Posted on 05/30/2017 4:20:35 PM PDT by RushIsMyTeddyBear
Magnets produce radiation?
Coming up on the third MRI in two days the doc gave me a shot of Lorazepam (Ativan)....and I actually enjoyed it...Star Trek fantasies ensued.
I am very claustrophobic. I even have difficulty with open MRIs. I had to do Xanax last time I did an open one and barely managed that.
“the closed ones are being phased out for just that reason.”
Yes and no. Many locations are getting opens as an alternative but the resolution is not as good just due to the physics of the operation. In fact the highest I’m aware of are some 10, 11, and 13 Tesla units with very small cylinders for research. They have to move the patients into the bore very slowly as the charged iron in the patient’s blood is more sensitive to the field and will cause them to pass out if moved through the magnetic field into the bore too quickly. Often they will go feet first in those cases, but if you’re researching the brain that won’t help.
Believe it or not, I love MRIs. Best 30 minutes of sleep ever.This.
Unfortunately, I was never able to fall completely asleep. They were always focusing on my abdominal area so I was constantly having to hold my breath.
I did doze off a lot, though.
Wet a washcloth and put a few REAL lavender drops on it. Place it on your eyes so you can’t see anything and inhale. It’s sooooo soporific and blocks your vision. Really helped me.
A few years ago, I had to have a brain MRI to see if I had a tumor causing double vision. I did not get anything the first time and it had to be stopped. I can not take enclosed tight spaces. The second time, I was given a Valium and it went ok. I do not want to have another one unless it is in an open one. After the second one, the tech told me he did not find anything. I laughed and he said, “wrong, that is.” Good luck. God bless.
That’s awesome.
Don’t know, mine was just denied by the insurance co.
XD
Didn’t know I was claustrophobic until I had my shoulder MRId. Felt like I was in a torpedo tube. If I wasn’t able to see some light when I looked down, I would have crawled right out of there. 45 long minutes and noisy as heck.
I close my eyes and plan a project at home.
For example, how am I going to landscape the yard, or put in a garden, or add an HD TV antenna to the attic. I go into very detailed steps. For example, if the plan calls for digging up something, I go through the visualization of which shovel, does it need to be sharpened, etc
Same!
That’s what gets me the most.
Ativan works very well for anxiety. Like any benzodiazepine, it’s addictive. I averaged 1.5 mg per day for about 3 years, and quit last July. It was not a pleasant experience. I thought it was a low dosage, but it seems that lorazepam per unit of mass is about 10 times more potent than other benzos. Works great in a pinch, but I recommend not taking it regularly
I’m sorry you have such issues with them.
I happen to fall asleep in MRIs unless they have some uncomfortable contraption they are using like the last one I had for my foot. If I get to just lay there, I have no issues. Most people have to be sedated if they have issues like claustrophobia. No shame in that.
Never know I had it until last week with the first go. Then started researching.
Heh!
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