Does anyone else struggle in the MRI scanner ?

[stoneple]

I have to have regular MRI's, at least once a year.

Sometimes it's a quick brain one of 15 minutes. Other times it's a longer scan. Usually it involves my head so I have to wear the cage thing over my head and headphones.

I find it really difficult. No matter how often I do it, I absolutely hate it.

Today I had a 1 and a half hour scan and really really had to control myself. It was so horrible.

I just start freaking out in there. I close my eyes of course. But yeah I just hate it.

Any suggestions for the next time ?

I've had 2. The first one I kept moving in panic every time the bed slightly moved and they advised me to ask for diazepam if I ever had to have one done again
The 2nd one, I didn't end up asking for diazepam, but I kept my eyes shut, deep breathing, and just tried to relax as much as possible. I got through it fine.
I didn't have to have my head in, though, so not sure how I'd feel about that.
Keeping my eyes shut was probably the most important thing. Also I had come from work so was quite tired, so that also helped!

I recently refused having an MRI due to claustrophobia and hyperacusis. I was even offered it under a general anaesthetic! Still refused as that doesn't avoid the hyperacusis problem.

I can normally just about manage with diazepam and feet first with headphones on.

Last time, they wanted me head first and no headphones. I freaked. Complete hysterical mess. They couldn't do it in the end.

My MSK doctor said there is a machine about 100 miles away that is 'open' and they'll refer me to that.

Have you asked about an open machine, OP?

That's actually my worst fear, that they won't respond when I need them to. Sorry that happened to you. The only thing that keeps me going is when they talk to me while I'm in there. It would be catastrophic for me if they didn't respond to me pushing the button.

@MyOtherCarisAVauxhallZafira

the technicians are always really nice

Always?? How can you say that?? Have you had a scan given by every operator??

I've found scanners within hospitals operated by permanent NHS staff have been generally OK, nothing special.

But those trailer ones in hospital car parks are absolutely awful. The machines themselves seem tighter, and the operators are usually grumpy. The last I had was a huge 25 stone bloke who just grunted and pointed and didn't speak a single word. The woman in the other part of the trailer was a little more normal but no caring skills at all, and just ticked me off a list after asking my name and told me to change into the gown in a tiny curtained area in a corner, then 25 stone hulk appeared and pointed to the scanner room, then pointed at the machine and almost threw the headphones at me. That was it. Afterwards he just pointed at the door once I was out of it.

Ever since then, I've always asked as soon as I got the appointment letter and phoned to change date/place if they had me down for it in the car park trailer! Funnily, when on the phone, one of them once said "yes, we get a lot of people who don't like the trailer". Shame they don't feed it back up the food chain to get something done then!

Had one for almost an hour last week. Another due in august. I just start falling asleep inside now I'm so used to it. Takes a while to practice and learn but mindfulness might help in future

MRI radiographer here! Totally agree they are awful, have been in twice to set up protocols and found it so claustrophobic and have always said if I needed one for a medical reason diazepam all the way!!!
Every patient is different, very few like it, some can't do it at all, some manage with diazepam, breathing or eye masks
Nothing unusual in any of this, none of you are alone!!!
The vans in car parks are def worse
As for buzzer response, we run into the room and get the patient out ASAP
Difficult experience for most people for sure but the images are invaluable towards a diagnosis so try and stick with it!

My DD has MS so has a couple head and spine ones every year. She's fine with it. I think you can have music on? Maybe not the temporary trailer ones. She's had both and hasn't stated a preference. She's young (diagnosed at 17, and had her first scan at 13) so used to it. Small price to pay for monitoring her condition.

As pp’s have said, you are not alone! I’ve had two MRI scans. The first time I was put in feet first and although it was still claustrophobic, I could swivel my eyes upwards and see the ceiling which somehow made me feel a little better. Even so, I was really struggling by the end of a 40 minute scan and spent the time recalling the plot of Frankenstein and counting down the minutes in seconds. I only just managed not to press the emergency button. The second scan was at a different hospital and I was put in head first and that was far worse and I spent a lot of the time planning how to get myself out if the fire alarm went off and the staff abandoned me! CT scans are so much easier on the patient.

I'm not a fan. I close my eyes and try to imagine I'm somewhere else. Last time I thought I would do a bit of deep breathing. Then this disembodied voice said please stop breathing so energetically. You are vibrating. Finally, thirty years of yoga, and I finally manage some clever yogi stuff.

I kind of hypnotise myself, firstly I focus on the music, then just breathe in and out really fully and slowly. Shut my eyes and after a while I'm almost asleep! I guess maybe I'm lucky.
I'm usually very anxious. The first one I had was a brain one, and then I think for my legs? I've never had one for an hour plus though! I'm not surprised it started to get uncomfortable.
I hope you can get some benzos.

I have one or two per year and try to just breath and zone out. Sometimes I recite songs in my head, but imagine I'm somewhere lovely like a beach.

I've had many and still need at least one every year.

I used to be fine with them but several years ago I started getting panicky. My GP prescribed a few diazepam that worked well. I even fell asleep for a contrast.

However, I now take a drug that can't be taken with diazepam so I just have to distract myself. It doesn't work that well but I've not run screaming from the room yet.

My last one I had in the children’s unit as it was the one that was free, headphones on, those mirrored glasses and they had a tv on the back wall and I just laid there watching an episode of Friends at 8pm on a Sunday evening. Might be an idea to see if your hospital has something similar and try get in the children’s one as it was a fabulous distraction

Genuinely shocked to hear there are GPs who still prescribe diazepam for this indication. This is a complete no-no, the doses of diazepam that would cause enough sedation to tolerate a scan require monitoring of breathing/heart rate/blood pressure before, during, and after the scan, which the radiology department won’t be able to offer unless you are specifically on a sedation list. There is clear guidelines from the Royal college of radiologists that state that if sedation is needed that is the responsibility of the radiology department, who will be able to monitor you. Your GP telling you to take a few diazepams an hour before the scan is unsafe and also may be beyond useless. What if the scan gets delayed? What if you happen to be one of the people who responds with agitation rather than relaxation to diazepam? Not to mention some people can remain sedated for much longer because they are sensitive to it and are not safe to leave the department alone.

If you fee you need sedation to make it through a scan you are not alone. It is common enough that the Royal College of radiologists mandates all radiology departments to have sedation procedures in place. Please speak to the radiology department, you should offer you an assessment, and if appropriate, sedation can be administered, incremented, and monitored safely. Some departments will try to shift this responsibility to primary care because they have been used to GPs taking this off them. For your own safety, GPs need to be kept out of this, they didn’t request the scans, they won’t be there on the day of the scan, and are neither sedation nor scan experts.

Some departments also have ‘open’ MRI scanners that are less claustrophobic so worth asking about those as well.

I really feel for you OP, and anyone else who has to have these regularly.

I'm grateful that I've never had to have one. I 'm claustrophobic and even the thought makes me want to hyperventilate.

I'm glad I actually read this thread though, to learn that there may be possibility of a more open scanner, that's useful to know.

I’ve had a few and not been to bad. I just close my eyes and think of other things. If they say its 30 minutes, then I count each song (assume one song lasts three minutes). Also, the clunks and clangs I pretend sre roadworks outside the ward.

Dh couldn't do standard mri and got referred to open one in London.

May have to have head one. Didn’t know about the cages. Not liking the looking that!

"NCObv" what utter nonsense 🤣🤣🤣🤣

@Wishyouwerehere30 here is the link to the royal college of radiologists guidance that clearly states radiology departments should take responsibility for sedation

https://www.rcr.ac.uk/our-services/all-our-publications/clinical-radiology-publications/sedation-analgesia-and-anaesthesia-in-the-radiology-department-second-edition/

Here is one example (of several) statements by GPs clearly stating it is inappropriate for them to prescribe diazepam for MRIs:

www.htmc.co.uk/we-do-not-prescribe-sedatives-for-patients-undergoing-radiological-procedures-eg-ct-scans-or-mri-scans/#:~:text=Patients%20often%20ask%20if%20we,to%20prescribe%20sedatives%20for%20patients.

And here is one (of several) primary care guidelines, citing one case of a patient who had a respiratory arrest after sedation was prescribed by the GP rather than radiology for a scan, advising GPs to decline requests for sedation for imaging:

www.lincslmc.co.uk/performance-matters-radiology-sedation/

@Wishyouwerehere30 obviously you are absolutely entitled to feel my post was, as you put it, ‘utter nonsense’, but as so many people have posted to say they have been given diazepam by primary care for scans, for the sake of everyone reading I am responding not with my opinion but with guidelines published by the relevant professional bodies.

The first one I had was OK. The second one I was more anxious, and the third one, I totally freaked, screaming 'get me out of here, get me out!' They got me out as quickly as possible, and gave me a few minutes to calm down, at which point the Consultant came in to see what exactly it was that was bothering me. I'd gone in head first for a back scan, and I had freaked out because I seemed so far into the machine, it had made me claustrophobic. So he asked if it would be better if I went in feet first, which I said I thought would help, and then he came up with the idea of using an eye mask - it was perfect, because even if I opened my eyes behind the mask, I couldn't see where I was, so I just kept them shut, and was much more relaxed. So for anyone who the tablets don't work for, I'd highly recommend taking a sleep mask with you, and wearing that, as long as it doesn't interfere with what you're having done of course.

@NCObv I think you'll find the RCR guidelines relate to Interventional Radiology procedures rather than cross sectional
Maybe read section 14 which refers to claustrophobia in MRI
This is very common practice

Also @NCObv, 2 random GP practices are hardly 'guidelines from professional bodies'
And besides why wouldn't you want to help patients in distress???

@Wishyouwerehere30 I am not a GP. I absolutely would not want any doctor to prescribe beyond their area of expertise. That’s not helping the patient. The hospital team who will be in the building during the actual scan is best placed to help the patient.

The guideline is not from a single surgery. It’s from the negotiating committee that agrees responsibility between primary and secondary care.

Nowhere in section 14 does it say that the light sedation required for cross sectional imaging should be prescribed from primary care. In fact it clearly states at the start of the document that radiologists should assume responsibility for all sedation needs in their department. This used to be very common practice to come from GPs but no longer is (or judging from this thread, no longer should be). And for good reason. Patients have come to real harm from this.

Here is yet another guidance from one of my local trusts clearly stating both their primary and secondary care services have agreed together MRI diazepam should be provided from the hospital not the GPs.

https://buckshealthservices.co.uk/southmead-surgery/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/MRI-diazepam-policy.docx

I’m stepping away from this thread now as it is clear you hold your own immovable views. But for the sake of everyone else reading, while once it was widespread for GPs to prescribed diazepam for MRIs (and all sort of other things like fear of flying) that is absolutely not considered safe anymore.

Of course some GPs are continuing to prescribe in these circumstances either because they are not caught up with more current guidance or just because they have always done it that way - that doesn’t make it right. Obviously if the patient has a complication, that doctor will be accountable for their decisions.

Anyway back to the thread; hope everyone copes okay with their upcoming MRI scans and has a good experience within their radiology departments x