Mri :( Now Im Freakin Out

[janni]

After seeing a neurologist last year I phoned his secretary recently and asked to have the scan that I didn't take last time. The form came today. Now I have googled MRI and found that the scan involves a clanging noise all the way through the test that may take half hour or more, how can I go through this while having panic attacks at same time. But I need to :(
Also can I ask for a full body mri or will it just be my head, I would like one of my heart and spine because of some symptoms. I hope I can have these done too so I don't have to have test repeated does anyone know how these procedures work.? I should be pleased after feeling that no one is looking into anything but now I am panicking more than ever.

[anxious elephant999]

Hi janni i had a MRI back in june and i suffer panic , and i was a wreck when i went , they did say i could have some sedation if i wanted to but dont like feeling sedated as that makes me panic too so braved it without , my sister came in the room and held my hand all the way through , im not going to lie to you i dint like it but it wasnt as bad as i thught , but it is very noisy , i tried to put my mind on something else , i went through the allphabet and tried to think of things beginning with the letters in order (boys names, girls names , movies , food , cars ) i only had a head scan so was only half way in the tube , i suffer with severe anxiety , severe panic and depression ,claustrophobia, agrophobia and constant dizziness , so if i can do it then so can you , i had the scan to reassure me i had nothing wrong with my brain and it came back normal but i still dont believe them , hope you can be sensible and believe what they tell you :hugs:

[pollyanna]

Hi

I had an mri of my back and spine about 3 years ago, i was really scared, and ended up taking valium just to get me through it, but it wasnt that bad.
I didnt have to have it done, but wanted to because i had so much trouble with back pain., and now im glad i did.
The clanging noise really isnt that bad either . although my whole body had to go in, i asked if i could go in feet first, so that my head was nearest the ouside, it was the last thing to go in and the first thing to come out, which really helped.
One other bit of advice i would give, if like me you have a problem with small spaces, is to keep your eyes closed, and listen in the ear phones, to the music or the instructions from the operator. At the end of the day, if you really cant tolerate it, and you ask to be let out, then they will bring you out again.
A Half hour sounds like a long time, but the time passed quicker than i had expected. have a plan of what you will do/think about when there, relaxation, breathing techniques, thinking and sing your favourite song in your head etc, it all helps to keep you calm and busy until its over.

I really was terrified and got myself into such a terrible state before hand, but it was ok, and if i had to have another one, i wouldnt say i would enjoy it, but i could certainly do it, and wouldnt get myself so upset about it again.
If you make a plan, you will deal with it and get through it. you really will be ok. and you will be sooo pleased with yourself afterwards..

good luck and best wishes

P x

[janni]

thanks anxious elephant and pollyanna for your encouragement and thats a good idea to go in feet first, i wouldnt have thought about that thanks i will definitely ask for that, just want it over and done with and i know my anxiety wont go away overnight but if i get some kind of reassurance then i might be able to get some kind of life back because right now im almost motionless scared to move all because of anxiety and fear so fingers crossed thanks again xx

[den68]

i had mri on my head june time when i was having the worst panic attacks id ever had, but i managed it without 1 attack in there. they were so nice to me when i told them i had panic attacks and talked to me inbetween scans and told me how long each one would take. They did 3 scans in total 2 lasting 3 minutes and 1 lasting 4 minutes. I had a helmet with a radio in so when they said 3 minutes i thought ok thats about the time of a song which it was. In total i was about 15 minutes that included getting me ready doing the scan and getting me out. By the way they give you a button to press if you really want to get out but honest iv had alot worse done. I cant say i loved it but if i had to have another i wouldnt be so scared

[anx mum]

Hi ive had an mri on my head takes about 20mins and yes u do here banging in background but they do play music aswell if ur anxious like i was might b worth taking something to calm u. x

[lauren6]

I don't know how it is in your country but here you can get an open MRI if you ask for it. However, even with that, when I had one on my head, they put this helmet thing on your face so you feel somewhat closed in even though you can see out from the sides. The clanking noise never bothered me. A trick that everyone I know uses is they make believe it's a band or orchestra. There are different sounds, some sound like a drum, some sound like a jackhammer...I was actually laughing inside because it is rather funny. You're not allowed to laugh or move but if I could have, I would have laughed. I know I was smiling because I remember everyone telling me to make believe they are different drums and it would be a really cool concert. I refused the earplugs because I actually enjoyed the sounds. So try not to freak put about that part...really, make a game out of it. Works for everyone I know. Great rock concert...which believe me, could even be louder than this.

[janni]

what makes the noises?

[SleeplessFog]

Can you ask for ear plugs? Sometimes they will let you listen to music too. I am kind of claustrophobic and getting a full head and neck MRI was not fun when they told me how tight the space was and the head piece you had to wear.

So they gave me two Xanax and I had the option to take them if I wanted to. So I did, and I practically fell asleep in there even with the clunking! I was so panicked before I got in the room, it ended up not even being 10% as bad as I thought. The people were very understanding of me being claustrophobic so don't feel bad about telling them.

I think the noise is the magnets.

[janni]

ty can i take xanax on top of diazepam

[SleeplessFog]

Not sure if you can. I took 0.5mg of diazepam the night before...and then the 2 tablets of Xanax totaled 0.5mg altogether. I would check with your doc especially since I don't know your dosage.

[kathee]

when i had a mri scan i told them that i suffered extreme anxiety and they told me to bring a cd in of my choice to listen through the headphones and they also told me that they would stop the scan anytime i wished if i became too anxious, they talk to you through a sort of intercom system through the headphones, though they explained that if they stopped the test they would have to start it again at the begining as it could not be paused. somehow just knowing that i could stop the test if i needed to meant i did not as i felt that i was in control, and i took my own cd and the whole test took about 20 min which is about 5 tracks long.... i closed my eyes and just focused completely on my music, i suppose you could take a relaxation cd in if you wished, good luck x x x