freaked out over mri

anyone here ever freak out over an mri? i'm claustrophobic and suffer from panic/anxiety problems on top of that. went in for an mri on my knee this morning and didn't even get the test started before i bolted. and this was supposedly an open mri machine.

called doctor and he phoned in a prescription for a valium and i'll be trying again this afternoon. anyone have any ideas about "surviving" the second attempt?

 

Close your eyes and mentally go somewhere else. Might have to psych yourself out. Works for me, but I'm a simpleton like that.

Deep breaths. Nothing overly stressful in your head. Everything in moderation.

Good luck.

 

Make sure you're comfortable. I did my ankle this morning. I'm not claustrophobic, but have problems spending that kind of time flat on my back. I had a support under my back, but it wasn't in the right spot. About halfway through, I thought my legs were twitching. It was really weird. Take the drugs... love the drugs...listen to music....

 

job loss and dad's recent stroke = plenty of stress.

the test taking an hour and a half on a bad back and throw in lousy sleep from overnight panic attacks, i'm sure hoping that valium is a miracle worker. will probably take the valium and a 10m lortab.

 

They should be able to play music for you over headphones. That helps me a lot. The headfirst MRI test for someone my size is just not fun at all. Listen to tunes and try to mentally take yourself somewhere else, and it will be over quickly. I empathize with you, it's not easy.

 

I had one on my injured shoulder a few years back pre-surgery. I'm not overly claustrophobic so it wasn't a big deal for me- not the most comfy mind you but manageable. They asked what radio station I listed to so they could tune the headphones...I asked for the local FM-talk station. They put on easy listening, and when Celine Dion came on I seriously thought of pushing the panic button.

 

you and i must be from the same big man club babar. i'm 6-6 and weigh about 375. so even though it's an "open mri" machine, "open" is certainly up to individual interpretation.

 

Dude, I feel for you.
Freaked out the first time I had one on my knee. Was breathing hard enough that I was asked to calm down so they could get accurate pics. That was with headphones.
When I had the fully submerged one on my head a couple years back, they didn't have any headphones available, so I closed my eyes as I started moving in and went to a happy place. As cheesy as it sounds, I was thinking about my now wife and the hell she was going through getting ready for our wedding.

 

He is kind of freaky.

 

The first time I had an MRI, I closed my eyes and eventually blocked out the noise and went to sleep. It can be hard, but just try to relax, like you're going to sleep.

 

Ask the doctor for an "open" MRI. I have had five MRI's for various things and, while not necessarily claustrophobic, my size (a bit on the portly side, dont'cha know) makes it a bit snug and uncomfortable. So, they have used what they call an open MRI. You lay on the table, and the machime simply rolls around you. It is not closed, it is like a third of a barrel and it it looks like a rainbow over you from left to right. It just sweeps around your table without enclosing you or even touching you.

 

Heroin?