The "Former Students Pop Up In Unusual Places" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Making a visit to Lancaster General Health Physicians in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for a few tests needed so my doctor can evaluate why I am having back pains once again.  Over the past several years I have had four back surgeries and have had several metal rods place in my back to help alleviate my lower back pain.  In the past year I have begun to lose feeling in my left leg and foot which is now beginning to travel to my right foot.  In order to evaluate my problem my doctor recommended a "BONE SPECT INJ", an "X-Ray" and a "BONE SPECT SCAN".  Evidently they are all different so I needed three scheduled appointments which I was given for one morning.  Soon found out they are fancy names for simple procedures.  I arrived at the LGH Suburban Pavilion at 9:30 AM for my 9:45 AM appointment.  Masks are required and as I had my temperature taken inside the front door, the nurse told me she liked my Philadelphia Phillies mask.  See gave me directions to my destination and by 9:40 I was sitting in a chair with a needle in my arm having blood drawn.  Evidently that was my first appointment or "BONE SPECT INJ."  I was then directed down the hall to my next destination for my 10:00 AM appointment.  Slightly before 10:00 AM I was ushered into a room, given a gown and told to remove my clothes and place the gown on me.  I was ushered into another lab where I had a few X-rays taken from different positions and given an injection needed for my next procedure.  Got dressed and headed out the door to my car.  My final appointment wasn't until 12:45 PM at the same location.  Went home and watched "The Price Is Right," grabbed a sandwich for lunch and hopped back in the car to go back to the LGH Suburban Pavilion for my 12:45 PM appointment.  Does any of this sound familiar to you?  Have you had to do much the same thing in the recent past?  Well, I entered the building and was greeted by the same young woman who took my temperature in the morning.  She looked at me and smiled, saying, "You were here earlier today, weren't you?"  "How did you remember that with the hundreds of people going in and out," I said to her.  "Because I loved your Phillies mask and it was the only one like it!  You can head back to where you were this morning," she said without checking my temperature once again.  I reported to the main desk and after seeing my name, I was ushered to a waiting area where I took a seat.  Wasn't more than 5 minutes before a gentleman came to get me for my final test which I found out was an MRI.  The fellow looked at the paper in his hand and said, "Mr. Woods, you can follow me."  We walked through a series of doors and he finally said, "Do you remember me?"  "Yes I do...you gave me the same test a few years ago, didn't you?"  He responded "I may have, but that's not what I meant.  I had you as a teacher at Manheim Township High School.  I think it was back in the late 1960s!"  I studied his face, the best I could with his mask in place, and finally had to ask him his name.  "I'm Bill Kushubar."  Aha, I did remember the name, but that was a long time ago and even if he did do a test for me a few years ago, I still  would have had trouble recognizing him with his blue surgical mask covering most of his face. We spent the next half hour reminiscing as well as him giving me the MRI.  Talked about other students whom he remembered that I had in class and then we talked about the unit that I was laying inside making all these clicking noises as it revolved about my body.  Told me the room cost about half a million to construct with the solid concrete walls and ceiling that have lead panels on them to absorb the radiation the machine emits.  Then he told me the machine itself cost about the same as the room.  He has worked there for quite a few years and I questioned him about how much radiation he gets from doing his job.  He told me very little since he in enclosed in a room of concrete and lead with a window made to reflect the radiation.  He wears a badge that is checked frequently and he said it never was close to the danger point due to the construction of the building.  He said I got more today than he does in an entire year.  The machine took a 3-D image of my body from slightly below the waist to my upper back.  The results will go to my surgeon I had do the past two operations so he can see if something shifted in my back which would cause the current pain.  If not, then I will be the next candidate for the Spinal Cord Stimulator which is a device that is imbedded in my lower back which sends impulses to interrupt the chronic pain before it reaches my brain and caused pain.  Now that is another story which I may have to share with you in the near future.  As for Bill...he told me he is now 65 and I looked at him and said, "You know how old that makes me feel?"  Life goes on... and I am hoping it will soon be pain-free for me once again.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.