Turns out, being shoved in a tube isn't all that entertaining

[sienamystic]

Had my MRI today. While it obviously wasn't physically painful, it was a lot more stressful than I'd realized it would be.

They got me all arranged on the slider table-thing, with my knees elevated on a pillow so my back was nice and straight. As I slid into the tube, feeling a bit like a torpedo being loaded, I was thinking I would be fine. I'd never describe myself as claustraphobic, and I could feel air blowing across my face, which I suppose is to coax your brain into not feeling stifled. I was fine until we got to my elbows. The MRI tech said, "You'll feel it hug your elbows a bit," and I felt gentle pressure on them. Unfortunatly, this did make my brain send off little "aiee, we're pinned down!" messages that I had to quell. I was holding a call button, and the knowledge that I could use it if I had to was quite comforting, and probably kept me from really getting upset.

I brought earplugs as advised, although they would have given me some if I hadn't brought my own. The machine is really noisy, from a jackhammer sort of sound to one that was a bit like a car alarm to other ones that were more like random clackings and thumpings. The noise didn't really bother me, though, as much as the lying still and trying not to twitch and/or freak the hell out and bolt from the room. As the minutes ticked by, I realized my hands were getting numb; whether it was the fault of whatever they're looking for in the MRI or the result of having my elbows squeezed, I don't know, but it made it hard for me to keep still. I had to keep distracting myself with weird little mental scenarios so I didn't flail around.

The result of all this forced calmness meant that I left the hospital in an absolutely foul mood - the kind of one where you're equally as likely to rip somebody's head off as erupt in floods of tears. Instead of doing either, I made Bemo take me out for lunch, and we devoured some of Lazlo's excellent giant onion rings. Then, ice cream sundaes at Ivanna Cone to make sure my mood stayed improved!

The holiday means I'll probably have to wait for the results a little longer, so we'll see what they say. And I hope I don't have to do this again anytime soon.

Comments

[maeve-rigan.livejournal.com]

Count me as another who didn't think I was claustrophobic until I was trapped in an MRI. I got through it, but it was--unsettling. I keep hearing that there are "open" MRI's, because of the claustrophobia issue, but where are they? Why don't any hospitals except on TV seem to have one? Catch up, people!

[sienamystic.livejournal.com]

There was one in the Northern Virginia area that my mom went through - she's extremely claustrophobic (er, among many other things) and would have freaked out entirely in a normal MRI. I would bet money that there's one in this town because the university is big on football, and a lot of times players are simply too large to fit inside. But I've been told it's pricier, alas.