2. I’d been trying to keep my cool about it, but on Wednesday I was very nervous. Why I don’t know. I guess I just hating having tests done on me. Plus the results of the MRI may reveal more about my Crohn’s disease – such as a worsening condition, or perhaps even worse, might not reveal much at all, meaning that the doctors will still be puzzling over just why I’m in so much pain. They know it’s Crohn’s, but they’re having trouble controlling it and pinpointing the exact source of my current problems.
3. I’m a nurse and I work in the emergency room so I know a bit about MRI’s, but you don’t really know something until you experience it, do you?
4. I went into the MRI knowing that I’d have to remove anything metallic that I was wearing, that the machine was noisy, and that the magnets that operate the machine have such a powerful force that my arms and legs might actually vibrate a little bit during the test. (nothing ended up vibrating)
5. I also knew, that even though I’m not claustrophobic that I might feel confined while I was in the machine.
6. What I didn’t know was how long the test was going to take, or that the machine would be so very loud that you really can’t think while you are in there. I also didn’t know that I was going to get an I.V. since part of my abdominal MRI needed to be done with contrast dye.
7. I didn’t tell the tech that was putting in my I.V. that I’m a nurse because I find that makes people nervous, and when you are nervous doing an I.V. it doesn’t always go as smoothly as it should. I turns out that it wouldn’t have mattered anyway since she wasn’t very good at I.V.s. She put in one of the smallest angiocaths – which is actually contraindicated when someones getting a contrast dye- just in case something goes wrong. Small IV’s tend to blow or block easily. She tied up my arm very tightly with the tourniquet for about 5 minutes – which likely collapsed my huge “don’t need a tourniquet” veins, hence her difficulties.
8. I then had to hold my left arm over my head outside the machine. I’ve had some shoulder problems in the past and while my shoulder hasn’t bothered me for sometime holding it in a position over my head for any length of time while cause it to start to hurt.
9. The test was supposed to take 45 minutes. I was hoping that it would be 10 or 15 minutes, how wrong I was! I think the test actually took closer to an hour since I went into the room at about 7 pm and came out at 8:15.
10. I was given earplugs to protect my ears during the test. It was a good thing because the machine is really loud. When it’s taking pictures or slices it thrums like a fast heart beat with a bam, bam, bam, bam noise. When it’s not taking photo’s it makes more of a chirping noise.
11. As I slide into the machine feet first I realized just how small the inside was. My head was resting on two pillows and when I finally got into the machine I think the upper surface of the inside was perhaps no more than 4 inches away from my face. That freaked me out a bit!
12. I decided to close my eyes for most of the test. I think that was a wise move because I felt calmer not seeing how closely I was surrounded by the machine. I was told not to move much – so by the time the test was over it felt like most of my body had fallen asleep. My shoulder was also aching terribly during the whole test given the position it was in. I think that was the worst part for me.
13. My advice to anyone having an MRI – hopefully not one that took as long as mine did – is for them to close their eyes and try to think of something else, take yourself someplace else. The machine sound was loud but it kind of had an electronic techno beat to it, so I tried to picture myself dancing away in a nightclub. It didn’t really work, but I tried!
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Im a nurse as well. Thanks for the personal view on the MRI. That helps me understand things a bit more
Oh, Tricia. I could have given you some advice on this, having just had one. The tech that did mine gave me a wash cloth to put over my eyes. That was so helpful. I am really clausterphobic. Our MRI place has headphones that they put on you and then they let you pick what radio station you want to listen to. It is really cool. Mine only lasted about 10 minutes. I can’t imagine being in there for an hour. Yuck!
I never had a MRI done. My husband has and his experience was like yours.
My TT is about ideas to supercharge your life.
Sorry to hear that the tech putting your IV in didn’t do a very good job. I’ve never had an MRI, but I’ve had plenty of needles and IVs. (I probably should have had an MRI for a couple of my sports injuries, but with MRI time so hard to get in Ottawa, my doctors were never able to get MRI time for anything not “very serious”.)
Sorry to hear about your Crohns as well. I hope the MRI helps get to the bottom of things for you.
I had an MRI on my back when years ago. I closed my eyes too, but I got earphones with calming music to wear that hepled a little, plus an alarm button in my hand if I should get panic. Mine took at least 45 minutes too. No I.V’s thank god… Pheeew.
What an experience! #13 made me laugh. I hope everything comes out OK for you.
Ugh, MRIs are NOT FUN!
wow! what an experience. hopefully it will be your last!
happy tt 🙂
I’ve had several MRI’s and I guess they got easier for me to endure each time. What’s most uncomfortable for me is lying flat on my back on such a hard suface for so long. I always have to have help sitting up and then I feel foolish.
I really hope that your doctor is able to help you and I’m so sorry you’ve been in such pain!
Not fun…I got the earphones & radio, too…just closed my eyes & slept. Hope things look up…
Happy TT!
I hope having the MRI done will help them get some answers for you. {{{Hugs}}} I’d have probably freaked out..
Praying everything is ok and this is your last MRI! I’ve never had one, but a few friends have and they’ve all said they hated them! My cousin is a nurse as well-she said it’s different when you’re the patient-she said even though she knows what’s going on it’s still a little strange-and when someone finds out she’s a nurse they automatically expect her to know everything! Happy TT!
I just had my first MRI on Monday. It was of my brain, so a little different.
I will say that the tech put a washcloth over my eyes as I am claustraphobic but I couldn’t take any valium prior to the test due to getting a ride difficulties. That helped a great deal. I never saw the inside of the machine or how close everything was.
My whole test took about 30 minutes and I just kept trying to think about various things that didn’t have anything to do with being there. It did help that the test had been scheduled at 7:30am so I didn’t have much awake time to get nervous.
Anyway, good luck and happy TT!
I hate the clausterphobia (spelling?) very cramped.
You’re very brave! I’m claustophobic so I don’t know how I’d ever get through one.
I know what that is like.
It is not fun.
I am guessing you didn’t have to drink anything as well.
I had to drink a monster cup of weird clear liquid, then I got my contrast IV
I empathize with you.
I hope that everything is ok. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.