I've just had an MRI scan.
It lasted 1hr. 10mins.
One of the longest they do.
It was for my heart.
I am claustrophobic.
I entered the room with a blindfold on so couldn't see the machine.
The 2 attendants led me to the machine and I laid down.
A canular was inserted into my right arm. This was to inject a liquid to help with contrast.
I had headphones on listening to a, 'Talking Heads' album.
I had to perform various breathing tasks.
In, out, hold your breath etc.
Everything was fine because I couldn't see a thing.
Plus, I was listening to Mr D. Byrne and his band.
I could have been in there for another hour, easy.
This was because I wore a blindfold and didn't see the machine, I could have been anywhere.
I had and MRI previously and it took me 20 minutes before I dare go fully in the tight tube.
This time I came prepared.
My advice, if you suffer with enclosed spaces... wear a blindfold, take a CD and get the nurses to guide you to the machine.
Best wishes from me here in the UK.
AndyfromDoncaster
I was in the MRI machine for 40 minutes! I had to fake my mind out by keeping my eyes shut and thinking i was on a Caribbean island on the white sandy beach with crystal blue water and windy waves rolling in. It worked!
tonioyendis
After having a few MRIs where I was too panicked to continue and had to be pulled out of the tube, I finally came up with a way to cope with them that works for me. 1) Sedation: I take 2 mg Valium 30 min beforehand; 2) close my eyes before going in the tube and keep them closed until I am pulled out of the tube, so that in my mind, I am still in the large open room; 3) Count each and every banging noise: the technician will often say "this part is two minutes long", so I just count 120 seconds and then that segment is done. And then just keep counting through every segment until the MRI is finished. 4) Headphones (often supplied by the technician). The CTs are a piece of cake: the tube is shorter and more open, and the test is faster.
KSfanever
It took me well over 3 months to get a mri.I have a pacemaker, defribalator, 2 stents, and a watchman devices in my body.I lice in the Chicago area.No one wanted to give me a MRI.The university of Chicago hospital Downtown did! They are the greatest, I can not say enough about their expertise, they said they do them all the time for patients like myself, they said it was a piece of cake!What great people! God Bless them! Thomas A Filipiak
tomfilipiak
I have to tell you. The ct scan was so satisfying and short. The dye they put in your bloodstream makes you nice and warm.
Mri, different. I hated it. Your whole body is enclosed in a tight capsule like machine that's loud as hell. If your claustrophobic, you're going to panic like I did. It was awful 😢
jessicacarl
I had an MRI scan here in Holland, wasnt looking forward to it, was put on the table, and closed my eyes as they slid me into the tunnel, after a few moments I opened my eyes to see a Vincent van Gogh painting reflected in the mirror above me, what a lovely idea,
davidtownsend
CT scans and MRI scans are savings lives ever single day. Without those tools it would be so difficult for doctors to help save lives.
bjsmith
I'm an MR and CT tech. Biggest question is about MR noise. I tell them that they don't have any metal in their body so it takes an extraordinary amount of power to get your body to resonate worth the scanner; and like any machine they can name (small car to jumbo truck, Cessna to jumbo jet) the more power used the more noise is made. (I do let them know that's not exactly how it works, but it is lol). It's enough of an explanation to satisfy most patients.
KJ-oflf
Glad to know you slice patients like a loaf of bread
JonathanGrahamVideo
My experience with MRIs was OK. When I was settled in I could roll my eyes back and see the ceiling outside which calmed me. Before you are inserted into the tube walk around it and take a look at it. The tube is open at both ends. This should help relieve your anxiety. Good luck. I have had two MRIs and wouldn't hesitate to get another if needed.
JIMCONDON
Thank you for this video. I’ve got an MRI later in July, and am in the midst of setting up a CT scan in the next few days.
jeffk
I think this is the clearest, easiest explanation of these procedures and the best layout of the difference between them and their main purpose. Thank you.
robertkartechner
Just had a CT scan today with contrast IV. It was fine, l’m claustrophobic too. You can easily look around outside the CT machine. The scan took about 5 minutes. I would not do another closed MRI, I’d opt for an open MRI machine if you are claustrophobic like myself. Good luck!!
ccramer
In this day and age with so much technology! I think that they should have a better way to do an MRI on people. It is so scary for the majority of people going in that small cylinder and listening to the noise in your head. It is so frightening and an awful experience. As a person who suffers with anxiety and claustropobia, I might have a heart attack in that machine. The medical community need to come up with something better.
NansGlobalKitchen
I went to CDI today 6-17-21, in Indianapolis for a pinched nerve i my lower spine. Very professional and they care. Take my word, they are the best.
bigbluebrownbass
''.. and we slice the patient's body like a loaf of bread''
Probably not the best way to put it I believe .
SyedSaif
I have five brain tumours and have three of them reduced in very long (11 hour) craniotomies. MRI and CT scans have become a way of life for me and I couldn't begin to try and count how many I have had. I do not mind having to go well into an MRI scanner in fact I find that when having scans it is the only time I find myself totally at peace despite the humming/drumming.
I always have my scans with Gadolinium dye which is a bit of a challenge as my veins shrink out of sight, i usually come out wearing cotton wool buds taped to both arms, despite my telling the radiologist that the top of my hand near my thumb is now the only place to get an IV in.
Depending on your local centre you may be able to take in an mp3 player and the radiologist will plug it in so that you can listen through the provided headphones. I have gotten used to my yearly scans and the average time is 45 minutes, whereas my mum couldn't last beyond 5 minutes for knee scans where she was practically entombed.
Part way through they stop to inject the dye which has a metallic taste but is necessary to get clear imaging of the brain. I know the look and sound quite scary to the uninitiated but trying to relax before going into the room helps. For head scans they often place a cage over your head that can easily be scary but they are fitted with a small mirror so that you can see the radiologists. I have discs of all my scs=ans which make for interesting viewing.
I cannot tell you the best way of getting through the MRI scans other than accept they are needed to get a better diagnosis of what your problems may involve.
whitbycolin
I know this is an OLD post - but I lost some of my hearing in my left ear in 1985 - due to getting an MRI. Then, 20 years later, I had another MRI and lost some hearing in both ears. I didn't know what caused it - and went to a hearing clinic - and the female said I have "nerve damage." Several years ago, I read an article about losing hearing from the MRI. I wasn't given ear plugs in each case - and I'm still angry about the incompetence - and not informing people about hearing loss due to MRIs. The article also said, many of the staff who gives these MRIs are also experiencing hearing loss.
sandyrose
Thanks so much for the awesome explanation!
Have a good night, good health and safety! 🤙
duongtran
When first invented MRI was called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging because it forces hydrogen (water) nuclei to line up in a strong magnetic field and then hits them with strong radiofrequency pulses (totally harmless) and records the "rings" as the nuclei flip back and forth like striking a bell. But calling it a "nuclear" imaging process was so negative they dropped the nuclear word to calm patient's concerns.
