MRI's...necessary evils sometimes

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After reading TintinFan's post about MRIs, I remembered what we went through with our grandson Nathan when he was three years old. He was born with a tethered cord (a cord that was connected from his spine to his back.) Thank God it was discovered early because it would have eventually caused problems with walking and bladder control. The Pediatricians did all kinds of tests and exams, including several MRIs. With most of the MRIs, our son (Nathan's dad) and I were allowed to sit in the room with him while he was in the tube. Of course, he was sedated each time. There was no way a three year old could have stayed still that long. Things went okay until the last MRI. This was the only time the doctor said my son and I needed to wait in Nathan's hospital room while he was having the test done. We reluctantly agreed. A while later, the nurse carried Nathan into his room where we were waiting. First of all, she bumped his head on the door frame. I know it was unintentional, but it was upsetting. Then we found out that although Nathan was sedated, he woke up during the procedure. Of course he started screaming and managed to pull the needle out of his arm, blood was flowing, and he was terrified. We were so upset when we learned what happened. All we could think about was that little fella in that tight tube, crying, bleeding, and scared to death. The hospital he was in is an excellent and very highly regarded hospital in this part of NC. He later had surgery there to cut the cord and recovered very well. He never had problems with his legs or bladder, thank God. Before the date of the surgery, he had another test for bladder function which was horrible. All three of us (Nathan, his dad, and I) cried. Details on that in another post. But God is so merciful and Nathan is a strong, healthy teenager. MRIs can save lives, but there are problems at times. PS Some of you know, but Nathan's mom passed away when he was almost two, that's why I was there with him and his dad.