Men and Women retiring alone to a new city/state -- where will you go and why? (moving, crying)

[TRosa]

I never fully changed my last name on all my documents when I married, so now the only thing I would have to change over is my drivers' license and since I don't use it, I have non-D ID in my maiden name, I'm good to go. But I've thought about a first name change ever so often, I used to want to swap middle names with my baby sister. mine's was kind of matronly and I loved hers. I remember my mother writing a letter to me once and using my full name including my middle name and the counselor and kids teasing me for a week.

On a different note, any of you ladies have a tunnel MRI? I've had a number of MRIs over the years, but they were never where you feel like a sausage, so when the tech said here we go, I wasn't prepared for this type and less than 30 seconds in, I was ready to scream get me the heck out of here. I honestly thought I was going to have a heart attack while in there. I had to keep my eyes closed the entire time. Never thought I was claustrphobic, and for the most part still don't think I am, though, could be, but they need heart monitors when they put people in those things. . I'm having palpatations just thinking about that experience. Not doing that again unless they have an open MRI machine.

[popcorn247]

I had to have a tunnel MRI a few years ago. I closed my eyes before going into it and kept them shut until I was out. I tried to think good thoughts. No problems. I've never had problems with claustrophobia. My mother, on the other hand.......

[TRosa]

Originally Posted by popcorn247

I had to have a tunnel MRI a few years ago. I closed my eyes before going into it and kept them shut until I was out. I tried to think good thoughts. No problems. I've never had problems with claustrophobia. My mother, on the other hand.......

You would think the guy would say to himself, this one's kind of hefty, maybe we need to give her the open space treatment. Noooooo, let's just see if we can squeezeer in so I don't have to set the other one up. Maybe I might not have panicked If I had known I was going into a tunnel; unfortunately, my mind was set for an open space, so even though I went in with my eyes closed, when that noise, which is 4xs lounder than what it is in the open MRI, I nearly jumped out of my skin, but realized there wasn't any where to move because the top and sides were right in my face. Total shock to the system when you're used to open and not told you're getting something completely different. for some reason, I thought the others I'd been in were some kind of tunnel, they did slide me in. Maybe this was just made for munchakins.

Well keep your fingers crossed for me and hope I get a good report.

[lenora]

Originally Posted by TRosa

<snip>

On a different note, any of you ladies have a tunnel MRI? I've had a number of MRIs over the years, but they were never where you feel like a sausage, so when the tech said here we go, I wasn't prepared for this type and less than 30 seconds in, I was ready to scream get me the heck out of here. I honestly thought I was going to have a heart attack while in there. I had to keep my eyes closed the entire time. Never thought I was claustrphobic, and for the most part still don't think I am, though, could be, but they need heart monitors when they put people in those things. . I'm having palpatations just thinking about that experience. Not doing that again unless they have an open MRI machine.

o.k., just to make you feel better:

No way in h*** would I be pushed into a closed MRI unless I was unconscious. Seriously.

I underwent a "High Field Open MRI" last week. (That's the one benefit of living in Baltimore - lots of hi-tech medical equipment and fantastic physicians.) But, even after taking Valium, I asked to be pulled out. At that point, the tech suggested a sleep mask and I agreed to give it a try. It worked, kind of. After the first series, the tech asked whether I was o.k. I told her to "just hurry up". Thus, she didn't stop in between the series to ask how I was doing. And that was a good thing. I now highly recommend the sleep mask - doesn't allow for any accidental peeking.

Here's a picture of a High Field Open MRI - Lutherville Imaging Center | Advanced Radiology |

It probably works for 99% of the population. I guess I'll always be an outlier.

[TRosa]

Thanks Lenora, That does make me feel a little better about my reaction. LOL. Hmmm, I don't think, I ever had valium, maybe next time. Naw, I stick with opem MRI.

[brightdoglover]

I got a tattoo in 1980 before they were cool. !
I've always been waiting for a revelation about my true first name, since no one remembers my first name and it doesn't seem to be my name or something. However after over 58 years, I guess there's no revelation coming.
One friend dumped first husband's horrible last name, didn't want her awful father's last name, and took her grandmother's name, which immediately fit her perfectly. When she remarried, she did not take #2's Scandanavian last name full of vowels.
I know a guy who took the Spanish word for "heart" and the first part, "Cor" was part of his original last name, and his wife's maiden name had a similar piece to it. It seemed like a great idea. Unfortunately, he dumped her several years later. At least they all had a cool name.

[Umbria]

Originally Posted by TRosa

On a different note, any of you ladies have a tunnel MRI? I've had a number of MRIs over the years, but they were never where you feel like a sausage, so when the tech said here we go, I wasn't prepared for this type and less than 30 seconds in, I was ready to scream get me the heck out of here. I honestly thought I was going to have a heart attack while in there. I had to keep my eyes closed the entire time. Never thought I was claustrphobic, and for the most part still don't think I am, though, could be, but they need heart monitors when they put people in those things. . I'm having palpatations just thinking about that experience. Not doing that again unless they have an open MRI machine.

I've had 3 tunnel MRIs - piece of cake. It's mind over matter (and then it doesn't matter). I just did my grocery list, things to do list and other planning. My biggest worry was getting bored or antsy while there but I managed to keep myself mentally busy. On the way out I asked the tech if my brain looked like star wars with all the thinking I was doing and he just laughed and said it was fine. You really have to just calm yourself down before you go in.

This name change thing - I like both my married name and my maiden name so I will probably go back to my maiden name, although I kind of like Fifi LaRue. I told my ex I was changing my name back and he seemed disappointed. Maybe that is the final closure.

[mzfroggez]

gee - i feel a member of a club - name changes and mri's.....is anyone going to yell at us that we're off topic? i take adderall to stay on point so be forewarned - no adderall for 3 wks while i live on muscle relaxers, pain medication and anti-inflamatories......(i think the anti-inflamatories are so i don't "flame" anyone while feeling crummy)

ok, so i had my maiden name while a maiden....(though as a child of the 60's , i think i had pretty much blown the original concept of "maiden"....)

i took my first husband's name which was not a pretty name but i thought mine was hard to pronounce anyway so whatever.....

i routinely changed my first name from one derivative of Patricia to anothe through the yearsr, though in college I did adopt a new middle name, to use as my first name...using only the first letter of my middle name and going from "jeanne" to "jannica" which i thought was quite a foxy name.

Of course, when I realized that my degree would print out with the wrong middle name, i rushed to the registrar's office and said i had made up my middle name and that my parents' would kill me, so she changed it back (this was back in the day when people didn't ask you for a hundred documents to do anything).

Of course, they didn't quite get it back so I graduated from college as "Patricia Jeanna Maiden Name" instead of Patricia Jeanne, a fact my parents shook their heads about and wondered how they got that wrong. I finally told them later in life when I had changed my name on a regular basis and thought they should know.

So when i married, I just changed my last name to my husband's not pretty last name and simply went my different first names - from Patti, to Pat and finally to Tricia which stayed around a good long time and is still here. But while losing my mind, i did get divorced after 26 years and got my maiden name back, only to remarry and take my second husband's name, which was very very pretty with Tricia.....

Life seemed fine....for a while....but then husband two had some serious behavior issues and we would end up divorcing, whereupon i took the maiden name back, which had become a pretty name to me over the years and it worked. However, I needed a psuedonym so that's how mz froggez was born........

still in the losing mind phase, i remarried behavior-problem spouse #2 ..... you have to wonder.........................BUT i told him that i took his name once, and i would NEVER change my last name again and so I have retained my maiden name to this day......I

haven't gotten around to the divorcing issue with husband 2/we have been in that absurd state now for nearly 4 years so when someone actually files the papers, and the judge asks me if i want any name issues resolved, i may well go with something totally non related to me so that no one can google me and find out what i have done before that time period. LOL I'll make a great effort to behave myself for the second half of life, take 2......................

so ladies, go for it on whatever name. My cousin had a standard name....but decided she wanted her first name to be Mercedes and changed her last name to our grandmother's married name....it's quite
a fine name and i'm eying the possibility myself although i think i have found the absolutely perfect name and may well go with that.....

of course, by then, maybe i won't be taking pain pills and muscle relaxers and anti inflamatories and be back on task with adderall in which case i may not post rambling posts on city data and get on with the tasks of the day.......

and hmmm, i need to check in on this mri thing cuz they did ask me if i was claustrophobic when they were scheduling my mri so i think i'll ask just what are they putting me in?

or maybe i should just change my name again and see if i feel any better.....................................

[tngirl205]

On a different note, any of you ladies have a tunnel MRI? I've had a number of MRIs over the years, but they were never where you feel like a sausage, so when the tech said here we go, I wasn't prepared for this type and less than 30 seconds in, I was ready to scream get me the heck out of here. I honestly thought I was going to have a heart attack while in there. I had to keep my eyes closed the entire time. Never thought I was claustrphobic, and for the most part still don't think I am, though, could be, but they need heart monitors when they put people in those things. . I'm having palpatations just thinking about that experience. Not doing that again unless they have an open MRI machine.

I recently had an MRI done on my lower spine. I had all kinds of "helpful" suggestions from people who had had it done. Some good, some bad. I tried to mentally prepare myself for this, and telling myself that I could do this.

So the day of the MRI, I went to the hospital. The tech was fabulous, I told her I was a little nervous because this was my first. She gave me earplugs and a towel to lay across my eyes, so I wouldn't be tempted to peek at this tube I was about to be put in. She gave me a ball-like device to hold the entire time so I could call her if necessary.

As I entered the contraption, I did feel like I was being squished, but once in I could relax a little....just a little. Then the noises started. I felt like I was in a nightmarish traffic jam!!! But I just tried to think good thoughts and totally relaxed......and I think I even dozed off!! I could not believe it.

Bottom line is.....I had been in there 20 minutes, the tech said, and it seemed like 5. I found the whole experience very relaxing, after getting over the initial apprehensions of the unknown. The tech showed me some of the images and I found it all very fascinating.

I would do it again in a heartbeat. I was proud of myself that I did it!!

[RiverBird]

I love this very old thread but when we get this far off the original topic you've all lost me!