3.5 Years

Well, another year has come and gone, and I recently went for my annual MRI on December 17th, 2024. As this time of the year approaches it is met with its usual rollercoaster of emotions and this year was no exception. I try to remain positive that there will come a time in my life that a scan date will approach, and I won’t worry half as much, or at all about it. However, those days could be in the distant future. This year went about as smooth as possible, which was a welcomed change from last year.  

I went for my scan on a Tuesday morning around 9:45 and was walking out of the hospital about 45 minutes later. I usually take the whole day off as there has been a time that a scan went south, and I ended up having to stay at the hospital. I have almost become “superstitious” about scan days for some reason, in that if I receive good results the year before I often try to do the same things before and after a scan.  At this point I would do whatever it took to have a clear scan, and have somehow connected certain events to positive results. But I know full well that’s not how it works and how ridiculous that sounds (haha).

With the holidays so close, I debated calling my doctors office to ask them to keep all results until the new year. I was in my pessimistic stage of “scanxiety” and didn’t want to know one way or another before celebrating Christmas. In the past I have waited at least 4 days to receive news about my scan, so I was in no rush to call the doctor to tell her to keep results, as I didn’t think they were coming anytime soon.  

To my surprise, my doctor’s office emailed me the results the next day around 2pm. When I saw the email come in, my stomach dropped! I figured that I had never heard that fast, and that something had been flagged.  At the time I was at work on my prep so thankfully didn’t have any students in my class at that point. I debated not opening the email, but curiosity got the best of me. I opened it and it read “your recent MRI has no concerns”, and the tears began. Every year it shocks me how much relief I feel when I see that it has been another year, and my scan is still clear. It feels like a whole year of worry melts away in a matter or seconds.  There isn’t even a word to describe it, it is joy in its purest form. I instantly call and text my support system and try to dry my eyes before my students return to class. Wow I thought, this Christmas is going to be even better now! Another year, another clear scan, and it’s all I could ever want! Now I am 3.5 years post-op and couldn’t be happier. That night we went out for dinner with my parents, and sister’s family as we always do after we receive good results. It was a perfect day from start to finish!  

The silver lining is always so clear at this time of the year. I am grateful for Tanner, Wren, and all of our family and friends that are always there to support us - we can never thank them enough! Here is to another year of surpassing milestones, adventures, and holding loved ones close!