MRI scanner

[Job]

Holy bollocks, doc booked me in for one as a precaution after my seizure, bit nervous cos I'm 9/10 claustraphobic, get to the clinic and there it is like some giant vortex machine from 3012.
They lay me on the bed, then put a freakin magnetic wave guide, basically a thick metal mask that clamps over my face and and is bolted to the bed, stuff loads of foam in the gaps so my head is jammed in, then they motor me into the most mind fuckingly narrow tube of this massive liquid helium magnet, as sonn as it covered my head I panicked, if you wanted to design a device to torture claustrophobics, you couldn't do better than an MRI, I bashed the panic button and said 'I'm off', going back with a preop sedative.
Still traumatised now

 

[Mey]

HTFU, wimp.

 

[opticle]

I've had one for my head (taking part in some research malarkey), they're not pleasant. I'm not claustrophobic - but I get the odd twinge, so I can imagine.

They let me watch something about Oceans though.. David Attenborough will sort you out just fine.

It's worth doing to be on the safe side though dude. First seizure ? Any obvious cause ? (e.g. head injury etc) (if I can ask)

 

[old.user4556]

I had my knee done, noone warned me that it sounded like a dubstep washing machine on fast spin. I don't think I'd like to stick my head in one.

 

[Cyradix]

Try a PET scan followed directly by an MRI. (only a few minutes break, just enough to pee and walk to the other machine)
110 minutes of hell.
At the end I was asking/begging "how much longer" about every 30 seconds.
I was strapped down and couldn't move more than a cm.
After 20-25 min your back and shoulders start to hurt and it only gets worse.
You try to focus on something else but you fail.
Your breathing goes up and you start to hyperventilate a bit.
Now you are trying to get that under controle...
When they finally got me out they had to get the cleaning crew in because my sweat had dripped down through the covers of the little bed thingie...

Doesn't get easier... not even after the 7th time

Hope I haven't scared you
I'm totally not claustraphobic, but that tube is made of the pure essense of 1000's of claustraphobics.
What preop sedative do they use? Over here it's Lorazepam. Get a big dose
Another option would be total anastesia. If it is only for an hour you won't get any of the side effects and you can go home an hour later.

 

[opticle]

They won't be keen on general anaesthesia, and it's unnecessary from the sounds of things. Lorazepam will sort you out It's an important test and it has to be done, I know it sucks but it's some minutes of hell for a lot of reassurance for the rest of your life.

 

[TdC]

my mum tells me they're noisy as fuck. that aside, what opticle said tbh.

 

[Moriath]

nothing invasive there wouldnt have a prob with any of that .. depe breaths ... happy thoughts i would be fine .... or at least self controled .... i dont do things that make me lose face publically even if i have a shit scared head

 

[Scouse]

Had my knee done. Fell asleep.

Noisy - but what the fuck else am I going to do if they lie me down for 40 minutes

 

[cHodAX]

Holy bollocks, doc booked me in for one as a precaution after my seizure, bit nervous cos I'm 9/10 claustraphobic, get to the clinic and there it is like some giant vortex machine from 3012.
They lay me on the bed, then put a freakin magnetic wave guide, basically a thick metal mask that clamps over my face and and is bolted to the bed, stuff loads of foam in the gaps so my head is jammed in, then they motor me into the most mind fuckingly narrow tube of this massive liquid helium magnet, as sonn as it covered my head I panicked, if you wanted to design a device to torture claustrophobics, you couldn't do better than an MRI, I bashed the panic button and said 'I'm off', going back with a preop sedative.
Still traumatised now

Have had getting on for a dozen MRI scans over the last 15 years or so, never ever get used to them, especially the older machines which I am sure they designed for stick insect thin people to fit into!

5mg of Diazepam for the win!

 

[Job]

It's nothing to do with brave, I'm not even classically claustrophobic, i'm the one they send into 2ft gaps under floorboards, doesn't bother me one bit because I'm in control, but that was just off the scale, It's a primeval response from my brain, I just didn't even have the power or time to control it, if they hadn't pulled me out I'd have tried to smash my way out.
In fact the nurse seemed very used to it, didn't even ask me to try again, she just unhooked the mask and told me to see my doctor, they do have open scanners now because of this problem, brilliant machines, they should have asked a claustrophobe during the design process though.

 

[Zenith.UK]

I'm just thinking back to when I had some serious oral surgery. They needed me awake to keep my mouth open, open wider, that sort of thing. Lots of local anaesthetic and a hefty dose of intravenous valium (diazepam). I looked at the clock as they spiked my arm, and was amazed when the clock jumped 50mins in an instant. It turns out that high dose benzodiazepines not only chill you out while staying awake, but also mess with your short term memory so you don't remember what happens more than a few seconds at a time.

I'd ask them about sedation next time around. Even if you do freak out, you wouldn't remember it when the dose wears off.

 

[gunner440]

Pussy.

 

[Bahumat]

I had my knee done, noone warned me that it sounded like a dubstep washing machine on fast spin. I don't think I'd like to stick my head in one.

I had to have a cat scan and mri scan. Think it was the mri which felt like I was in a coffin lol. Yeah the noise was horrid and my foot was itching so it was not like I could scratch it. I was about 17 at the time and my dad was there so I got him to scratch it lol. Was driving me crazy.

 

[Bahumat]

oh I also had to have a lumber puncture (twice as they fucked up the first entry into the spine) which was the scariest thing I've ever had.

 

[cHodAX]

oh I also had to have a lumber puncture (twice as they fucked up the first entry into the spine) which was the scariest thing I've ever had.

Just thinking about the ones I had almost brings tears to my eyes mate. Horrible.

 

[Ormorof]

and as if it wasnt scary enough they named it MRI because they figured Nuclear Magnetic Resonance would freak people out BEFORE they got in the machine...

 

[Job]

Booked a stand up MRI in Leeds, if you look at the specs, every MRI should be like that, they can put you in the position you get the pain for joint problems and spot what bits going out of shape, ordinary MRI's are useless for that, which is about 40% of their use.

 

[Ormorof]

depends what they are looking for, i had a scan to see if my lower spine was enlarged (i was being tested for marfans syndrome) so standing up or lying down would have made no difference

 

[Job]

I can handle that.