Claustrophobia....worse than I thought

Brain MRI on Monday. In anticipation, I did take a sedative...but it did not sedate nearly enough. My Mother-in-law graciously gave up her morning to drive me to the appointment, and after filling out more paperwork, I was sent right in for the test. I learned from a friend at work that if you wear clothes without any metal, you don't have to change for the MRI. Good information!

This MRI exam was worse than the one I had of my chest because this time I was on my back (with back and hip pain, it is no fun to have to lie flat on your back for 40 minutes). The "tube" that they put me in for the MRI is so narrow that my arms cannot be at my sides...they have to be on my stomach. Because this test was of my brain, they had a contraption over my head that only made the "tube" seem more shallow and narrow. On top of the head gear, they attached a mirror so that I could see out of the enclosure. But looking in the mirror only confirmed how small the space was, so I did my best to keep my eyes closed. I did have ear plugs, but the noise is so loud that the plugs don't give much relief. But I came to appreciate the loud noises..."count the clunks, Drenda" "Breathe, Drenda, breathe. don't move. don't move". Every time I opened my eyes, the panic of claustrophobia started to set in. "Keep your eyes closed, Drenda, breathe." I did have a "panic" button that, if squeezed, would stop the test and rescue me. But then, I would just have to start over. So I REFUSED to squeeze, even though I desperately wanted to.

After 25 minutes, I was brought out, and the contrast was injected into my hand. The injection was very slow, almost 5 minutes, during which time I was instructed to lay perfectly still...can't move my head. Problem is that when one can't move one's head, somehow, one's nose starts to itch tremendously. I managed to lay still, and then I was taken back inside the "enclosure" for more images...15 more minutes of silently talking to myself, calming my itches and my panic. yikes. Brain MRI is not something I'd be too excited about doing again, I must say.

The MRI tech told me that they were able to get some great images. Cool. I go to the doctor tomorrow for blood count checks, so I am hoping to hear about the results then.