MRI SCAN

Hi, I had my MRI scan this afternoon. The FULL shebang-as I call it. It took an HOUR to complete. Are they normally that long? I am amazed I didn’t freak out-REALLY REALLY REALLY CLAUSTROPHOBIC. I was booked in for a lumbar spine but was given a brain and upper scan too. How nice of them! I’m so glad its done and over with now. My advice to those who have a MRI scan approaching-it is not as bad as you imagibne, its a very tight fit-but I kept my eyes shut for most of it. It took 2 weeks to from seeing neurologist to having scan. I have a nagging feeling that ‘I was seen too soon’. Know what I mean? Thx for any replies.

Hi

Glad you made it through the MRI, i had a full spine and brain one once i was in there for 90 mins!! Think i actually fell asleep at one point! Think the best thing to do is imagine your somwhere else completley - although the mechanical noises make that harder!

Hope you don’t have to wait too long for your results, and you don’t have to have another MRI anytime soon!

Lx

Hi Phinn,

Ditto on the claustrophobia front, couldn’t do a normal MRI scan even with sedation!

Croydon has an open MRI scanner for anyone who needs it, much better. Mine was an hour and a half, Leora,you must be able to sleep through anything!

Chris

I have one booked for 10days brain and full spine and it said would be about 20mins did think that sounded optimistic lol. I too have had a sleep in one before though. Axx

Ditto. Had brain and full spine done today with and without contrast. Took a good 90 minutes.

I have just had a brain scan that lasted less than 20 minutes, i guess there are different ones or more indepth. I can get my scan from the hospital for free within 40 days and £40 after, just thought i would add this as i have seen this question asked before.

misspink

Wow I’m kind of wishing my MRI was booked that fast. I saw the neurologist 2.5 weeks and was told he wanted me to come back for MRI, lumbar puncture and evoked potentials but haven’t heard anything yet. Just want to get it over with and move this process on!! Good to hear it wasn’t too bad. X

Leora, i’m glad you almost fell asleep during your MRI too…I was begining to think i was the only person in the world ever that found the MRI quite relaxing! I was nervous before I went, and also quite nervous afterwards when I was waiting to see what the results might show.

But I actually thought my time in the MRI machine itself was quite interesting! I quite like enclosed spaces (I used to sleep in a tiny tiny box room when i was little, lol!) and also I am a pretty tiny person so maybe that helped a bit, as I didnt feel to ‘squashed in’! I had earphones on and they blared lovely uplifting classical music to muffle the noise of the machine. So I tried to pretend I was in some sort of floatation tank or relaxation chamber rather than an MRI, (it has been one of my life-long dreams to try out a floatation tank!) and I tried to hear the rhythmic sounds of the machine as a sort of medative drum beat ! I definitey nodded off at one point!

Not sure if i sound totally crackers for saying all that, but I wondered if it might be of use to anyone else who is going for one? try pretending the MRI machine is just a nice cosy relaxation chamber where you lie still for 40 minutes and listen to nice music. Or, better still, like Leora said, try and imagine you are somewhere totally different. I know thats probably a lot easier said than done if you get claustrophobic , but maybe worth a shot! x