My MRI Scan

Last Monday, while we were eating at a restaurant, the inspiration flashed across my mind to have my knees examined, since I had been suffering with knee pain for some time. A few years ago, I had an MRI and the doctors had a difference of opinion. This time, from San Francisco, Hiyamallar, the great doctor, made an appointment for me to be at a particular place at eleven o'clock.

The place is nearer than the nearest. It is exactly at my one and a half mile mark. You take the Grand Central Service Road, turn left, turn again, come to Queens Boulevard and it is there at the corner.

My problems started with Pulak. He wanted to confirm my appointment. I gave him the appointment slip and he phoned them up. When we arrived at the clinic, I did not have the slip to show them. So, they asked me the name of the doctor. I said, "Dan is the name." I could not remember Hiyamallar's surname and Pulak was parking his car.

Finally, Pulak came. I said, "Pulak, such a long time you have taken! Where is the appointment slip?"

He said, "I left it at your place."

Fortunately, he knew that Hiyamallar's surname is Shalom. In the meantime, I saw that my name was there in the appointment book, but those people would not listen to me. Then they asked me, "How are you going to pay?" I gave them \$600 in cash. They are civilised; I am civilised. I did not ask them for a receipt.

Then, for at least forty minutes, I waited. At last, one Spanish lady took me to the MRI room. She showed me the place to lie down and she put a cover over me. In two minutes, she came back and said, "You moved!"

I said, "I did not move! I did not move!" I went on, "If you think I moved, then tie either my ankle or my thigh." Then immediately she said that I did not move.

For twenty minutes I had to be there. The sound was going on, tuk tuk tuk. It would stop for four or five minutes and then start again. After twenty minutes, the lady came back and said, "Oh, you did not move." That is great.

Coming out, one girl said to me, "Would it be possible for you to come back at eleven o'clock on Thursday to have your other knee tested?" She did not give me a slip. I said, "Definitely."

14 November 1996