had paid a tailor to cut a few inches off of. Had they been a little baggier, I would have been the closest thing to MC Hammer Korea has ever seen, but instead I looked like I had stolen pants from a thirteen-year-old girl. I found the shirt to be comfortable, but the doc did not. It was similar to a robe in that the two sides of the shirt wrapped around and were meant to be supported with a cloth band that was tied in the front. Mine was missing a button and the shirt showed off the majority of my chest and belly hair. The sleeves went just past my elbows and the doctor was a little uncomfortable around me. I think he was worried the nurse may not to be able to do her job with so much sexiness exuding from the patient. He pulled the shirt as tight as he could and we continued on.
Immediately, I was asked to sign a form. the doctor said a whole bunch to me in Korean and said the word, "Sign!" I asked what I was signing and he said, "M. R. I." and pointed the those same three letters on the top of the form, the only part of the form I could actually read. I felt like there was probably important information on the form and probably something I was supposed to read before I signed it. They called an orderly in who spoke perfect English and he told me what it said. He also explained the procedure to me and, once I had signed the paper, I headed into the room with the orderly, doc and nurse in tow.
I laid down on the "bed" and put my head into the cage at one end of it. The doctor offered me headphones saying it would be loud. The orderly asked me if I liked Korean pop music or if I would prefer something else. I asked if they had jazz and he said, "Do you like Korean pop music?" I asked if there was a classical music option (thought it might help me stay calm) and he asked, "Do you like Korean pop music?" as the doctor put the headphones over my ears.
I was told that the most important thing was for me not to move. I tried to get in a comfortable position and then they buckled me in. The loud sounds of Korean pop idols filled my brain as the bed began to move backwards so the machine could take pictures of it.
Once the procedure began I went into a sort of trance. It was a forced meditation that I kind of enjoyed. My thoughts drifted from past memories to future hopes. I remembered concerts I had been to and people I had met. I pictured the drive from my parents house to Lawrence, thinking that the MRI would last about as long as that drive. The only thing that brought me out of the trance was when there was a song that came on my headphones that I recognized. I wasn't sure what it was until the first words came out: "I, I just died in your arms tonight..." The only song not in Korean and it happens to a rock ballad that references death in the first line. Not my first choice for a hospital ditty, but I'm not the Chung-Ang University hospital DJ.
It couldn't have gone much better, but yesterday wasn't the hard part. I go back in on Thursday for the results. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for the "too-much-freedom-in-your-system" diagnosis, but there are still some other possibilities out there...
I put together a little playlist that has been helping keep my mind of the shit that's going on around me. If you would like to play along at home, put the playlist together on your iPod, hold your breath till you're so dizzy that you pass out and head to the hospital:
1. "If It Wasn't For You" - Handsome Boy Modeling School
2. "Bodysnatchers" - Radiohead
3. "Sneakin' Out the Hospital" - Beastie Boys
4. "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" - The White Stripes
5. "Shake It Off" - Wilco
6. "Blue Balloon" - Ween
7. "Luckiest Man" - The Wood Brothers
8. "Cold Brains" - Beck
9. "Hercules" - Aaron Neville
10. "I Feel Like Going Home" - Yo La Tengo
11. "Hospital Beds" - Cold War Kids
12. "Trouble With Dreams" - Eels
13. "Weekend" - Dr. Dog
14. "Helter Skelter" - The Beatles
15. "I Shall Be Released" - Bob Dylan
16. "Heavy Metal" - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
17. "Free" - Cat Power
18. "Spider's House" - Califone
19. "L'amour Ne Dure Pas Toujours" - Feist
20. "True Affection" - The Blow
21. "God's Child" - David Byrne and Selena
I've got about 36 hours until I find out what, if anything, is going on with my body. Hopefully I will have some good news to report in a couple days.
Much love from Seoul
I had an MRI yesterday morning. I was pretty anxious going into the whole thing, but once it all began I became incredibly calm.
When I arrived at the hospital I was handed a pair of pants and a robe-like shirt that I was supposed to change into. I was escorted to a changing room and left to sort myself out. Before I was even finished unfolding the pants I realized there was going to be problems. The waist was elastic and fit quite well, but the length of the legs was comical. They looked like capri pants that I had paid a tailor to cut a few inches off of. Had they been a little baggier, I would have been the closest thing to MC Hammer Korea has ever seen, but instead I looked like I had stolen pants from a thirteen-year-old girl. I found the shirt to be comfortable, but the doc did not. It was similar to a robe in that the two sides of the shirt wrapped around and were meant to be supported with a cloth band that was tied in the front. Mine was missing a button and the shirt showed off the majority of my chest and belly hair. The sleeves went just past my elbows and the doctor was a little uncomfortable around me. I think he was worried the nurse may not to be able to do her job with so much sexiness exuding from the patient. He pulled the shirt as tight as he could and we continued on.
Immediately, I was asked to sign a form. the doctor said a whole bunch to me in Korean and said the word, "Sign!" I asked what I was signing and he said, "M. R. I." and pointed the those same three letters on the top of the form, the only part of the form I could actually read. I felt like there was probably important information on the form and probably something I was supposed to read before I signed it. They called an orderly in who spoke perfect English and he told me what it said. He also explained the procedure to me and, once I had signed the paper, I headed into the room with the orderly, doc and nurse in tow.
I laid down on the "bed" and put my head into the cage at one end of it. The doctor offered me headphones saying it would be loud. The orderly asked me if I liked Korean pop music or if I would prefer something else. I asked if they had jazz and he said, "Do you like Korean pop music?" I asked if there was a classical music option (thought it might help me stay calm) and he asked, "Do you like Korean pop music?" as the doctor put the headphones over my ears.
I was told that the most important thing was for me not to move. I tried to get in a comfortable position and then they buckled me in. The loud sounds of Korean pop idols filled my brain as the bed began to move backwards so the machine could take pictures of it.
Once the procedure began I went into a sort of trance. It was a forced meditation that I kind of enjoyed. My thoughts drifted from past memories to future hopes. I remembered concerts I had been to and people I had met. I pictured the drive from my parents house to Lawrence, thinking that the MRI would last about as long as that drive. The only thing that brought me out of the trance was when there was a song that came on my headphones that I recognized. I wasn't sure what it was until the first words came out: "I, I just died in your arms tonight..." The only song not in Korean and it happens to a rock ballad that references death in the first line. Not my first choice for a hospital ditty, but I'm not the Chung-Ang University hospital DJ.
It couldn't have gone much better, but yesterday wasn't the hard part. I go back in on Thursday for the results. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for the "too-much-freedom-in-your-system" diagnosis, but there are still some other possibilities out there...
I put together a little playlist that has been helping keep my mind of the shit that's going on around me. If you would like to play along at home, put the playlist together on your iPod, hold your breath till you're so dizzy that you pass out and head to the hospital:
1. "If It Wasn't For You" - Handsome Boy Modeling School
2. "Bodysnatchers" - Radiohead
3. "Sneakin' Out the Hospital" - Beastie Boys
4. "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" - The White Stripes
5. "Shake It Off" - Wilco
6. "Blue Balloon" - Ween
7. "Luckiest Man" - The Wood Brothers
8. "Cold Brains" - Beck
9. "Hercules" - Aaron Neville
10. "I Feel Like Going Home" - Yo La Tengo
11. "Hospital Beds" - Cold War Kids
12. "Trouble With Dreams" - Eels
13. "Weekend" - Dr. Dog
14. "Helter Skelter" - The Beatles
15. "I Shall Be Released" - Bob Dylan
16. "Heavy Metal" - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
17. "Free" - Cat Power
18. "Spider's House" - Califone
19. "L'amour Ne Dure Pas Toujours" - Feist
20. "True Affection" - The Blow
21. "God's Child" - David Byrne and Selena
I've got about 36 hours until I find out what, if anything, is going on with my body. Hopefully I will have some good news to report in a couple days.
Much love from Seoul
posted by Kyle at 11:43 PM
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