Claustrophobia and MRI scan

Definitely preferable to the dentist Monica.

GagaJo So now we know....

Happysexegenarian I have had 3 MRI scans at various times for various reasons, and none has lasted more than 30 minutes. yesterday was 20 minutes. It all depends on how much they want to scan.

Just lie back shut your eyes and find something to think of. As my eyes automatically shut when I lie down, like a doll, I just drift into a mousy twilight and listen to the various noises the machine makes. They are many and vared and one sounded like a voice saying boom, boom, boom.

Alternatively think of something specific. When I got bored with the sounds I took the opportunity to plan next week's menus.

The main thing not to do, is keep thinking about it reading the stories of those who did not like the experience and worrying about it.

Personally, I would sooner have an MRI scan than go to the dentist - painful injection, numb mouth, dentist with drill doing things in your mouth, unable to eat for hours afterwards until the anaesthetic wears off. Compared with lying on a bed on your back for 30 minutes, no pain, no discomfort and no after effects.

happy, MRI scans truly don’t bother me. Yes they are noisy, yes I have to lie still but a panic button would always get me out if needed (never has been and I’ve had five so far). Staff can talk to me and also hear me, they have been unfailingly kind. It’s an unusual experience but for the vast majority manageable. Please don’t worry, talk to the staff about any fears, all can be well.

i had an MRI scan today - and a CT scan. I nearly fell asleep during the MRI scan. My eyes automatically close when I lie on my back, so I was unaware of anything around me.

The same with the CT scan. Lay down, closed my eyes and rather than sleep listened to the noises the machine was making and their different rhythms, then i got bored and started planning menus.

Don't forget that most of the people on this thread have had negative experiences of MRI scans Happysexagenarian. Many people aren't bothered by them.

I've just been referred for an MRI scan and after reading this thread I'm quite worried now. I recently had a CT scan and was fine with that, but I didn't realise an MRI could take so long! My usual strategy for coping with unpleasant procedures is to close my eyes and think of happier things, but not sure I could do that for 40 or 90 minutes.

I always say it is like being in a washing machine! I do find meditation helps .... I concentrate on my breathing.

I have the most awful fear of being enclosed. I had a MRI scan years ago for my shoulder( torn rotor cuff) my husband was let in with me and they gave me headphones playing a favourite CD. I hated it but was reassured by the fact my husband was there and I was given a panic button if I wanted it to stop. Hope it goes ok for you.

I am the worst person ever for anything medical. My doctor gave me a small dose diazepam pill. I took half hour before test, wore earplugs and a mask and as had been recommended on another thread, I asked the staff to talk to me when they could.
I was in 30 mins with a cage. I was completely OK! I would not be afraid the next time.

I freaked a bit on my first one, surprisingly as not claustrophobic. But had a few seconds of pounding heart, hyperventilating.
Felt so ill for the last one that it was a relief to lie down. Long walk to unit.

I had to have an mri of my brain so had a cage over my head - I freaked out when I was in the scanner and said I couldn’t go through with it. They made another appointment for me to come in early and take tranquillisers ( presumably diazepam) . I wore an eye mask and the nurse sat by my legs and I think held my hand and I was ok.I wouldn’t have another one without sedation.

Zoejory

Weirdly, I quite like them. In an odd way. Certainly have no problems with them.

However my mother was a great fan of closing her eyes and counting down from 1000. Used to say it worked a treat.

I like them too. Warm & snug & I'm deaf so the noise is just a gentle hum - very relaxing.

I was referred for a scan a few years ago. Despite taking calming medication before I climbed into the machine I still panicked. Just as the lid came down I leaped out screaming and ran off down the corridor. Fortunately I haven’t had to have one since but I would only consider it if I was fully sedated.

Wow! Thanks for that NotSpaghetti. I was somewhat bemused when the doctor came along and said that she was just popping this fatty capsule into my breast. I forgot to ask what exactly it was because I'd had so many other things poked into my breast by that stage, my mind was whirring. I was warned that my breast might turn blue from the dye, but that didn't happen.

You can ask your clinician to apply for NHS funding to have an open or upright scan.
It's awarded on a case-by-case basis.

Here's the image:

gagajo
Here is probably why (obviouslyyhis is answering about thoracic MRIs:

Why do radiologists tape fish oil capsules on your back during a thoracic MRI?

Clinical answer:

So that we can quickly identify the location of a specific complaint that you have. It’s easy to point somewhere on your body and say, “It hurts here,” but it’s a lot more difficult to point to something on an MRI and say, “It hurts right there.” Sometimes it’s pain, and sometimes it’s a small lump that may or may not be visible on MRI.

Physics answer:

Fish oil is, well, oil. Oil has a short T1, so it will be very obvious on T1-weighted sequences. It also has a fairly long T2, so it will be fairly obvious on T2-weighted sequences. It will be suppressed on fat-saturated and STIR sequences, but cross-referencing with a T1-weighted image allows us to guess where it is.

Practical answer:

Fish oil capsules are relatively cheap, don’t burst easily and doesn’t cause any blurring (artefacts) on MRI. Off hand, I can’t really think of any other better item to use. (My department used to buy expired fish oil capsules and stock them up.)

I will post the image which went with this...

I had my MRIs lying on my front too, with boobs hanging down into holes. A grid was placed next to me, so that the cancers could be located precisely. I was then wheeled in and out of the scanner three or four times and marks made on my boobs with what looked like a Sharpie pen.

I had dye injected twice. Apparently, it's to locate cancers in the lymph nodes.

Fortunately, I'm not claustrophobic, so (sorry) I can't offer the OP any advice, except that I do Mindfulness exercises every day and have done for a couple of years. It helped to just switch off.

I didn't have fish oil capsules on my nipples when I had my breast MRI scans!

However, I did have something which looked like a fish oil capsule inserted into my breast to show where one of my cancers was. This was later used with ultrasound to help the doctor insert wires into my breast to guide the surgeon during my lumpectomy.

Not sure why. But I've looked it up online and it's a regular thing.

Luckily, the dye injection didn't make me feel I'd wet myself.

I don't think my experience was as bad as some others on here. It wasn't nice, but I was more fixated on getting a canula into my hand than I was worried about the machine.

Being face down, it was easier to relax I think. And they'd put Nora Roberts on the headphones to block the sound out a bit.

GagaJo That couldn't have been very pleasant. What were the fish oil capsules for? (A friend of mine had breast cancer but didn't have to do that)

I had one when I had breast cancer. I had to have dye injected half way through, which I was told could make me feel like I'd wet myself.

The farcical bit was that I had to tape a fish oil capsule to each nipple.

I was face down for the scan with my boobs dangling through holes in a frame.

Being face down made it more bearable I think.

Casdon

Here’s some useful guidance from the NHS.
www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/claustrophobia/
It’s suggested you contact them before your scan, and that a mild sedative is helpful.

My poor friend had a panic attack and couldnt go through with her appointment.
According to the people who were going to carry it out, about 1 in 4 people dont go through with the appointment.

My friend will be on a sedative from the GP next time.
I have offered to take her to the appointment.

Hello Everyone, I have had a few MRI's, and when I had the last one on my neck I asked if I could wear an eye mask and was told I could.
This really does make the whole experience so much easier. You put the eye mask on before you lie down, and so didn't even see the cage being put over my head.
Its did make such a difference, and I just concentrated on the music being played, felt a lot calmer.