Anyone had an MRI scan?

[WickedWitchofWatford]

Got one coming up and I'm claustrophobic - how far away from your face is the ceiling of the scanner?

Erm, it's not great for claustrophobes. Ask if they can put some music on and close your eyes. It is very important to stay still. You're close enugh so that if you sat up you would bang your head... Sorry, that might not be what you wanted to hear.

I am quite claustrophobic and have had several and it wasn't as bad as I feared. They are quite noisy and they put music on the last one.

My only experience is of a lying down scanner. It was close to my face.

The staff will be used to scanning people with claustrophobia and I'd contact the department beforehand. You might be able to get mirror glasses that will allow you to see out of the scanner and you may also be able to get a prescription for tranquilizers. Hypnotherapy might also be helpful if this is going to be really difficult for you. You can also end the scan at any point you choose.

It's very tight in there. Best advice I can give is to close your eyes BEFORE they push you in, and don't open them until they get you out again. I felt extremely uncomfortable and I don't have a big issue with confined spaces. They will give you a panic button to push if it gets too much though. Good luck x

I am a bit claustrophobic too and I was fine! yet I hate lifts??? work that one out....
It is quite close to your head, but the blow cold air towards your head which helps,play music through headphones and talk to you. So don't worry too much x
It is however very noisy like shunting trains and loud faxing noises. Good Luck x

Echo what others said- I also found I got quite hot in there (had a long scan) and also it could get uncomfy do make them pad up your bed with cushions .

I'm very claustrophobic and I've had five,all of my head.
As others have said it's not what we#d choose but they do their best to minimise your distress. I was given cotton wool for my ears (due to the noise) but I found that made my claustrophobia worse so declined.
I only panicked once but as soon as I pressed the buttonthey had me out. I had a couple of breaths and felt able to carry on.
Tranquilisers are an option.

Hi - its not great if you are not good with smaller spaces - but it depends how bad you are and how urgent the scan is.

If you are terrible, and have a "proper panic attack" during the session, I know someone who got sent on the NHS to have a private scan in a "stand up MRI" up london.

Good for them as they were a mess, but not so good as the delays added months on te assessment etc.

If its really that bad, and you can afford up to a few months delay then this may be worth discussing (if you are unable to get through the MRI session).

I had my lower back scanned. It was a very small space. I closed my eyes going in and kept them shut mostly. I did open them a couple of times but the roof of the "tunne" was very close to my face and I closed them swiftly again as I felt a bit uncomfortable - and I am not claustrophobic. It was so loud that I couldn't hear the music that they were playing on the headphones they gave me but could hear the operators voice when he asked me if I was ok and telling me how much longer it would be.

I would definately call them and explain your problem and see what they suggest.

If you really don't think you'll cope ask your GP for some valium. Take two and hour beforehand and ask someone to drive you home.
You may be fine. I only freaked on my third one and have used drugs since then.

I actually had one today! However, it was on my foot so I didn't have to go all the way in. In the info from the hospital, it said to take a cd with you if you wanted, which I did, and that did help a bit. The guy doing the scan was really nice and kept checking that I was ok, it took about half an hour.

Thanks everyone, the valium sounds good, I'll see my GP.

I've had several and can get a bit claustrophobic and panicy. What I do now is ask how long it is likely to take and then work out the number of seconds that will be and keep my eyes shut and really focus on slowly counting, in my head to that number. It really helps me not to panic and as I count slowly it is always over before I get to the end of my counting.

I'm another non-claustrophobic who found the scanner a bit panic-inducing. Have had a few now so have got blasé but if you want to get it over and done with, get some drugs. Having music on headphones and your eyes shut before you go in also helps. If you do panic, they can whizz you out in seconds. It's not dark, which helps.

Ask your GP for Diazepam 2mg, my Mum had some when she went for both her eye ops and she was fine, really relaxed and not stressed out!

I've done quite a few as part of medical research and in these they put an angled mirror just above where my eyes ended up, so that I could see what was on a screen out the other end of the tube - a bit like a periscope. It meant I never felt claustrophobic as it felt like I was looking up to the sky.

Do make sure they get you comfy first, take as long as you need for this stage as once they begin the scan they won't want you to move. There's a button you can press if you want out and they will get you out very quickly. One thing that happened when I did them (but maybe not any more, don't know if they've changed) is that there was a weird 'whump' kind of sound as the magnets moved around, which took a bit of getting used to. They will offer you earplugs or headphones so they can speak to you and let you know how long you've got left.