To Ink or Not to Ink

Today, as I officially enter into my fourth decade of life, I’ve made an important decision.  Despite the publishing of the first stages of my Bucket List – the list of things I want to accomplish before kicking the proverbial bucket – one of the items is coming off the list.  Unfortunately, it’s coming off the list, not due to completion, but rather due to elimination.

I had pledged that by my 40^th birthday, I would venture into the world of ink art.  Tattooing. Today’s the deadline and the only things that decorate my skin are freckles. I’ve tossed around the idea of a tattoo for years; this year I decided to go for it, with an artistic rendition of a sunrise and sunset on my lower back.

Once I gave deep thought to the plan, I decided it was a bad idea.  The hubby would tell you that I’m dangerous anytime I’m in deep thought and that’s why I don’t venture into it often.  Here’s my dilemma.  People with M.S. have tattoos and get tattoos.  My neurologist didn’t have an issue with it.  If I were still injecting, there wouldn’t be an issue either, as long as I wasn’t getting the tattoo over an injection site.  That’s all a moot point now that I’m venturing into the land of infusions anyway, although, there could be a time where I have to travel back to the land of injections.  Regardless, a tattoo on the lower back provides no problem for the injection of DMD’s.

I have read; however, of M.S. patients with tattoos being eliminated from clinical trials that require repeated MRI’s.  It has something to do with tattoos that have indigo inks in them.  Apparently indigo inks have a metallic value and MRI results could be altered.  Reading about these folks who wanted to participate in clinical trials, but were denied, got me thinking.

Who knows what the future will hold – five or ten years from now.  Maybe there will be a treatment for M.S. that requires (a hopefully painless and simple) injection into the lower back.  Maybe there will be some newfangled gadget that is used on the lower back to increase mobility.  Imagine if an M.S. patient with a “tramp stamp” as my step-daughters call them can’t benefit from some new, scientific, amazing treatment or research process just because they have a tattoo.  Sure, you may think I’m nuts here, or going over the top with my What-if’s.  But, we really don’t know what the future holds.

Five years ago, folks may have thought it would be absolutely impossible to have retinal scans for the purposes of identification or for locked room entry.  Technology and science are both amazing and who knows what researchers and doctors will think of next to help those of us with this disease.  All I know is that I’ll be kicking myself from here to Toledo if I get a tattoo now and pay for it later.  Plus, frankly, I’ve had just about enough of needles to last me a lifetime.  Between months of injections and regular blood tests, not to mention IV ports, and soon monthly ports for infusions, I won’t be saddened if I have to forego a few hours of needles jabbing into my lower back.

Do I consider it a defeat to have put something onto my bucket list only to rethink it or back out of the plan?  No way! Bucket lists, just like brain-damaged, cone-headed redheads, evolve with time. One might say that bucket lists reinvent themselves, too.

So, I traded my birthday present tattoo from the hubby for a beautiful crystal vase instead.  At least I get to look at the vase, hand painted with grapes (perfect for wine country where I live) everyday when I walk past our formal dining room.  I never would have seen the tattoo, unless I was to gape at my bare behind in a mirror.  And just how often do I do that? Never!