Posted on 05/30/2017 4:20:35 PM PDT by RushIsMyTeddyBear
“Sounds as if you have a severe psychological problem. I recommend seeking professional advice.”
Why so you say that? You come across as cruel and ignorant.
Full anesthesia works great. I had a head MRI and MRA worked perfectly. Zero memory or side effects!
Most doctors will give you Valium for anxiety/claustrophobia.Apart from that MRIs are just something that have to be endured.
I had trouble with mrE’s. But after a couple of days of going hungry I was able to stuff the stuff down/ ;>)
My father gets claustrophobic in one, and he has to let the tech know that he has a pacemaker.
It doesn’t bother me any since I understand the principle behind it. I read an article on nuclear magnetic resonance (as it was called then) in the Bell Laboratories Record back when I was in high school.
Open MRI's are not high resolution. They are fine for some circumstances but not for circumstances that need high resolution.
Tennis ball against the wall works wonders. Deep tissue massage. Bliss.
“Sounds as if you have a severe psychological problem.”
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And you have severe empathy problems.
.
Sounds like something to avoid. I further recommend avoiding a prostate biopsy and anything inserted into your urethra.
I’ve never had to go through this, but it seems that anything that distracts any of your senses could be helpful. Options for that are limited in an MRI situation, but there are options for the sense of smell. That may be why the lavender helped. The folks who are ‘into’ essential oils say that lavender is very relaxing; I think it’s a lovely scent.
Prayer and meditation can probably help too.
I have a lot of back pain, and bought a TENS machine at the drugstore to try and duplicate the therapy I get at the chiropractor. Even my cheap little gadget works pretty well, and if you want to spring for it, there are many of them out there, widely ranging in price.
Thank you.
It’s the results from the one last week that I am most concerned about. *sigh*
I'd be in my cozy cocoon, nodding off, and then WHAP ! Another alarm.
FFS, who designed in that feature ? And then with the alarm, I've got the Tech checking in constantly......You ok ? You ok ? You ok ?
Can't a jet mechanic crawl into an afterburner to get some zzzz's anymore ? Sheesh
Here is the answer to your prayers. There is a MRI called “UP and OUT”. You set upright in a chair and is open above and in front of you. The sides come in close but do not touch your shoulders, and they place a bar across in front of you so you can rest your arms on it and watch TV or read of whatever. No sweat, you will love it. Don’t know if it’s available in your area, good luck.
Demand to go in feet first. There’s no law of physics that says you must go in head first. As long as you can look up and see the ceiling, you’ll be fine.
I worked on the manufacturing side of MRI for a number of years. You have options with tradeoffs.
Most MRIs are 1.5 Tesla magnetic field or higher the field strength improves resolution as it gets higher. You can ask for an Open MRI which is not the normal cylindrical tube instead it’s 2 magnets pancake shaped above each other. However, due to the shape their field is limited in strength with the most I’m aware of being .7 tesla (I think someone was experimenting with a 1.0, but don’t know if it ever made it to market)
Your approach is something that many patients have done. Music and other things while closing or covering the eyes provide for additional distractions from the claustrophobic feeling by distracting and creating something else to focus on.
Wear clothes that are not too tight and comfortable for YOU. Recommend cotton sweats that are loose, but not too baggy.
Some people like to have a warm blanket, some like one that isn’t warm or no blanket at all. Myself having done a lot or prototype testing as a subject am used to it now, but early on I felt the blankets caused more harm then good. Just remember those magnets are filled with cryogens to keep them cool and working correctly so that room will necessarily be cold if you’re their for any extended time.
Talk with the technician as they are prepping you. They should give you a panic button. Let them know that you realize you only have an allotted time and you’ll only push it if you’re really starting to stress. They CAN pull you out let you relax a bit and put you back in. It does screw with their schedule though so the sooner they know you might have issues the better they can accommodate with some ‘extra’ time on the front/back scheduling to adjust for your needs.
Just some stuff. Hope it helps.
I had an MRI for a shoulder injury about 10 years back from a snowboarding wipeout.
It really hurt and went to an orthopedic surgeon and then sent me to get an MRI. My shoulder was feeling a little better but I thought I should get it anyway. They put me in this shoudler clamp, told me not to move and slid me in for about 10 minutes. Did it twice.
My shoulder began to REALLY hurt after that, especially in bed. Went back to the Dr to get my results and told him the MRI really made things worse. Told me I had a SLAP problem and needed surgery (& six months in a cast) then got mad at me for suggesting the MRI did anything wrong and to wait here. He came back in an hour and told me to leave.
I guess he has been sued for problems from MRI machines before, that’s all I can figure.
My shoulder got better slowly and a year later all problems went away.
One I had was in the older type which was like being stuffed into a culvert. My shoulders actually rubbed against the side. They gave me a valium and told me to drink a glass of wine before. They got me in there and out I came. I drove myself home I was so pumped up.
The last one was in the newer type that had the open sides and much smaller machine. No problem.
Last MRI I took was an open one. Watched an episode of Emeril. Wasn’t unpleasant at all. The one before that was in a closed MRI with a sedative. Had my Pink Floyd in the headphones. I told the technician as long as he doesn’t tell me to stay still I will be ok. Get a minute in and the tech has to take me out. He didn’t plug the collar in. Slides me back in and says “” don’t move.” I lasted another 20 seconds before having to be taken out.
He insisted I take the MRI and I am telling him I can’t lay still and I am claustrophobic to start. I tell him I can lay on my stomach. He tells me that won’t work. Now we are arguing about why you have to lay on your back. I tell him just flip the film over when reading it. He doesn’t buy it.
Claustrophobia is a bear and I feel bad for you people.
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