Embarrassing mri stories update on mine

[Wendy1985]

Mine was Friday towards the end I had a full blown anxiety attack combo of it taking place in a truck and them placing for lack of better words putting a cage ver my face at one point they had to stop it make sure I was okay it was almost like I forgot how to breathe normally mris are second nature but this one felt different the space felt tighter then usual

eta that it took place in a hospital I had to do some fast talking not to be escorted to the ER

 

[Her Dotness]

I found the noises so spooky that I closed my eyes and did yogic deep breathing to try to tune out what sounded like a machine gun.

The tech kept asking repeatedly was I okay.

I guess appearing corpse-like wasn't normal behavior in an MRI machine?

Really annoyed me to have to keep my eyes open and act like I was wide awake, enjoying it all.

 

[neverlandsky]

Was scolded because I ended up singing along to the music they gave me.

 

[Disney.Dreamin.Dee]

Not really embarrassing but I had an MRI after falling (ended up having a torn rotator cuff) and I had my fingers interlocked and once it started my hands kept getting shocks but I didn't say anything because I figured I would mess up the test if I had to move my hands.
After the woman asked how it was and I told her and she said that she has heard of it happening if someone has a lot of positive electrical charges throughout their body that "connecting the circuit" can give you shocks.

 

[Wendy1985]

Thank you both for sharing

 

[momz]

I have MS and have had countless MRIs. I get one every year at minimum and more often if I have a relapse. Brain and spine first without contrast and then do it all again with contrast. I’ve gotten better at it. It will never be my favorite thing but there are things I can do that make it less bad. They had headphones I can wear and listen to music. Also, I ask for a washcloth over my eyes so I am reminded to keep them closed. I know how close I am to the ceiling of that thing, but it’s worse if a actually see it. So I close my eyes before they slide me in and try to avoid thinking about it. I try to meditate my way through.

 

[Carol_]

 

[Wendy1985]

I have MS and have had countless MRIs. I get one every year at minimum and more often if I have a relapse. Brain and spine first without contrast and then do it all again with contrast. I’ve gotten better at it. It will never be my favorite thing but there are things I can do that make it less bad. They had headphones I can wear and listen to music. Also, I ask for a washcloth over my eyes so I am reminded to keep them closed. I know how close I am to the ceiling of that thing, but it’s worse if a actually see it. So I close my eyes before they slide me in and try to avoid thinking about it. I try to meditate my way through.

sounds like the one I have did they put a cage over your head as well

 

[LuvOrlando]

Nothing embarrassing but they are not fun. I prefer the cage as long as it has a mirror so I can look out into the room and stay calm and sort of meditate. Iit also helps a lot when the technician counts down in between sets of both quiet and noise, I totally lose track of time in those things especially now that I also get ear plugs.

 

[prairie_girl]

Mine was Friday towards the end I had a full blown anxiety attack combo of it taking place in a truck and them placing for lack of better words putting a cage ver my face at one point they had to stop it make sure I was okay it was almost like I forgot how to breathe normally mris are second nature but this one felt different the space felt tighter then usual

eta that it took place in a hospital I had to do some fast talking not to be escorted to the ER

What do you mean it took place in a truck?

I have MS and have had countless MRIs. I get one every year at minimum and more often if I have a relapse. Brain and spine first without contrast and then do it all again with contrast. I’ve gotten better at it. It will never be my favorite thing but there are things I can do that make it less bad. They had headphones I can wear and listen to music. Also, I ask for a washcloth over my eyes so I am reminded to keep them closed. I know how close I am to the ceiling of that thing, but it’s worse if a actually see it. So I close my eyes before they slide me in and try to avoid thinking about it. I try to meditate my way through.

Howdy, fellow MSer. I have to be sedated to do my annual mri. I have the tech talk to me and tell me how long each sequence is. I’ve done them for so long that I know how many beeps to expect. Another thing I do is wear my own clothes. That might be a possibility for you too. I have a routine I do for the few days leading up to it.

?

 

[rlk]

What do you mean it took place in a truck?

Was your MRI in a mobile unit?

 

[Wendy1985]

It is just temporary they are upgrading the room and getting all new mri machines in there as well so for now it is in a truck think mobile medical facilities

 

[ronandannette]

I prayed, I sang songs in my head, I made my grocery list...and that all got me through about the first 4 minutes of a 51 minute cranial MRI as part of a full neurological work up. Part-way through they were injecting a tracer, without pulling me out, so waiting in anticipation of the jab was part of the horror. Honestly, I've had many, many more invasive medical procedures done over the years and I'm a pretty cool cucumber in general, but I would have a hard time facing another one of those.

In thinking it through afterward, if we had talked about how to get myself out in case of emergency, I would have been much calmer. The head cage and being in all the way in the tube, head-first, was almost unbearable.

 

[Wendy1985]

I prayed, I sang songs in my head, I made my grocery list...and that all got me through about the first 4 minutes of a 51 minute cranial MRI as part of a full neurological work up. Part-way through they were injecting a tracer, without pulling me out, so waiting in anticipation of the jab was part of the horror. Honestly, I've had many, many more invasive medical procedures done over the years and I'm a pretty cool cucumber in general, but I would have a hard time facing another one of those.

In thinking it through afterward, if we had talked about how to get myself out in case of emergency, I would have been much calmer. The head cage and being in all the way in the tube, head-first, was almost unbearable.

yep how I felt

 

[ScottOKW2K]

sounds like the one I have did they put a cage over your head as well

Looks like a cage but it's actually called a Head Coil. It's pretty much tuned antenna(s) inside a plastic structure. To neverlandsky - they didn't want you to sing because the movement of your head causes motion artifacts in the imaging - think of trying to take a picture of someone running with a slow camera and it comes out all blurry.

The "truck" is actually referred to as a Mobile MRI coach or Van.

 

[prairie_girl]

I prayed, I sang songs in my head, I made my grocery list...and that all got me through about the first 4 minutes of a 51 minute cranial MRI as part of a full neurological work up. Part-way through they were injecting a tracer, without pulling me out, so waiting in anticipation of the jab was part of the horror. Honestly, I've had many, many more invasive medical procedures done over the years and I'm a pretty cool cucumber in general, but I would have a hard time facing another one of those.

In thinking it through afterward, if we had talked about how to get myself out in case of emergency, I would have been much calmer. The head cage and being in all the way in the tube, head-first, was almost unbearable.

Your last paragraph is exactly why I have to be sedated. Every year, though, I have them show me how to get out of the cage. All you have to do is push up on it, then you can slither out. It definitely sounds easier said than done. I’m so glad the techs know me by now and don’t mind helping me with my routine. I have one coming up in the summer and I’m already not looking forward to it.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

As a breast cancer survivor, I had probably ten or twelve years worth of yearly MRIs and did fine. (And just so people realize, in that case, you lay facing belly-down and your bare boobs go in two holes in the table. Ya, not fun or graceful to get positioned for that. ) Once settled, I usually felt pretty anxious inside the machine but was able to get through them.

Until one year when I was just getting over an illness or something and was not feeling myself. I showed up for my MRI and the tech was, well, mean and rude, which put me in an awful mood. When I was getting positioned I realized I wasn’t going to be able to go through with it. I asked if my DD could stay at the head of the machine and the tech said no. So I had to cancel it and leave, which had never happened before. (The tech said my DD could stay at that point but it was too late, I just couldn’t do it.)

When I had to go for the rescheduled one, I was really worried about whether I’d be able to do it. I even went to a different place. But it was the tech made all the difference. I told her what had happened before and she was so supportive. She actually stayed outside the machine and held my hand through the ENTIRE MRI. I felt awful because I knew her back must’ve been killing her the way she was leaning in, but she just kept saying don’t worry about it. I cried through the whole thing so that my pillow was soaked with tears by the time I came out. But I had gotten through it, thanks to her. I wrote a nice note of thanks to her superiors so she’d understand what she did made a big difference for me. (I think I also may have dropped off a gift.)

I once had a head MRI and had to lay on my back and that I did not like, either. Not sure which is worse, lol.

I am always sympathetic to patients who have trouble undergoing these types of tests. Sometimes I go with them if I can, or at the very least, I get them some medication to help them relax so they can get through it.

We are very fortunate to have these types of diagnostics but they are not always easy to undergo.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Was scolded because I ended up singing along to the music they gave me.

Scott beat me to it above, but yeah, your brain has to stay still in order to get clear images, lol.

 

[disneychrista]

I freaked out and they had to take me out. I was able to clam myself enough for them to perform the test but I do know if I ever have to have a MRI again, I will be asking for drugs before hand.

 

[DisneyHardin]

The one time I had an MRI it was in a truck too and that sort of threw me. I went to the hospital and waited in the regular waiting room and was so surprised when the tech came to get me and we walked down a long hall and out into the parking lot into the truck.