If you are claustrophobic - how you handle an MRI?

[Gastropod]

Just had an MRI - not my first but definitely the worst. I'm guessing I'm claustrophobic - maybe there's a more specialised term, but in general I hate being anywhere with no escape route, low ceilings, restricted space to move, having my face covered.

Was for the hip so had to lie with my legs tied together, facemask on, immobile for about 25 minutes, and it was absolute hell! My rational brain was telling me it was fine, but the panic button was definitely pressed in my head and it took every bit of inner strength I had not to start yelling at them to let me out!

Unfortunately, I have to go back for another one next week and I'm really quite concerned I'm going to have a full blown panic when I get there.

Surely lots of other people feel this way, and MRIs are a common enough thing so... what are your tips? I'm not an anxious person generally, pretty cool about most medical procedures but this just has me shuddering at the thought of going back!

I had one last year and had to come out initially as I was freaked out but the radiographer was just lovely reassured me that it’s common and I could be sedated if I came back. However I opted to try again and tipped my head back so I could see in the room and that helped and just breathing but was still terrified but just got through it but can totally see how people don’t it’s quite a scary feeling. Hopefully open ones become the norm as they are replaced.

If you wear glasses for short sightedness don't use the mirror! The new scanner at our NHS hospital has this with a supposedly relaxing video reflecting into it of birds and flowers but I couldn't see it properly so it all did was make me squint and come out with an even worse headache that the one I got from the banging of the scanner for 40 minutes!! The first one I had was the worst as I didn't realise they were going to put a cage thing over head and I am REALLY bad at keeping still!

That is a lot isn't it - must be a frustrating job to be in charge of an MRI machine!!!

I thought I would lose my mind while doing it. It was one of the worst experience. I know many people hate the noises, but in my case the noises kept me sane and the silence was unbearable.
Next time I will take a diazepam beforehand and concentrate on the noises again!

When I had an mri on my hips I mentioned I was claustrophobic so they organised my appointment so I could go on the “sandwich” MRI rather than the polo one. Felt much more open and I was more relaxed. Could see all around me

MRI rad here.
I'd say overall it's important for you to try and have the best experience you can, as you will end up with better/more diagnostic images, and you will be less worried about it next time (not that I would wish it on you again but MRI's are a very common diagnostic tool these days). The more negative experiences you have, the more it can snowball into a real problem for you.

1. I'm not sure why you had a mask on for pelvis, did you request that? I may be wrong as I can't account for all the different scanners/techniques but it's very unusual for that to be a requirement for imaging that area. So if you don't like it ask if you can remove it.
2. Always tell the radiographer that you are claustrophobic. If you put a brave face on and try to style it out the radiographer may presume that you are fine with it all and just crack on without offering you any adaptations.

There are lots of little things you/the radiographer can do to help.

1. Definitely ask to go feet first if possible.
2. Ask for the pillow to be replaced by a smaller pad or nothing at all, so that you can tilt your head back and see into the room.
3. Be aware that you are able to escape at will, although your feet are strapped in position, and usually there is some equipment strapped over your pelvis, you are not physically restrained. This is an important thing to know- you are in control of the situation and can stop it at any time. Knowing this can help immensely.
4. Sometimes it can be helpful to have your arms above your head, out of the scanner. This can reduce the feeling that you are 'pinned in'
5. Ask the radiographer if they would give you regular updates of how much time is left, it can again be useful psychologically to count down in your head
6. Ask for music if it's available. Relating to 7, you can use the songs as a time marker as well as distraction.
7. Try to take your mind off what's happening by getting onto a different train of thought. Think about what gifts you will get people for Christmas, what you plan to have for dinner each day next week and what ingredients you need etc.etc.

10. Ask the radiographer if there's anything else they recommend for claustro patients, they may have something locally I'm not familiar with. 11. Ask the radiographer if you can have a close friend or relative accompany you into the scan room. This should be possible as long as the person doesn't have any contraindications on the safety form (pacemaker etc.). You may have to insist/beg/plead for this one as it's not popular amongst most rads, but it is used frequently in the most severe cases, especially when sedation has been used. 12. If all else fails, ask your GP for light sedation ie diazepam or similar. In my experience it works, 99 out of 100 times. It doesn't make you feel drunk or woozy, it just takes the edge off and dials down the panic. 13. I don't encourage this but 🙈 If your doc won't prescribe sedation (they will in almost all cases so do ask)- I have scanned people in the past who have invested in some 'Dutch courage'. It does work in a similar way. You definitely don't need much and shouldn't take it to the point of woozyness! If you do this or take sedation, PLEASE DON'T DRIVE. Get a relative to bring you.

Hope this helps, good luck! You'll be fine I'm sure 💐

DD has sensory issues and doesn't like loud noise. I told the doctor that there was no way she would cope with an MRI but they said it was worth a try. Even though they let me go in with her she freaked out as it's so noisy
They had to reschedule and knocked her out for it.

I feel fairly confident in saying that there are no longer any MRI scanners enclosed at the end. I remember seeing one about thirty years ago, never seen one since.

I'm claustrophobic and require regular MRI's, a lovely combo.

Small things that help - asking them for the mirrored glasses that reflect your field of vision back into the room, it tricks your brain into thinking you're not confined.

Asking the attendant to check in with you every 5 or 10 minutes with a time update. I find this so helpful otherwise my panicked brain starts to believe we've been left in there or will b there 'forever' as you lose sense of time.

Asking them for the headphones that I've never not been offered tbf, they can put on any radio station you prefer. Even I the music is awful I try to 'sing along' in my head. A song is a few minutes so if you can engage in that method it goes much quicker.

Diazepam if you're really distressed.

Not rushing at the beginning and asking them to give you a moment otherwise it's all very rushed and you're in there. Last time I got bundled in very quickly, asked to be pulled out. Took a few moments to compose myself and then asked to be slowly put back in.

I do them medication free these days and have sort of acclimated to it. It doesn't get any easier as such but the mantra that it will end soon and I'll be on my way, like all the other times, does help.

I have fairly regular MRIs and am claustrophobic. I've found the single most helpful thing for me is to wear an eye mask. Then even if I open my eyes to look, I can't. It helps me so much !

Sorry I forgot, I've seen good results from relaxation hypnotherapy too. They can teach you how to put yourself in a hypnotised state. That would usually have to be pursued privately though.
Also there are more modern scanners called wide bore which are a step in between the old style thin tubes and the 'sandwich' or 'open' style. I've worked on them frequently and patients are always pleasantly surprised at their own lack of claustrophobic reactions and tolerance rises dramatically, even though they are just a bit wider and shorter tube. You can ask the radiographer about this too, some trusts will have more than one MRI scanner and often their more recent installations will be the wide bore style as they are gaining lots of popularity now. Give the radiology department a call in advance of your appointment and just tell them you're worried and ask what their options are.

I lasted 6 seconds. The panic attack went on for hours afterwards. My doctor decided I just didn’t need the mri that badly after all. The open mri wouldn’t likely help. The immobilization cage pieces are the big problem.

I kept my eyes shut, focused on my breathing as much as possible so it didn't escalate to a full panic attack and tried to imagine I was somewhere else.

My daughter went in feet first on her stomach for a heart MRI after she hated it the normal way. Worked for her thankfully!

Sorry should have said as she could then see the scanner people and the rest of the room she felt so much calmer. Hope you find something that works for you.

@Cutemob has detailed it all beautifully (MRI radiographer here too). Nothing much to add except to say check with the staff of the unit you are attending (not the GP) before you take any form of tranquillisers prior to the scan. Different units have different protocols as to what medication they allow and you don’t want to be turned away.

When OP said they had to wear a mask I don’t know if they meant a surgical type mask?

Absolute nonsense in my experience, don’t think they can have been very good at their job!

@Cutemob and @MrsFezziwig thank you so much for sharing your expertise - it's very useful to see that I have options, more than I realised.

Re. the mask I did, indeed, mean a surgical type mask due to Covid restrictions in hospitals here. Never had any problem with mask wearing but there was something about feeling trapped and having the mask over my face that just made it all feel worse!

I really don't like having my eyes and mouth/nose covered by anything so I think wearing an eyemask would send me over the edge. Once somebody bought me a voucher for a lovely facial/body treatment at a spa, where they wrapped me up tight in some heated blanket thingy, put a mask/towel thing over my entire face, switched off the lights and left. It was meant to be wonderfully relaxing but I was a nervous, twitching wreck by the time the therapist came back!

I think the key thing I should do is tell the radiographer next time. Just knowing that they know I might be freaking out will help, I think. I should be able to have somebody come in with me too, so I might go for that as well. And tipping head back to see out sounds like a good plan.

Thanks again to everybody, it helps to know I'm far from the only one!

Next time speak to the radiographers first and tell them how you are feeling. They can play music for you and will check in with you more often as the scan progresses. I know what you mean though, it is such a weird place to be and once you start thinking that way it's bloody awful.

When OP said they had to wear a mask I don’t know if they meant a surgical type mask?
@MrsFezziwig
Aah I don't know why that didn't occur to me, I would definitely hope OP would be allowed to take it off for a scan if that's the case, especially as a claustrophobic patient. We haven't been using them for ages and I did think they were voluntary only in all settings private and NHS by now.

Should have read the full thread. What cutemob said

Sorry OP just read your update wasn't thinking outside the UK 🙃

Just reading this thread makes me panic! I couldn't go through with an MRI, the feeling g of claustrophobia was unbearable.

I had the misfortune to do my one & only MRI on a day when I can only assume the department got some very bad news (It's either that or they actively hate all their patients). Honestly, the atmosphere was so depressed & hostile that I thought that it wouldn't surprise me if they'd just been told a colleague had been killed in a car accident. I can't account for it any other way.

So when, after what felt like forever being ignored, glared at & not informed what would happen, I was finally put into the machine, I freaked out & couldn't do it.

It's such a shame because I think with a bit of gentle, patient-focussed handling I would've been fine. Well, not happy exactly but stoical. I'd already been complimented a few times for the way I dealt with traumatic procedures which made other patients break down, so it's not that I'm a wimp.

A later traumatic procedure worried me so much in advance that I got tranquilisers from the GP for the first time ever. That really did help.

I had an operation very recently; my room was pretty close to the MRI scanning room. I used the button thingy to adjust the angle of my bed and a really loud alarm started blaring out; I thought I'd broken something!

A nurse came in to take my blood pressure & told me there was a medical emergency in the scanning room. She said it wasn't uncommon for patients to self-medicate (due to being anxious about having the MRI), then get additional medication from the radiographer without saying what they'd already taken.

I asked the nurse what she meant by 'not uncommon' and she said 2-3 times a week!

If you tell the radiographer how anxious you are, I'm sure they will do everything they can to make you feel as comfortable as possible. But please let them know if you've already* *taken any medication or alcohol.