The past two days have been rough. A lot of "what did I get myself into" and "I think I'm going to I4DIE." As some know, I messed up my knee this spring... with all the hills and climbs, it's decided to flair up again :( I road 46 or so miles into Philly and 40 on our Lancaster day and then teamed up with Sean in the van to finish the days supplying the team with some H2O. Jeff crashed his bike yesterday morning so he's been taking my bike once my knee gives out in the afternoons. It pretty much sucks but what I have learned is that I have a great support team behind me. We've really been helping each other out and pushing each other (mentally) up the climbs and through the greater distances. While we're all struggling, we all make it everyday and have experiences along the way that make the pain worth it.Highlights of the day: Sean and I were in the van catching up to the first group to set up lunch. Sean pulls a 3 point turn. Sean gets van suck in a ditch. The team rides up and tries to push the van out of the ditch. The team is unable to push the van out of the ditch. A wonderful Pennsylvanian man pulls the van out of the ditch with his pick up truck. Sean drives away in the van. Lauren is not in the van. Lauren has no bike. Steve hails down a local very nice Amish man to drive Lauren to Sean. Sean realizes he ditched Lauren once Lauren arrives. Lauren guilts Sean, a lot. Sean makes Lauren a delicious PB&J. The owners of the farm we stopped at lunch for went into their fields and picked some strawberries. The owners then make strawberry ice cream... right then and there. Lauren eats some yummy ice cream. The church we are staying at is awesome. I showered for about 30 minutes. That is all.P.S. I'm working on videos and photos.
Central Park to Hillsborough, NJ
Sometimes it's hard to get computer access, but I still want to write about every day of the trip if I can! It seems like all of the days are going to start running together.So, on Tuesday we left from Central Park!! There was a camera man there from Fox News and he took some footage. There is a link to that on the main page of our website.We all rode out and then crossed over the George Washington Bridge. Traffic surprisingly wasn't too bad in Manhattan, but it really picked up once we entered New Jersey.For a while I was riding with Lauren, Szymon and Michell and we saw a fruit stand and decided to stop. Fruit is awesome because we usually only eat carbs like pb&j. At the stand we met a woman whose daughter had had breast cancer and her nails were decorated with pink breast cancer ribbons on them. She was very interested in our journey, and the man at the fruit stand ended up giving us a bunch of free apples and oranges that we were able to share with some of the team.After a long day we eventually arrived at the Thakkar residence for our first stayover. Anish Thakkar was one of the founders of Illini 4000 and his parents graciously hosted us for the night. They had fruit and yogurt waiting for us, and also made us a giant dinner of salad, baked ziti, samosas, and curried chickpeas with rice. There was also a nice cake after dinner. It was a great night for after our first day of riding!
Into the Appalachians
Today was rough - some flats, falls, injuries, and sickness due to the 93 degree heat. Despite this, we overcame and managed to survive. With the help and hospitality of the Pennsylvanian citizens we were able to succeed. I can see this grou of riders beginning to come togetheras a team. We are motivating each other; pushing each other to ride faster and longer as our as our bodies reach new limits. The reality of the magnitude of our cross country journey has finally set in, and everyone faces this daunting task with a somber and unyielfing attitude. We are constantly reminded of the struggles of those we ride for, and their courage and strength is our fuel.Tomorrow will be yet another 80 mile ride to Lancaster, PA, surely to bring more intense steepness as we head into the Appalachians. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for more updates.
From "a monkey's town" to Jersey!
Everyone has been putting up all these great posts! I really wanted to let everyone know how the trip is going so far but time seems to be escaping me!We made it through the first day! Spirits were high this morning as we woke up at 5:45am to get ready to embark on our first 65 miles of the ride!! We got to Central park at 7 and had some awesome words of encouragement from past riders and pumped ourselves up to get started!Riding through New York City sure was a rush! There were cars, potholes, buses, taxis, and glass pieces everywhere (huge hazard to biker's tires!). We couldn't even get out of the city without two flat tires. Jordan is definitely in the lead for most flats.It took FAR too long to get out of the stop and go of the city, but riding out over the George Washington Bridge was beautiful (and scary, I don't do bridges well). I think we actually went over about 7 bridges today. I suppose I'll get used to it!I started fading fast, it seemed like a lot of us did. We had 4 flats, a chain fall off, some spills on the pavement, and some getting lost. Things just didn't seem to be going very smoothly for the first ride of the summer! Part of why we were so tired may have been that our last training ride was 3 weeks ago and many of us were out of practice. Hard to find to time to ride between finals and getting ready for leaving for the summer!But we FINALLY made it to Hillsborough, New Jersey! The wonderful Thakkar family has taken us in, fed us well, and given us so much support and encouragement. They have been a great first impression of the summer- the rest of our stayovers have a lot to live up to!For now I fear I need to get some rest for the 83 mile journey through hills and 93 degree heat!! I promise to write something more interesting when i have time!
First Day in the Saddle
The day finally came. Today was the day that our ride, which we have been preparing for for over 6 months, finally began. This day had extra anticipation for myself because of the even longer amount of time I have had to wait to start (I have been involved with I4K since Fall 2008). For so long, this day has been a distant event that never actually seemed real. It is just now that the reality of the whole journey is completely setting in.Starting out in Central Park, we started our ride heading north on Manhattan island. Of course, it took me only about 30 blocks to get my first flat tire of the trip! Luckily, I was able to fix it quick and head out of town on the George Washington Bridge. From there, we rode throughout many different areas in New Jersey, from cities like Newark to towns like Hillsborough (the town we are staying in tonight). Here, we are staying with the Thakkar's, the family of one of the founding members of I4K, Anish Thakkar. The family has been so generous to us, literally opening their entire house to our team and cooking us a delicious meal (one that was much anticipated, I might add).After dinner, we all showered, did some tune ups on our bikes, wrote down our ride cues for the next day, and talked to family and friends. It was a hot and tiring day today, but if this is a typical day in the life of I4K, it is definitely something I can get used to.
65 Miles Behind Us!
Today we rode out of Central Park in NYC on a 65 mile trek into New Jersey -- to the welcoming home of the Thakkar family. It took us about 1.5 hours to get out of the city and cross the George Washington bridge, but the view from the bridge was beautiful! Along the way, we had some flats and mechanical malfunctions. The eighty-degree heat created an environment most unpleasant for our first day. However, tomorrow we are doing 83 miles in an expected temperature of 93 degrees! So, we are all prepared with gatorade, water, granola bars and of course sunscreen.We would like to extend our gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. Thakkar, the parents of I4k's founder, Anish Thakkar. They have been very supportive of the organization since its inception, and today specifically they truly uplifted our spirits on this tough first day. Thank you, Thakkars!All us riders are off to bed so we're well rested for the 80+ miles that await us tomorrow.We bid you adieu.
So I Guess We're Riding Our Bikes Across the Country. Or. Netbooks Have Awkwardly Small Keyboards.
Day 1. Check. After our media coverage (Channel 5 NYC) at Central Park and some inspiring words by a former rider, we departed for the longest 10 mile trip out of New York City the 2010 Illini 4000 bike team had ever attempted. 54 miles later, we found ourselves in Hillsborough, New Jersey. Home of the founder of the Illini 4000, Anish Thakkar, a man I've never met, but if he's anything like his parents (who reside in Hillborough (the aforementioned town we stayed at (after we biked from NYC (because we're biking across the country.)))).Rewind about 40 miles and you have The Story of Eamon and His First Spill. Exposition: Just north of Newark, NJ. circa 10a. Broadway St. The temperature is rising.Characters: Eamon O'Hara (As himself.) Sarai Nadine (Eamon's stallion). Piyum Zonooz (as the fellow rider in front of him). Old Jersey (Joezee, per their accent) woman (As the culprit).A long story short: I fell. But everyone is okay, including Sarai Nadine.Upopn arriving at the Thakkar's residence, we found cookies, chips, fruit, and beverages. All of which were consumed and appreciated immensly by the riders.The Thakkars opened their house to a goupr of complete strangers. I've come back to this idea many times throughout the day, but it continues to baffle me. They gave us food and shelter, friendship and support, warmth and consideration. Mr. Thakkar said some nice words as we cut the cake that I won't soon forget. Not even one million thanks could sufficei n expressing my gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. Thakkar for their hospitality. Thank you so much. Tomorrow we leave for Philadelphia. I'll try to do this updating more regularly.Now I'll return to my sleeping pad for a terrific night of sleep and pedal off in the morning. Thank you for your love and support, friends and family. Thank you so much for your friendship, Thakkars. It means the world to me.Eamon
Hillsborough, NJ 05/25
WOOO. So the first day was a success. We had a blast riding out of NYC in the I4Kaboose and over the bridge into Jersey. Today's 65 mile ride was filled with turns and hills, a challanging and exciting day all in one.One part of the day stands out to me amongst the rest: As Mary, Michell, Syzmon and I rode through some of the smaller towns in NJ late morning, we came upon a fruit stand. Mutually deciding to buy some apples we pulled over and began to chat it up. After buying .25cent apples, one of the women also buying fruit at the fruit stand was questioning us and upon telling her what we were doing, she whipped out her beautifully manicured nails. To our surprise, each nail was airbrushed with a breast cancer ribbon. She could not have given us a better blessing and it really made me realize how big of a plague cancer is. The fruit stand man ended up giving us 3 apples and an orange each, so we stuffed our back pockets and met up with the rest of the group to share our snacks and our amazing story.Miles and miles later, we arrived at the Thakkar house, home of the founder of the Illini 4000. Mr. and Mrs. Thakkar instantly greeted us with kindness, food, and beverages... all of which were greatly appreciated. The Thakkar's opened their house to us so graciously, providing us with a DELICIOUS dinner (and an I4Kake), as well as showers (yesssss), and a place to sleep. Thank you so much to the Thakkar's for your kindness... and most especially for your inspiring words!Tomorrow brings us into the beginning of our Pennsylvania stretch... it's suppose to be 93 and sunny. My favorite weather!!... for laying out in, yea we'll see how biking in it goes.In other news, Eamon and I are friends again. <3
One day down, so many more to go
I'm resolving to write more this year than I did last year on the team's website. As many of you following this may know, I rode with the Illini 4000 in 2009 and am returning to ride again this summer. Together with Conor Canaday (aka Can-daddy), I am responsible for coordinating and leading the day-to-day aspects of the ride. So far, things have been quite hectic, getting everything ready, but we're on our way!That's it for now, maybe more tomorrow.
Recent Media Appearances
The Illini 4000 has had a couple of appearances on FOX Chicago News. Rider Steve Odon was featured in March on FOX Chicago. Today, the Illini 4000 was featured once again, documenting out departure from Central Park.
Biked a day, and am still looking forward
Today we finished our first ride of the trip. We awoke early (in the pre-6 a.m. era) and after leaving the stay-over, kicked it off from Central Park. Riding through the streets of Manhattan during the morning commute was certainly a different experience from our brief interactions with mild Champaign-Urbana "traffic". There are just so many people in such a dense space, that I barely had attention to share with the view; it was all dedicated to watching for cars, checking the quality of the road, and just staying afloat in the urban rush. All of the same, we crossed out of NYC into New Jersey and continued to our stay-over where we were warmly greeted with food, drinks, and a lovely plush lawn.So, 65 miles done, and that leaves what? 4435 miles or something? All of the same, we've felt really encouraged by the responses we're getting from people we pass. A street vender gave us a bag full of fruit, cars stuck behind us cheered once they read our jerseys, and outrageously generous families who have shared their homes with a sizable group of students.I know I'm looking forward to climbing some mountains later this week, but I'm sure that those will not be very kind on my brake pads. We'll be clean when we can be, but by mile 30 today my hands and arms were covered in bike grease, dirt, sweat, and suntan lotion. Frisbee is here, and when we don't come in exhausted, we may be able to throw it around.It is now 7:45 in the evening, and I'm just about ready to fall asleep; it's already been a long day.__
Day 0: Tomorrow is the BIG DAY!!
Tomorrow is the big day, and the team is brimming with excitement. We wouldn't have gotten here without the generosity of all our donors and the warm welcoming embrace of Rabbi Blum; who has graciously hosted the 28 riders on the 2010 bike America team.Endless preparation, months of planning, and here we are, standing at the start of an amazing journey. After a long (delayed) 23 hour train ride, we had an opportunity to explore the great city of New York. Many of us breakfasted in Central Park and spent the rest of the day exploring the town's neighborhoods- some explored SoHo while others paid their respects at the World Trade Center Memorial, and yet some others wandered onto the site of a movie set in Times Square.This evening we were welcomed into the home of U of I alum Kelly Belford for a delicious array of food. We talked with several U of I alums including some who rode in the inaugural 2007 ride from NYC - San Diego. They've been very helpful in preparing us for the road, having been through this themselves (thanks, Mike and Allison!)The city teemed with energy, a fitting atmosphere for the day. We are anxious and excited to hop on our bikes and begin an epic journey across the country and into the history books. To inaugurate the ride, some of us dipped our back wheels in the Hudson Bay -- when we arrive in San Francisco we will dip our front wheels in the Pacific -- a symbolic gesture of the coast to coast accomplishment.Amidst all this excitement however, we have not lost sight of our cause and why we ride - to help raise money to support cancer research and support Camp Kesem. We are very excited to have broken the $100,000 mark and hope to raise more through donations on the road. Thanks again to our families, friends, supporters and donors. We would not be here without you.Stay tuned for a post tomorrow after our 65 mile ride to Hilsborough, New Jersey!
NYC!
So much to say but it's getting late so I'll try to be short...We arrived at Union Station on Saturday at 5:30pm and took the Amtrak to Penn Station. Eamon and I chatted with a nice man on the train who told us about the history of an old castle in the middle of a body of water and that it was made as a honeymoon gift for a couple but was abandoned before construction was completed. We also passed by West Point so I really felt like I was on the Hogwarts express.We were supposed to arrive at 6:30 but were delayed for about 2ish hours. We still all had fun playing cards and eating in the old fashioned dining car!!When we got to Penn Station we met up with Allison (a rider from 2007), Nate and the kids who drove the van and we all had to take our bikes out of the boxes and wheel them onto the subway. I think we got quite a few looks.We are staying at the Chabad Center for Jewish life at Columbia University. When we arrived last night most of us headed out for pizza because the train ended up running out of food. Today was a rest day and I woke up at 9, went to a market and got a yogurt parfait for breakfast. We all took our breakfast to Central Park and ate, took the subway to Times Square for some obligatory pictures, then hung out in Soho for the rest of the day. Nate had been staying with his uncle in Soho for the past few days so he knew his way around.I am in love with Soho. Great stores, great food, and not too touristy. We all went to this Japanese store called Uniglo, which was basically H&M but 100 times better. Sadly, I did not buy anything because I did not think it would fit in my bag...We all then went and got Cuban take-out and ate it outside on a bench. Tough life!We got back a bit ago from an event with some UofI alumni living in New York. The alumni were so nice and made us a bunch of food and we got to hang out on a rooftop.The highlight from my time here has had to be our christening ceremony. A bunch of us rode our bikes to the Hudson River and dipped our front wheels in. When we get to SanFran, we will be able to say that our bikes have touched water from each coast. I'm so stoked for that!Hope you all stay tuned!
NYC 05/22-05/24
SOOO here's what's new. Saturday was departure day. I was apart of the Amtrak group, taking a nice 22 hour ride to NYC. We spent hours and hours playing cards, wizards, painting nails, eating a nice old school train breakfast, chatting it up, and anticipating our arrival. Amtrak's well-known consistency brought us in a few hours late, but it gave us plenty of time to scope out some of the beautiful scenery we'll be seening in the next few weeks on our ride back (: Once we got into the station, I stole my Amtrak mini pillow (should come in handy), the van crew picked up our bags, we assembled our bikes, then caught another train to our stayover at the Chabad at Columbia University. We walked around a bit, got some late night New York pizza (not as good as in the Chi... sorry NY), and crashed out. Our stayover is pretty cool, we have two floors to roam around in and unfortunately, no showers... ha my first "sink shower" of the trip... this could get interesting...Today we had a rest day in NYC and were free to scope out the town. My crew downed some breakfast in Central Park, toured Time's Square, and did a little shopping in SOHO (where Sean knowingly bought the deepest V t-shirt ever created). An essential I realized I was missing was a nice cross body bag (mom purses circa mid-1990s)... so I haggled a street vendor to cut me a deal on a lovely white pleather bag Mary scoped out for me. Of course, people can't say no to this pretty face and I now have a lovely bag to carry my essentials around in. A few of us hit a hole-in-the-wall Cuban restaurant Nate knew of and ate some of the most flavorful food I've ever tasted, delish. We headed back to the stayover, picked up shirts, and headed back into the city to meet up with some U of I alumni. They hosted a lovely gathering filled with tasty treats (I wanted to try the meatballs but Kyle ate them all, typical) and brought us up to the rooftop for a gorgeous view of NYC at sunset. We did your standard photo op, Mary beat up Eamon, and then the party was over...Tonight, we prepare for our big take off. Steve pumped up my tires and helped me reassemble my handlebars, he's the best. Rules were dictated and everyone wrote out directions for tomorrow's ride (well Jaime wrote mine while I braided her hair). I've decided that I really don't think this whole thing has "hit me" yet. Starting tomorrow, we're beginning our journey to BIKE ACROSS THE COUNTRY... um holy moly, I'll let yall know how that goes...
Adventures in NYC
Hello World,After an extremely long yet enjoyable train ride with my fabulous train buddy Sean, we arrived in NYC yesterday. I spent today on various adventures (some misadventures) through the city with the other riders. After accidentally ending up in Chinatown, Kevin, Szymon and I bought some Asian fruit and had dinner for $4.25 at "The Lunchbox Buffet" which was extremely delicious. We also accidentally found the coolest water fountain ever in Morningside Park, after we accidentally took the express subway instead of the regular subway. Looking back on the motif of "accidents," I am finding that misadventures often lead to much more interesting memories.Can't wait for the ride to begin tomorrow! It's going to be I4Krazyyyyy!Love always,Jaime
Send us mail!
You may have noticed that our Rider Spotlight section has been replaced with Send us Mail!. This widget provides the nearest Post Office to each of our rest day stayover locations. By using the arrows above and below, you can scroll to the different rest day locations and find the appropriate Post Office to send your letter or package. Please allow at least 3 days for delivery and let your rider know that they should expect to pick something up at the Post Office.
Train to NYC
I am writing this sitting on the train, somewhere in the middle of New York. I'm not quite sure where we are; all I know is that we have another 9 or so hours to go, and have already been on here for 11. Most people are trying (more or less successfully) to stay asleep as much as they can. The seats are a little roomier than those on airplanes, but they don't recline that much further. This is making me all that more excited to spend the summer on a bike and moving, instead of sitting still. Then again, this seat is a little more comfortable than my bike saddle, but that isn't saying much.That said, I think it's time I introduce this blog. You know my name because you needed it to navigate to this page anyway, so I'll skip that part. I hope I continue to update this, but I really have no idea what this trip will be like. Forgive me if you refresh the pages to find nothing new; that means we'll have to get together some time and talk about it all.Anyway, I'll start writing about the my first experience with I4K. I think it was at Convocation, one of my first days at the university, and I saw a few people stand up on the podium and talk about biking across America. That and the ultimate frisbee team were the only things I really remember from that day. I thought it sounded like an incredible adventure, and as I had just bought my new bike (this one I am in love with and have on this trip) I thought it might be doable. I scouted them out on Quad Day, when all of the registered student organizations had their booths set up in the quad, and asked for more information. I went to an informational meeting, and ended up being the only prospecting student there with a bunch of past riders, and instead of deterring me, I loved it all the more; these people were great. I went for an interview, and left there with the excitement that I still have today. A perfect fit: biking, traveling, landscapes, fighting cancer, and great people to do it with. What a perfect summer.So here I am, on the precipice of the adventure of a lifetime, and I'm hungry. I have food, I just don't want to eat it all now and get bored immediately afterwards. I just finished the first round of editing the pictures from my Aunt Margie's (and UNCLE Brian's) wedding. I wonder when they'll get to see them...I'm staring down Pi's Calvin and Hobbes book, and will let you go for now. Keep in touch. Send me emails at g.colten@gmail.com , I'll try to respond. I also hope to link my photos to this site somehow once I A) take some and B) find a place to put them.Check the map at illini4000.org , go to Route, and then you'll always know where I am.(how does one end a post? you can't say a farewell as in a conversation, but nor can you end it like a letter [Sincerely, Greg] just doesn't work. I think I'll just stop writing. That ought to do it).__
Tomorrow is the big day
I mean, I think a lot of days this summer will be considered 'the big day'. The first day we start biking, the first day we start climbing mountains, the first day we start going down mountains... the list goes on, we have a lot of ' the big day's ahead. But really, tomorrow is the first day that I will be surrounded by 27 awesome people and live a life of sleeping on floors, eating nothing but pb&j and dropping sick beats and dope rhymes while cycling across the country. That's a big day.However, I gotta say that this big day is the result of so many good people coming together to support the organization and me! First, gotta thank the people like Conor, Kyle, Erik, Keith, Saun, Claire, Matt, Matt, Kristen, Jay, Justin and all the other brains behind the Illini 4000. The trip and $100,000 raised would not be possible without the dedicated work of these brilliant cats. Much respect to them, for real. Furthermore, my parents, their parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, family friends and personal friends for the donations. If it wasn't for you guys, cancer might think it still has a chance and this ride would not be in my summer plans. Seriously, thanks to all the cats who came out back in November for the best short-shorts themed party yet. Couldn't have done it without your donation regardless of if you can remember donating :). Also, my sister, Amy, who did the ride 2 years ago just sent me an awesome email (from Senegal) filled with inspiration and wisdom to help me and the teammates get to San Francisco. Merci, Amy, you're da boss.So, I'm still in the process of getting everything packed up and waiting for my last pair of bike shorts to be completely dry. Its getting surreal and so real at the same time. Reader, I hope you are well and please stay tuned. Peace!
Contact Info! Pictures!
I know I have been bombarding people with my contact information for this trip, but I thought it couldn't hurt to post it in one more place. Check it out, follow me along the way, and hit me up if you want to chat or have any questions!twitter: http://twitter.com/mrussell_I4Kpictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/russell.mkemail: russell.mk@gmail.comphone: (630) 631-6072
Doctor Week
This week of preparation is a very busy one. I came home from school with a grocery list of things to get done before I hopped on a train to New York for the Illini 4000. Among these things were preparing for nursing school, tuning my bike and going to the doctor. I dub this week: Doctor Week.For those who do not know, I am a testicular cancer survivor. Technically, I am not a cancer survivor. The real definition of a cancer survivor is someone who has had been treated thought of as "cured" of their cancer and from that point is cancer free for the next five years. I am currently going through year three after treatment. During those five years, a patient is in remission.Hospitals and frequent check ups have become the norm in my life. Unfortunately, constant worrying and preparing for the worst has also become a norm in my life. This indeed stems from my cancer experience.This past Monday I had scheduled my test day. This day is awful- I dread it. On any normal day, thoughts of cancer returning linger towards the back of my mind. However, this test day brings forth a flood of emotion and apprehensiveness. On test day, I am on edge. My family has learned not to mess with me; I am in the zone, concentrating, hoping and praying for negative results. Things that go wrong on this day reverberate in my heart and are not forgotten- they scare me. Call me superstitious.Test day starts out with my waking up at 8am to the taste of liquid barium. Yes folks, that is a metal from the earth that medicine has somehow been able to make a shake out of. It tastes terrible. I like to say that I have a high pain tolerance, so, I chug the barium as fast as I can. I don't know how someone weaker or less tolerant could find the strength to finish that barium shake. Count it- two bottles full, 48 ounces. Thankfully they spread the barium regiment out so that you drink two bottles in two hours. For me, it is one at 8am, half at 9 and half right before my CT scan. All this for a three minute CT scan? You have got to be kidding me.I finished my bottle and a half of barium before heading to the hospital. My sister was very unhappy to drive me to the hospital and wake up before she intended to, but, she loves me. I took my time getting ready and carefully gathered things I needed for my test- phone, barium, CT scan paperwork and the health insurance card. We arrive at the hospital, I step out the door and immediately turn around to Katie saying we needed to go back- I forgot my prescriptions. Bad omen. Let's hope not. I am on edge.The barium serves an important purpose. Right before your scan, the radiologist will inject the patient with iodine, which reacts with the barium. The reaction allows the CT scan to image your gastrointestinal tract with much more clarity. Cancers in the GI tract are very potent and hard to catch because once someone does find out they have a cancer like colorectal cancer, it is often too late to effectively fight off the cancer. The injection is done intravenously. I have very large and obvious veins, so sticking a needle in my arm is not a hard task. However, this time, the radiologist missed the stick. Bad omen? I am on edge. Maybe that is why my vein didn't cooperate, stress.When the injection goes through, the patient will experience a warming sensation throughout their entire body. This warming sensation was really cool and exciting the first CT scan I had. However, as I received more and more CT scans, this sensation made me sick. So sick that I thought I was going to pass out on the table and vomit during the test. Another reason why why I dread this day.Next up, chest x-ray. Nothing bad with the test thankfully. However, as I was waiting to be called, I ease-dropped on someone's registration. Probably not something very ethical for me to do especially because I am going into nursing, but, I get it from my mother. Anyway, this elderly man and his wife were registering for a number of tests including a CT scan and an MRI, both full body and specially focused on his brain. I suspected some type of brain cancer from previous tests they had gotten. There were complications with their registration because Medicare would only cover the CT scan, not the MRI. The price of the MRI would be $5200 dollars. I was outraged that an MRI would not be covered although a CT scan would be. I wish I could do something about that.Time to head home. The rest of the day I did not feel good because of the barium, but I made it a very productive Monday at the very least. This bas feeling comes from the barium. I was exhausted. At lest I don't have to do those tests for another four months! I go to my oncologist on Thursday to review the results of my tests and to get a blood test. I'm sure all the tests will be negative, but I always have to be ready for the worst.