Long MRI - tips/advice?

[Bob698]

It sounds crazy, but laying still for an extended period of time is tough.
I've found in the past that practicing actually helps you find your most comfortable position. Grab some cushions or throw pillows off your couch and place them on the floor. One for a headrest and one one or two for under your knees (some MRI techs will provide a cushion for the backs of your knees).
Be sure you're laying on a hard surface (a bare floor or carpeted floor is best) so it simulates the MRI table. Try staying absolutly still for at least 10-15 minutes. If you feel pressure spots try moving your knees and arms either slightly closer together or slightly farther apart and hold the position for another 10-15 minutes. You also should try taking shallow slow breaths as you practice.
If you have trouble staying still after practicing, be sure to tell the tech that you aren't afraid of enclosed spaces- you just have a hard time staying still. They might be able to help with some extra padding.
You also really need to keep your mind occupied. The last thing you want to do is fall asleep. When we sleep we move around. Its normal, its natural, and it ticks off MRI techs like you wouldn't believe.
Think up some lists to keep yourself occupied. I've done shopping lists and christmas card lists in my mind during MRIs. Thinking about remembering all the chapters of a good book or the entire plot (in detail) of a movie can also work.
If they plan to use contrast dye, plan on drinking a lot of liquids after your appointment. You want to get rid of that dye as soon as possible.
The only other things I can think of would be to scratch your nose before they start and to get ready for some sounds. Many MRI machines are quite loud. You'll hear a lot of clicks, clacks, and hums. Kinda like an old fashioned roller coaster when the car is moving to the top of the hill.
Just remember- when you're in the tube, time really is money and your goal is to get through the full run in a single pass.

[BoucheGirl02]

The tech/mri docs, whatever they are, have also offered me sedatives when I have gone in for the numerous MRI's that I have had which although I am somewhat claustrophobic, I choose not to take. I do count the ticks and whirs of the machine and almost always fall asleep on the longer scans. Make sure you are warm and if you don't feel like you will be throughout, let the person know before they leave the room if they don't ask. If they haven't offered you ear plugs and you opt for no music make sure to ask, it will help you relax. A book on tape/CD or download Kindle to your handheld if you happen to have a smartphone, they have hundreds of free and cheap books starting about .99.

[catmama]

Get comfy!

I had a 3 hour+ set of MRIs (Brain, C-Spine, T-Spine w/wo contrast) this past April, I'm used to the 45 minute Brain MRI, so this was a long exam for me.

Pray for a good tech, that always helps! The techs I have had are great, they tell me what there about to do and how long the sequence will last. I have never been offered any type of music, etc., though. I always take my heavy duty ear plugs with me, I have some that are specifically designed for small ears (Women's) and it really does make a difference as to how small I can get them and how far into the ear canal I can put them.

I do as some of the others have said, like what I'm going to eat as soon as I'm out (I usually don't eat or if I do, it is something very light, I am prone to heartburn, and the last thing I want is heartburn while I'm lying flat).
I think about where I might walk my dog the next time we're out, just anything to help pass the time.

The only negative thing that happened during this long MRI was that at about the half way point, I started feeling a pain in the back of my head, like a sharp point. I thought to myself, "This is weird, I didn't feel it before," and I knew that I had not moved my head at all. I did kind of casually ask the tech about it, and as I thought, she expressed in a very sympathetic voice, that it was something I would just have to deal with, or start the exam over. It was very difficult to keep my head perfectly still for the rest of the exam, but I did it.

When the exam was completed, she quickly pulled me out of the machine and helped me sit up, then we discovered that the padding on the occipital support was pretty much non-existant. Apparently I didn't feel it initially, but after time, it became an irritant to my head. Anyway, I would suggest that you apply some pressure to the supports and run your hand over them, see if anything is really noticable to you, if so, ask them to put a little more padding, towel, etc. to help it out.

Just try to relax, think good thoughts, and of course, check your comfort level before the exam begins!

Good Luck,
Cat

[nkh18]

My last MRI took 2 hours. I took in my favorite CD to listen to. I also take the time to pray and do mind games to pass the time - girls names, then boys names that start with the letters of the alphabet, such as Amy, Beth, Carla, etc. It helps pass the time. Some MRIs will have a mirror positioned so you'll have something to look at. Good Luck.

[SNOOPY]

Hello momof8,

I had a 2 1/2 hour MRI. I was given the option of getting out for a short break. It was my choice to stay in and keep going without a break. I didn't want to drag out the the time spent doing a MRI any longer than I needed to.

MRIs don't bother me in any way but, after being in it for that long I was quite stiff and it was painful to sit up or move.

My recommendation: If you have medication for spasticity it might be beneficial to take it before shooting the tube

[hdwhit753]

Sleep

I fall asleep during MRIs. I've been using the same imaging center long enough that they now have it in my chart to use the wire cage and pack pillows on either side so that my head doesn't move. Within a few minutes of being slid into the tube I'm asleep and the next thing I know is that they're pulling me out of the tube and telling me I'm done. And since my head doesn't move, they always get nice clear images that they can compare with the last set. If you can't relax enough to fall asleep on your own, maybe your doctor can give you a sleeping pill.

[momof8]

THANK you!

Thanks everyone for the advice & tips.

I did really well......there was no music and no moving at all, but the tech was really great about telling me how long different parts were going to be.

I did all sorts of alphabet lists - ABC's of foods, animals, people I know, celebreties, bands. I listed as many different places to eat there are in our hometown and surrounding cities. I made up a few other funny games.

It went faster than I thought it would and she said I was an MRI "rock star". Not something I'd want to do all the time, but not as awful as I thought it might be.