Couldn't even last 10 seconds, I freaked out. *content warning regarding MRI scans* title edited by MNHQ

I had one on my head and back. It was horrific. I thought I was never going to get out of it. The only thing that kept me there was that I knew I'd have to have it done again.

@MammaKel I feel your pain, totally!! If they have ones that aren't enclosed, then why don't they use them as standard?!

Completely sympathise. I had a far lower insurance pay out as couldn't face the claustrophobia of the machine!

I hate having an MRI but the last time I had one (on my shoulder, so went in head first) they’d rigged up an angled mirror that when you looked at is showed you the room you were in. Complete game changer as the panicky trapped feeling went away completely. I did say that whoever thought that up deserved a medal, clearly it didn’t help with the awful noise but being able to see ‘outside’ made all the difference!

DD had one when she was about 9/10. I told them beforehand that she wouldn't be able to stay still as she has ASD and sensory issues but the doctor insisted she would be ok. It was on her head so she had to go in totally.

Sure enough she panicked even though I was there and in the end they had to knock her out completely to do another one.

I’ve had 3 head ones. First two were fine but last time I hated it. Shut my eyes the whole time and couldn’t wait to get out.

Try not to be too hard on yourself. Hospital staff were probably unfriendly because of how often it happens so it’s just another “meh” exercise for them - a bit like how seasoned police can turn up to somewhere with a body on the floor and not bat an eyelid if you see what I mean.

I went to the Macy’s thanksgiving parade in NYC one year and suddenly became extremely overwhelmed in the crowd, convinced myself I was going to die and burst into tears and started trying to frantically escape. Nothing had actually happened but I just became stricken with panic and no one could talk me out of it. You can’t help these things unfortunately - our brains just work against us sometimes!

Haha from the title I was gonna accuse her of sleeping with my dh! Anyway as a severe claustrophobic myself, op has my sympathies.

If it makes you feel better I don’t think you’re alone in doing this. My mum did the same, she was must’ve been part way into going into the machine and she kept out of it as she was too scared to go in.

It sounds like the staff she had were nicer though as they reassured her to give It another go.

If they can play music through the headphones they give you (many places offer this but not all) it really helps. Last time I had an MRI they gave a choice of playlists! That and breathing exercises helped a lot.

Don’t worry @MammaKel If your doctor has requested an MRI then they will look to reschedule with either sedation or GA if it absolutely has to be done and you cannot tolerate it. There are also apps with exercises to help you get used to what you’ll experience and how to cope with it. There are certain noises and you can hear them and get used to them etc before your next scan.

Your experience is not unusual. honestly. The staff will have seen it all before. I had one but was unconscious at the time (and it was OK). t don't think I could tolerate one if I was awake. A CT scan might do quite well in your case.

Please don't be embarrassed, you couldn't help it and are not alone.

I thought it was the same poster who posted earlier tonight's the night 🤣🤣

I can completely understand! I had one for the first time a few months ago and it was the most horrible experience of my life. I was never told what it was so went in literally blind 😂 I hated every second of it and was so ill afterwards. I was in it for over 45 minutes! I don’t know how I coped but I made myself ill 🤣

I have them all the time so if you struggle there is somethings you can do, diazepam, keep your eyes closed, listen to youtube of mri noises so you know what to expect. Some hospitals not all will let you pick your own music. Do tell the staff ahead of time your fears as they will talk to you more during it.

Never open your eyes.
Practice deep breathing and focus only on that.
Keep telling yourself it's only another 3 minutes, it's fine, you can do it, and picture cheerleaders and their pompoms. And repeat.

I had panic attacks for several weeks afterwards so be prepared in case you do but I hope you don't. I had to stay in for 45 minutes 😩

@Tristar15 this is what I did, they put me in, I freaked a bit they pulled me out to abort but I managed to go back in tilting my head back into the room and I was fine. Weirdly I’d been in mri lots of times with kids as a nurse, they are usually sedated. Gp said I could have sedation if I needed another one

Sedation wore off and I 'came to' mid Gastroscopy completely freaking out and yanked the machine trying to get it out of me, they had to have a whole team hold me down while they tried to extract it. A few minutes later when my brain caught up with reality I felt really stupid.

It happens... A LOT.

Lots of medical procedures are very unnatural and go against every basic survival instinct, its not as easy to override instinct as we all 'think' it will be.

@MammaKel I’ve just had one on my head too. As I was going in I could feel myself panicking as I was going in and was so close to pressing the thing, but I had to really focus on not swallowing (I had to try not to while it was scanning) and it completed distracted me. For me it was the cage over my head that i didn’t like, did it have a mirror in it so you could see the people doing it, it was slightly weird but reassuring I could see them

My GP prescribed 2 Diazepam, I only took one but it helped … and as others have said - never open your eyes!

Even reading that is making me feel anxious.

I had that, it was really traumatic. I thought it must be how you feel when you have a heart attack

This is the trick. Do not open your eyes.

Tip your head back, it means you can see out the top and makes it much easier to manage

It's completely normal, they even have a big pile of ready-made slips to hand to people who chicken out as it's such a common occurrence! I'm the exact same - and I have an bloody annoying condition which means I now need them every year or so 😭 The first operators I had were pretty mean to me, which didn't much help. I now mention that I'm a scaredy-cat and that I've had people be mean and ever since they've always been really kind and patient. Even had one stroke my leg the whole time, which was oddly comforting.

For future reference, get drugs. Your GP or consultant will happily give you a couple of diazepam, they are really used to people panicking. My neurologist asked if I'd had a sibling who'd sat on my head, turns out my brother did exactly that so now I blame him! Second, ask for a large machine - I still can't do the small ones at all, even doped up. Third, they can talk you through it which I find helpful - so they'll tell me when you can wiggle, how long the next scan will last, how many you have left etc. They're horrid, but you can get through it.