MRI -help!

[Fireworknight]

I’m having an MRi on my head next week, and am feeling scared. I’ve had them before on different parts of my body, but this one could be an hour plus long! I keep worrying about silly things - what if I need a wee? Will there be enough oxygen in there? And how will I be able to lay still for hour in one position?

(Pedants - why did I automatically write ‘an’ MRI , and not ‘a’?)

Mine took about forty minutes. Close your eyes and practice breathing, you may even nod off.

Sedatives taken at the right times and the right dose work. Get a script for one or two to be taken before you go in the machine. Ask if it's ok to take them, but I doubt there will be a problem as many have to use them to get through the ordeal.

That's the only tip I can give you. I had to have one, and with claustrophobia I just said to the doc, look I either get something to get me through this or I will try and won't succeed/need to escape stat, or indeed I might not go at all! They gave me the stuff no problem and I sailed through the experience. It wasn't pleasant but I didn't care!

As for your grammar/spelling, that's the least of your worries, and honestly if you had written "A" MRI it would read and sound ridiculous. Some words don't need to be so precise, this is one of them.

Contacted the gp about getting diazepam. They wouldn’t give it to me, and said it’s up to the consultant to provide it.

I’ve had a head and neck MRI recently. What I would say is practice a relaxation in advance (like find an audio relaxation or hypnotherapy track and listen to it 2-3 times between now and then), then take yourself in your mind through the relaxation when you’re in there. Close your eyes before they put you in and keep them closed. Don’t open them inside.

It’s not a closed box. You won’t run out of air as lots can move through. You can wee beforehand. It very likely will not take over an hour. I had one with and without contrast and the whole thing took only 40 minutes and that’s even with 10 minutes it took for them to ring my consultant in the middle because they had a question before they gave me the contrast. I was nearly asleep by the time they brought me out.

i was really nervous too, but now having done it, it was really okay. But the relaxation and the keeping eyes closed was really key.

Well, did you try the consultant's secretary to see if you can get the meds? They see this type of thing all the time, and it's in their interests to get the job done on the day. Please ask anyway. I told them that if I didn't get something I'd jump out of the machine (in a lighthearted way). They know this actually happens.

That’s very reassuring. It sounds similar to what I’m having.

Don't tell them if you take a sedative as they might not scan you - as the protocol is you have to be monitored . Tell them you're nervous - you could always bring someone with you to stay in the room with you and hold your foot/ reassure you.
Ask if you can bring a CD or have the radio on.

Hello! I’ve NCd for this but I’ve had one about 5 years ago.

I can honestly say that it was far more relaxing than I expected. I was having a really busy period and I ended up nearly falling asleep. You could maybe chat to them more but from memory it wasn’t like my head was at the end of a tunnel but more like a big circle / loop around my head. It was a while ago though so my memory is hazy. It was weird but not scary.

Not to say that if you get claustrophobia it isn’t worth discussing this with the team as per pps suggestions

good luck op

They put my head in a cage so I couldn’t move it when I had a head MRI. Have a wee beforehand.

Be really upfront about your concerns with the scanning team. I was petrified and needed someone speaking to me regularly through the intercom to get me through, they were happy to do that...

I've has a number of procedures over the years, mri, ct, pet scans, procedures that have gone from uncomfortable to down right painful.

I developed a coping mechanism where I took myself, in my mind,to a place that was peaceful and calm. It is a real place that I'd been to. I'd usually need a couple of seconds to take my mind there and I'd stay there for the duration of the procedure.

a nurse told me it might be best to tell other hcp what I was doing, as she found it quite unnerving.

it sounds odd, but it worked for me. It's still my happy place when I need it.😁

I wouldn't get sedation. It's noisy so if you know to expect sort of jerky noises a bit like basic electronic music you can just ignore it. Go to the loo directly before you go in. Relax and know you are in a safe space with hcp there.

Because it's pronounced em r i !! Love the fact you didn't use 'a' before a vowel/vowel sound. I don't understand why people say 'a apple' a elephant, etc, as it's so much hatder to say than 'an apple'!

Plentry of oxygen in the mri room. It's just so much bangier and clangier than you expect! Even taking in your own music for them to play through headphones is pointless because you can't hear it!
They do to you regularly and check you are ok. Don't drink for 2 hours before, pee as often as you can before you go in
As for lying still, just think of your happy place, not life admin!

I had a head MRI a few months ago. I was really surprised how panicked I was when they put the cage thing on my head and moved me inside the machine. I kept my eyes tightly closed (don't open them under any circumstances) and was trying to slow my breathing and relax but really thought I wasn't going to be able to cope when suddenly they started playing music through my headphones - it immediately calmed me! They had previously asked me what kind of music I liked and I'd said 60s music. Honestly, once the music was playing I was fine.

I know that won't necessarily work for everyone but it's worth considering if you enjoy music

@ClytemnestraWasMisunderstood I know for vowels (and ‘h’) you have to say ‘an’ rather then ‘a’, which is why I was surprised when I wrote ‘an’ for a non-vowel word.

I've had five head CT scans in total and they really aren't that bad. I was given the option of providing my own CD for the first couple of scans a few years ago, and the two I had this summer, the nurse who got me ready for the scan offered to play music, but what they were offering was so awful I declined. My main problem was lying flat on my back because I had just had back surgery and I had to be helped to lie down a d sit up like an old biddy. But both times I fell asleep for most of the scan and didn't wake up until I was coming out of the scanner again .

My last one took an hour, my head was in a cage which I thought would be awful but it was actually ok. Don't forget they use a fan to blow air over you, so actually it doesn't feel that claustrophobic.
Close your eyes and do breathing exercises to stay calm - practice doing them between now and your MRI. (Breath in for a count of 3, hold for a count of 3, breath out for a count of 3, count to 3. Repeat.)

Because the letter M is pronounced starting with a vowel. There's an "e" sound at the start of M ("Em") 🙂

Please don’t worry - I have the worst claustrophobia - can’t go in lifts etc and i did it ! I was so desperate to know what was going on with my headaches I was prepared to to do anything to find out! I listened to music and the person who was doing the scan kept telling me how long I had got and that i was doing really well so reassuring me! You will be fine !

There's plenty of air circulating. No one should be willy nilly prescribing or taking any sedative drugs or especially then lying about doing so.

the team doing it will be professional and sympathetic and you'll manage much better than you think, honestly! If you cough or sneeze or move a bit etc they'll cope

I was given headphones, a choice from a selection of CDs and a button to press if I felt unwell. They also were very reassuring and checked whether I needed a break halfway through.

Tell the team that you are nervous and they will more than likely really help to put you at ease.

I would just add to all the good advice above, ask the hcp to talk you through the scan. They can say 'We're doing 5 scans. Scan 1 will be around 5 minutes.' Then 'ok scan 2 will be 3 minutes.' I find that really helps me get through it.

I had my regular brain MRI today. It wasn't fun, in the way very few medical examinations could be described as fun, but I got through it and you will too ❤️

Close your eyes - this helped me this time! - and think of something that takes a lot of focus. I tried to remember a poem I'd read a few months ago, and kept going over it in my head to try and get the words right. It made the time pass quicker.

If you need a wee (or just generally have a panic) you can press the button and they'll bring you out and speak to you before you go back in. In my first one, my head went "what if the rapture happened while you were in an MRI and the MRI technician was raptured?", so then I panicked about that for a bit, pressed the button and said "I just had to make sure the apocalypse didn't happen while I was in there" 🙈😅 so yes, press the button at any point if you need it!

It's the only medical thing I've actually enjoyed! Much nicer than any other MRI or CT. The sounds sort of spiral around, blissful.

Relax, you can stop it any time.

I know mn-etters like an update.

MRI has now been completed - 1 1/2 hours without music or any medication, head first. It is possible!

The reason I couldn’t have music was because the headphones wouldn’t fit in the head frame (I think). I only found out seconds before I entered it, which did cause momentarily panic.

A big Thank You to everyone who posted on this thread. It did help, and I thought of the thread when I was there.

The doctors wouldn't give me meds, and said it was up to the consultant. Didn’t get around to contacting him.

I looked up the Calm app, and found a breathing exercise which helped when I did have moments of nervousness, mainly at the beginning, and during the louder noises.

A tip for anyone reading this. Close your eyes before entering, then you could be anywhere.

Without music, I found myself listening to the clanking, bangs, knocking, tapping sounds etc, and trying to work out what was causing them - roadworks, space invader video games, woodpeckers etc Or I counted the series of beeps. Sounds silly, but worked for me, and kept me distracted. I also thought about the lovely mug of hot chocolate and cake I was going to have afterwards in a local cafe.

Overall, it wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t too uncomfortable. I had a blanket which was nice as it was a little chilly. For most of it, I felt quite relaxed, and actually got bored towards the end.

Sorry this is so long. Hopefully it’s will help someone else, as you lot have helped me. So once again, thank you everyone.