After my experience with my last Spinraza injection, I came into Dose #3 like a soldier ready for battle. If there was a potential contingency, I had already thought of it— at least twice. I was like fucking General Dwight D. Eisenhower in advance of the invasion of Normandy. I was mentally and physically prepared. I had taken a mini Xanax and hydrated like an Olympic marathoner. I was ready. Fear me and my Spinraza greatness!!

On the morning of the injection, I woke up at 3:45am— a time when most reasonable folks are asleep. But, if you are President Donald Trump, it’s your favorite time to sit in the dark and send weird messages to your 36 million Twitter followers.

I got dressed, and we ventured out into the pre-dawn morning to make the trek from Patterson to Stanford. We encountered a purplish sunrise and about 765,983 damn commuters clogging the roadways.

I was distracted by my upcoming procedure by contemplating the utter horror all those drivers endure each day on the roads. How do they do it? How do they manage to survive that commute each and every day? Maybe they were the ones that needed the Xanax— not me.

We arrived well in advance of my appointment and managed to snag one of the coveted handicapped spots right in the front of the Neuroscience building. Getting one of those parking spots is like winning the lotto, only way better because you actually have a chance of winning. (Yes, I’m talking about you, feverish Powerball players. Let’s be real — the more millions in the jackpot, the less chance you will win. And spending more money to win isn’t a guarantee, either. Just ask Hillary Clinton.)

For each of my Spinraza injections thus far, I’ve had a different team of doctors performing the procedure. Stanford is a teaching institution, so there’s a rotating group of doctors eager to plunge that needle into my wonky, curvy spine. This time, my team was extra-confident. They strode into the room like Russell Crowe in Gladiator. After examining my scans, one doctor proudly announced, “I’ll get this done in 20 minutes.“

My last procedure had taken over 90 minutes. In my mind, I thought, “Bullshit, Turbo. You’ve never met a spine like mine. I’m your damn Kilimanjaro. I’m fucking Mount Everest.“

But, I stayed quiet. I didn’t want to squelch his enthusiasm. I also didn’t want to piss him off since he was the one with the really big needle.

I got into position on the table and they began. I listened to their low, confident chatter behind me as I let my mind wander. I thought about food— as I often do, generally. I was hungry since I had to fast for the hours prior to the procedure. I contemplated lunch….. and then I felt a zing of heat down my left leg.

“Whoa– what was that?” I called out as my nerves quivered in response.

“I’m in,” Dr. Confidence remarked behind me― like a member of the DAR coolly ordering a Cobb Salad at a country club.

My brain stalled for a moment. I looked up at the clock on the wall in front of me… a mere 20 minutes had passed. I had difficulty computing what he had said. I sputtered, “Wait— what?! Are you for real?“

“Yes. I’ve already begun to collect the spinal fluid before we inject the Spinraza.“

Like a Looney Tunes cartoon character, my eyeballs began to bug out of my head, “Holy shit! You weren’t kidding at the beginning, were you?“

“Nope,” The Radiological Gladiator replied.

Elation flooded my veins. I felt like it had suddenly become Christmas Morning and Santa had brought me a really great present. Like a My Little Pony. Or an Easy Bake Oven. Or a $125,000 injection administered pain-free and in World Record Time. SWEET JESUS, SANTA IS REAL!

I was wheeled out of the fluoroscopy room just a few minutes later, my face wreathed in a smile, while clutching another, empty magic little vial in my fist. VICTORY WAS MINE!

Like Russell Crowe, I wanted to yell out, “My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next!!“

I didn’t yell that, of course, because I didn’t want them to think that the Spinraza was making me psychotic.

So, instead, when I returned to the room, I gulped down some water, and a caffeinated Mountain Dew to ward off the spinal headache. Then, I scarfed down a sandwich and sent a flurry of texts to my loved ones— my more-nimble fingers flying across the screen like super-sonic gnats.

Yes… Spinraza works, my friends!

xoxo

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