Tips for mri

[Coffeecupcreme]

Any tips for coping with MRI scans for someone who is very claustrophobic?
thanks

I’ve recently had a breast mri. I was face down, like a massage table which I think helped. Breath work got me through it.

Tell the staff. It’s very very normal to feel claustrophobic. There are some mri machines that are more open than others. Some are shaped more like a donut than a tunnel but they might be rare. I don’t know.

My main advice is to keep,your eyes closed the whole time. Don’t even take a teeny peek. Maybe wear an eye mask if that’s allowed. Close your ayes as soon as you are lying down then keep thinking of open airy spaces.

Is it whole body? It maybe that only part of you is going in? I dreaded mine, was in there for 45 minutes, kept my eyes closed, breathing exercises, make sure your out breath is longer than your in breath to calm you but practice for a few days before you go in. I hope it goes on for you.

Make sure they put your headphones on. They forgot mine on my last scan and it was so loud I almost pressed the buzzer to come out.

some have a mirror they can put above you to show calming images reflected from a TV behind the scanning machine - really helps to not feel so enclosed

I think the 'donut' shaped machines are for CT scans rather than MRI scans. As others have said, depending on what part of you they are scanning your head may be out of the machine which isn't so bad. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine I was someplace nice away from hospital. The main thing that disturbed me was all the really weird noises coming from the machine - like some bizarre avante garde electronics group !

@Coffeecupcreme , exactly the above. They played music during mine which was pretty dire but distracting in its awfulness. I was never in the machine for long and kept my eyes clamped shut then they bought me out and I opened them until they put me in again. I was very worried before I went in but it honestly was not anything like as awful as I’d expected.

Aside from making sure you don’t have a hairband in, as any lump is excruciating after 40 minutes or whatever, I would suggest you close your eyes and try and sleep. Choose classical music as it’s the most relaxing option.

I hate having music, because there was no choice on the first one I ever had and they played frosty the snowman on repeat. Several MRIs later, don't drop the buzzer, breath eyes closed and go somewhere else in your head. Sometimes I walk along a familiar route, sometimes I recite songs or things in my head. If it's your first, it is very loud even with ear plugs and headphones on. If you speak to the staff, they will keep speaking to you and warn you when it's going off.

Ask your gp for a small amount of diazepam. It takes the edge off if you are claustrophobic.

Need this advice too. Mine is of the head and is on Tuesday.

I am very worried. Ordered an eye mask. Its for sudden hearing loss so not sure headphones available.

Mine is for my head.
I’ve had previous face down breast scans which were awful.
Thank you for all the helpful tips.

I’ve had three with the head cage on. Close your eyes at your first opportunity, don’t look at the machine and do not open them until you are getting up from the bed.

I had a ct scan last week. That was fine. The dye was weird but didnt feel scared.

I had a PET scan which took about 45 minutes. I took my brain elsewhere, somewhere I really loved and was relaxed in.

Because I'd previously had a lymph node removal under one arm, it was painful to lie without moving with both arms above my head. But I did it.

Towards the end tears were rolling down my face. But I knew that, like all things (good and bad) this too would pass.

I did it, like you will, because it has to be done.

I close my eyes as soon as I'm lying down. And then don't open them until it's finished. The other end is open and there's air conditioning. I usually cope fine that way.

@Coffeecupcreme I've had a few of my head for brain + ENT reasons and am VERY claustrophobic. Also had abdo and various others so v used to MRI machines!

head scans don't take as long as other body parts but you genuinely loose all track of time when your in there anyway. I would say it's akin to the dentist in that your hyped up and v anxious but you get through it.

My tips would be:

• practice 'box breathing' this has saved me many times
• let them know your shitting your pants. They can tell you how long each sequence of the scan is (it's not one long continuous scan, they take a series of separate images) so you can count in your head. You do stay in the scanner for the whole time though. Distracting but also you know roundabout how long it's going to be noisy for. I had one scan where I came out a few times for breaks and then went in for separate sequences, it's not ideal as they essentially line you up inside the machine so your position may be slightly different but it can be done.
• they will put a clip in open cover thing over your head which may go over your face, this enhances the images. I tried but I couldn't manage this as it was just too claustrophobic but they just took it off and imaged anyway with v good resulting images.
• newer machines are much less noisy but older ones it can be like sensory overload so just mentally note that there may be more noise than you expected.

-although a tube it is open both ends. I do a combination of eyes closed and if I feel jittery I actually open my eyes and look down towards my feet where the tube is open, I can see the room etc and this helps alot, makes me focus on the fact I'm not trapped in and if I needed/wanted to I could literally just shimmy out at any point.

With these adjustments it's definitely doable. Alot of people are really anxious so staff are very used to it!

Fucking hell, frosty the snowman on repeat sounds like the stuff of nightmares!

The day after I had my mri, I read an article saying that that you should eat certain foods before/after an mri. I had eaten all of them.
www.independent.co.uk/health-and-wellbeing/mri-scan-chemical-injection-oxalic-acid-gadolinium-b2737760.html

I’ve had two. One on head, the other on abdomen. The technician told me that the middle section of the machine is where the part of your body requiring the scan needs to be.
Think of an American Football helmet grill as that best describes the ‘cage’ that has been referred to. You lie down, they clip the grill in place and you are slowly moved into the tunnel. There is an opening at the bottom.

As soon as you go into the machine, simply close your eyes and view it as a chance to have a rest. I didn’t have any earphones and I was worried about nodding off and ruining the images. The noises are clunky and mechanical, but really nothing to be frightened of.

I spent my time thinking about the beach, some food I needed to pick up, whether my year 9s were behaving and how much the machine cost.

Don’t overthink this one; it doesn’t hurt and is over before you know it.

I’ve had a few head ones and I found it helpful to have my hands down by my side, I could feel the outside of the machine so that made it easier. I also asked for a few mins before they they started so I could get used to my surroundings.

This is what I do never open my eyes

Words
Make sure the eye mask hasn't got any metal in it or you won't be allowed to wear it.

Use a eye mask (wear them outside the room and get them to lead you in), ear plugs (one I had last week had none and no music) and 2mg of diazepam.

I've had about 15 in the last two years. I did the above and it worked for me... im now no long scared of them and can go in them with nothing !

Ct scans are much much quicker than MRI scans though, and the machines are far more open.

I'm another one who closes their eyes . I think of things to day dream about - holidays, running through film/book sequences. And controlled breathing. Last time I pretended I was in Dr Who episode (incorporated the weird noises to full effect!)