MRI for the Claustrophobic
 

I'm really needing some help here. I have to have a pelvic MRI and I'm extremely claustrophobic to the point of panicing. I tried the Open MRI today and completely freaked out. Has anyone ever had this experience? And has anyone ever tried an Open Bore MRI? It looks like a CT machine but pics can be deceiving.

I feel for you. I had an open MRI for a back problem and I was able to make it through that one mainly because I was not completely in for all of it and could turn my head to the side and look out. A few years later I went back to the same place for a neck/shoulder issue and I didn't even make it through the calibration of the machine.

I had not heard of the Open Bore MRI so I just looked it up. I'm so glad to see that option! It is especially good that for so many procedures you can have your head out. I've already told my husband if I ever need a regular MRI I absolutely have to be put completely out.

Is there an Open Bore MRI near you?

ETA: I just saw you are also in Michigan. It looked like there were a few Open Bore MRIs in the Detroit area and one in the UP. I didn't see one in West Michigan, but I am sure the Spectrum Health system will have one soon if they don't already have one.

ETA2: There is one in West Michigan - a new one in Greenville. Go figure. Glad to have that info! I hope I never need to use it, but I'm glad to know it is there! :-)

Yes I'm in a southern suburb of Detroit. The Oakwood Health System has both MRIs, open and open bore. I'm going to take a ride to the one with the open bore and take a look before I make another appointment. If I could keep my head out, I'm golden! Thank you for the help!

They don't want you to have an anxiety attack any more than you do. My husband has to get MRIs of his brain yearly and they give him a sedative to do it, and without any comments or questions. "I have anxiety" is all he has to say and they give him something. In his case though, it can have drawbacks. On one of his more recent ones we got him all set up in the machine and I went off to get a coffee. I came back about 20 minutes later to check on him and the radiologist (or whoever it is that runs the machine) said he's sleeping. Oh, that's good. He's SNORING. Not a good thing. They couldn't wake him and had to wait for the drugs to start to wear off and start all over since his head was moving with each snore. The process took like 3 hours instead of 30 minutes! And if you get claustrophobia, I won't even tell you about the contraption he has to get into. It would be unbearable for the calmest among us.

Wouldn't they put you in feet first for a pelvic MRI? If not, request it since it would be less tramatic. I have had several MRIs. The three that were below the hip were feet first.

Also, did you take anything to help with your anxiety? A little medicine may help take the edge off. The problem with these open MRIs is that you sacrifice quality. In order to cut the magnet in half to spread it apart, it can't be anymore than 1 Tesla (T). (Larger magnets would pull the two parts together.) Just to give you an idea, the state of the art magnets in private practice right now are 3T machines (a huge difference) which increases the signal generated, making it easier to tell what is going on in your pelvis. Generally when reading open scans, subtle findings and details cannot be evaluated. If it's ALL you can tolerate, fine, but if you can drug yourself, go feet first and talk yourself to it, you'll end up with a much more useful exam on a real MRI machine.

Those 3T machines are amazing. I had a key in my front jeans pocket when I entered the room with my husband. It pulled the key out of my pocket and shot it across the room! I'm lucky nobody got hurt.

And his first result with that machine I thought his MS had gotten much worse since it was visible in his spinal cord but the doctor said no, it likely was just never before visible.

Xanax...seriously....one...only. I relate. And deep slow breathing.

I took a ride to our local hospital that does the open bore. Their truck is only there Fridays and Saturdays but they did have a picture of it and the patient's head was out. It mentioned that there is a foot of room too. I take xanax once in a while when I have trouble sleeping. Sometimes it kicks in right away and sometimes it takes a while.

Just make sure you have a driver!

Excellent point.

A plus to still living with the parents :/

I have had many an MRI and CT (mostly for sinus) and at every hospital or center the policy is to have you change into a gown to avoid your experience.

I was going to suggest Valium but you've already got Xanax going on :) I'm not claustrophobic at all, but the noise of the machines always drives me up the wall. I tried ear plugs but I could still "feel" the noise and it was irritating.

I went and saw the machine at another clinic tonight and I feel TONS better. He told me because I'm shorter my head would be a little in but enough to look up and outside of the machine. He said that Open MRI doesn't give a great picture because of the open sides. This looked exactly like a CT machine except a little longer. I actually almost teared up in relief that I'll finally be getting some answers. They do offer sedation or valium, instead of me having to fill my own prescription. I'm not sure if I should take a xanny or valium. Suggestions?

Xanax

PM Mama, I TOTALLY relate to you. On Friday, I attempted to get an MRI of my abdomen so I thought going in feet first, that my head would still be out...umm NO. It had to go in the "tunnel" and I freaked out. So much that I had an asthma attack. lol I'm now on the search for an Open MRI too. There was no way I could stay in there for 45 minutes.

If I HAD to go the route of a traditional MRI, I'd have to put out with general anesthesia. Valium or Xanax wouldn't cut it.

I would also choose Xanax over Valium. I've had both for procedures and the Valium was worthless. OTOH, the smallest dose of Xanax can make me so relaxed I can't move. (Yes, my body is THAT sensitive.)

That said, I'd rather be out. It would be even worse to be so relaxed by the Xanax that you can't communicate clearly that you are panicking.

Those of you who aren't super claustrophobic probably think this is a strange conversation, but I totally get the crying tears of relief comment upon seeing the alternative MRI machine.

But if you can move your head and look out, you will probably be fine with just the Xanax or Valium.

Look for the Open Bore MRI. That's the one that is 4ft long and a wider hole.

Ok now I'm freaked out about being so relaxed I can't communicate! My prescription is only .25mg.

I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you freak out. That is the same prescription I had and I only needed half a pill. Have you ever taken Xanax? Do you have a history of being sensitive to meds? If you are concerned, take a Xanax as a trial run a few days before to see how your body responds.

Yeah my doctor prescribed them for me when I had a minor bout with insomnia. Sometimes it kicks in right away, but sometimes it takes a while.

The bigger problem with these sedatives is NOT that you won't be able to move, but that you become disinhibited and can't stop moving. These drugs are like alcohol and make patient's behave like they are drunk. When they take to much thinking that it will make it better for them, the procedure is worthless. Take just enough to be comfortable with out being a squirmy mess that can't take orders. Also, stop thinking about it too much...the more you obsess and work it up in your mind, the worse it will be. Trust that the Xanax will work. Keep telling yourself that it will work and that the open bore MRI won't bother you. Remember that you can get out of the bore at anytime during the procedure that you want. At no time are you trapped or stuck. You can turn your head and look out. Take a slow deep breath and realize that you are SAFE. The key is the controlled breathing. Good luck, PM Mama.

Sooooo it was a breeze! I took the Xanax but I think all it did was make me sleepy. It didn't relieve any anxiety. However, I was in far enough that my head was in but I had it tilted so I could see out. The noise wasn't as loud as I thought but maybe it was the headphones. The worst part was my lower back hurting from laying on a flat board for so long.... which didn't even seem like the 30min I was quoted. Not bad! Thanks for all the help!

Good. I'm glad!

Thanks for the tip. Glad to hear it went well for you.

So glad it worked out well! :)

I've had a lot of head imaging done because of my sinuses, and there is absolutely no moving for that procedure. Unfortunately the room the machine is in is pretty small and it may have been my perception, but the wall seemed rather close that it could be just as claustrophobia inducing for some people. Like I said before, I'm fine in small places, and even in the dark, but the noise of that machine, and even getting a cleaning at the dentist, is what makes me uncomfortable. I can feel it in my body and it makes me ill.

If you ever have to get it done again, ask for a rolled up towel under your back. The way my body is shaped it is hard for me to lie flat on my back with my legs straight, and I use a rolled up towel to take up the space my back and backside create.

Seriously though, isn't this imaging better than the ultrasound where you have to drink a lot of water and then they press on your lower abdomen to get a picture?

The rooms vary a lot from imaging center to imaging center. The center where I work has quite large rooms for our MRIs. The sound is a big problem for MRI. We do offer ear plugs and headphones which dampen the noise. For the back pain issue, you can actually bend your knees to help decrease pressure on the back, and most centers have special wedges to put under your knees to help.

Yes, MRI is much better than ultrasound for evaluating pelvic disease. Ultrasound is fine if you just want to look at basic issues, but advanced issues are much better evaluated by MRI due to better soft tissue resolution. Ovarian tumors, fibroids, endometriosis, cervical cancer, etc are all better visualized on MRI.

Ugh, for those of us who are uncomfortable in the MRI tube, there is little that can alleviate our anxiety. I have had three breast MRI's and it is torture for me. First, your breasts are hanging down into coils ( woman is on her stomach), I.V. for contrast (ouchy), and then the NOISE!! I usually ask if we can stop for a few minutes so that I can come out of the tube...naturally, they say no. I can understand why,, but I still ask. I wish that my husband, or a friend could be able to talk me through it on a two way speaker. That would help me. It is such a valuable diagnostic tool. But so very unpleasant for many of us. Just reading the posts here have left me feeling anxious!!

Breast MRI is especially uncomfortable because you are lying prone (on your stomach). They can't stop the exam because the important part of MRI for the breast is how your breast enhances over time. If you stopped the machine, there would be no information for that period of time and the entire exam would be worthless. The exam itself takes 45 min to an hour on a standard 1.5 Tesla machine. You can be put in feet first so your head is hanging out. The exam is faster on a 3T machine so finding a better machine will make things a little better. Open Bore MRI is NOT an option for Breast MRI, however.

YAY! I had the open bore MRI and made it through. I will admit that at first, I panicked and started crying (lol) but after I calmed down it was a breeze. I think once I got in and realized that I would still see the room from all sides, I was ok.

Fear - 0
Me - 1

Yay!! Was it open or open bore? Isn't it SUCH a relief knowing it's over?

It was an open mri. I seriously think I couldn't tolerate open bore either. lol I"m just happy its over and done.

Afterwards the tech and I were chatting and she told me that if I ever needed an MRI above the chest, you have to go in head first so she recommended sedation if that ever happened. :D lol I agree!

After all that, they still can't see my ovaries! This is so frustrating! No rheumatoid, no lupis, just reallllly high SED level, anemia, and low protein. Still pain. Still problems. Next step surgical consultation.

Have you had any gastrointestinal tests? High SED, anemia, low protein were what my results looked like when I was having my first Crohn's issues.

My friend mentioned that and I have two cousins who have it, one has a cholostomy. The only thing is that he felt a mass on my stomach near my ovaries but now thinks it may have be in the muscle or above it. We got to that point because I was having severe pain in my leg/hip that was making me limp really bad. Like sciatic but in the front. We're both dumbfounded.

Have you considered seeing a physical therapist who specializes in Trigger Points? You might consider researching these:

The MacKenzie Method

The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook