mri scan

COUSCOUS_3

i was wandering if anybody has ever had an mri scan. i am soon to have one for an ongoing medical condition and i have heard a lot of reports of claustrophobia etc. is it really that bad?

i am quite a nervous person and have phoned the hospital up and they said if i was worried at all then maybe i should get a mild sedative off my gp. i am unsure whether this is necessary.

can anybody let me know of their experience.

thanks

tenacioust123

COUSCOUS wrote: »

i was wandering if anybody has ever had an mri scan. i am soon to have one for an ongoing medical condition and i have heard a lot of reports of claustrophobia etc. is it really that bad?

i am quite a nervous person and have phoned the hospital up and they said if i was worried at all then maybe i should get a mild sedative off my gp. i am unsure whether this is necessary.

can anybody let me know of their experience.

thanks

Hi

I've had 4 MRI's, they are not the nicest of things as you said they can be a bit claustrophobic. However they do make it as comfortable as possible. I had head phones on with music playing I even choose what music I wanted. I always close my eyes and listen to the music and try to relax before you know it it's over.

Good luck I'm sure you'll be fine.

allydowd

I was once paid to have an fMRI scan for research. Some are claustrophobic, others are not. Depends on the scanner. This website might help. It gives you a tour of a virtual MRI room with advice and tips:

MRI scan link

LameWolf

Hi Couscous

MRIs aren't the pleasantest of experiences, it's true, but I've got through them OK, even though I suffer badly with claustrophobia.

I do it by keeping my eyes closed throughout the procedure (that way you don't see the rather close ceiling above your face) and visualising a Badger (ie an animal with great knowledge of tunnels and underground places) guiding me through, back to the surface. OK, it probably sounds weird, but it works for me!

I've never opted for sedatives, as I take a fair cocktail of stuff anyway, and am unsure of adverse reactions with my regular meds.

Best of luck.

COUSCOUS_3

thanks a lot for the info guys.

i guess ill just try and relax as best as i can and maybe close my eyes so i dont have to see just how enclosed the space is

kentyy

Hi
I've had many MRI scans unfortunatly and i too am claustraphobic.
Thankfully the people at the unit know i panic when going into the machine and so they let me go in feet first.
It's not a problem for them to do it this way. They just move the board slightly before you get on it.
Just tell them before you go in and if after you've tried to go in head first, and you just can't, ask them to let you go in feet first.
Thankfully they are lovely at the unit i use.
Also as another poster has said, they ensure i have the music in the headphones too.
It doesn't last too long either.

Good luck!

sportage1kia

Hi there
Just happen to see your thread. I am sure that hospitals will have different methods of making the patient as comfortable as possible while doing an MRI scan, when I had mine they gave me a button to press if needed, but it was done very quickly. Good luck anyway.

valiantlady

Hi,
I suffer with claustrophobia & also panic attacks. The 1st time I turned up, they tried to put me in head first. I cannot tell you how bad this felt. After 3 attempts of hardly going ino the machine, they realised there was no way that I was going to go through with it. They were really kind to me, even though I broke down in tears. They said they would reschedule & try under a sedative. When I turned up 2 weeks ago, the assistant said that they would not give me the sedative, I nearly cracked up. Until they said they would put me in feet first. She asked if I would like my partner to go into the room with me, he sat on a chair by the machine & when I was put into it, I had my arm above my shoulder so that he could hold my hand & talk to me. (By the way I am 43 years old) Also ask for a normal pair of earplugs as the eardefenders are large & uncomfy. I also had a pair of special glasses on which stopped me from seeing directly above my head, so stopping the claustrophobia effect.
I manged to do 20 minutes in the machine, which I was very proud of and now know I could go through it again under the same conditions.
Please dont be afraid to ask for these things, I wish I had the 1st time.
Good Luck & please pm if need to.

arcalis

COUSCOUS wrote: »

i was wandering if anybody has ever had an mri scan. i am soon to have one for an ongoing medical condition and i have heard a lot of reports of claustrophobia etc. is it really that bad?

i am quite a nervous person and have phoned the hospital up and they said if i was worried at all then maybe i should get a mild sedative off my gp. i am unsure whether this is necessary.

can anybody let me know of their experience.

thanks

Just trying to put your mind at ease. It is loud and also feels a bit cramped but personally after being in for 10 or so minutes i fell alseep. Earphones are available if you want but don't be suprised if the choice of music is not to your liking.
it's like being in a small 1 man tent with torrential rain,which with eyes closed i find quite therapeutic!

Savvy_Sue

If you head over the Health board and do a search for 'mri scan' in thread titles only, there are about four threads with pretty much the same information.

I took a CD with me the first time but they weren't able to play it, so I haven't bothered since. TBH the noise is so loud I can't see how you can listen to music anyway.

moneysaver12

I had to have one done and don't like small spaces, but i was ok, i closed my eyes and listened to music, also the person that did it kept checking to see if i was ok and told me to lift my leg if i wanted her to stop, they are very understanding as i was quite nervous about it.