Breast is head down . My arms were by my side , not above my head .
I’ve had a neck MRI years ago . TBH , I found this one much easier , as you can’t actually see anything x
I was on my tummy so wasn’t able to “see” I was enclosed if that makes sense. Was like being face down for a massage with one arm outstretched for the contrast IV. That said if they can give you something to help that would be good. Propanalol is good for anxiety attacks too x
Hello all,
I am extremely claustrophobic and had to have a breast MRI. I use Xanax to fly, so I had some at home. I took it about 45 minutes before my MRI and was able to get through. Like some other people mentioned, I was face down going in feet first so I didn’t see anything, I have trouble with a face cradle when getting a massage but this was a bit better, they gave me headphones and played dance music. However, I could hear them and they could hear me. I also asked them to give me an occasional update on how much time was left. Some people may find that helpful. Lastly, I told myself that if I couldn’t do it, then I couldn’t do it to take pressure off myself. Hope this helps!
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Hi all
I am extremely claustrophobic. I was referred for a spinal mri earlier this year, and was very anxious about it. I researched mri procedures online, and was able to watch the procedure via utube from my local hospital. Some hospitals use mri scanners with a wider opening, which I found to be less claustrophobic. My gp prescribed diazepm 2mg x 4 tabs. I took them several hours apart before the procedure, and they took the edge off my anxiety, without feeling at all woosy. The staff were lovely, and spoke to me throughout. I felt hugely reassured, and would not feel anxious should i need an mri in the future, due to all these factors. Hope this helps. Good luck x
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…i should have typed the gp prescribed diazepam x2 tablets, not 4! I took 2 tabs, hours apart.
Hi @anna24 thanks for giving us the insight following your experience. I had the MRI yesterday. Was dreading it as I had had very disturbing dreams of being trapped over the previous three nights so not much sleep. I took 5mg of diazepam before the procedure. Luckily it was much better than anticipated mainly because it is a modern, private hospital (Nuffield) and has a more modern MRI machine than the NHS one in which I had had a massive panic attack. I was allowed to go in feet first which meant the top of my head peeked out of the end and I could see the ceiling of the room (although eyes were scrunched tight for most of the time) which helped. If I had known that beforehand I might not have needed the Valium, which gave me a headache and made me feel bleurk for the rest of the day. Having said that, they strapped some sort of heavy thing over me and put my left arm inside the strapping (catheter was in the crook of the elbow) which might have caused the panic to bubble up if not for the sedation. On reflection, I would ask to see the machine prior to the procedure and then determine whether to have sedation or not. MRI machines must be phenomenally expensive but I do hope that all hospitals, whether NHS or private, eventually replace the old-fashioned tubes with more modern machines which look more like CT scanners. Merry Christmas to you and let us hope that there are no more MRIs for us during 2025!!!
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Contact your GP, mine prescribed diazepam and I sailed through the MRI this time.
I had my first MRI today. It was fine in that I don’t get claustrophobic but it was quite undignified having to plop your boobs into the holes. I kept my eyes shut the whole time even though I was facing down and it was well lit. My face was on a headrest so there was a decent gap between my eyes and the bottom of the MRI
It was the noise that was most surprising although a friend had warned me. She has them for her MS. They are so noisy, the headphones helped but gherd was no music playing. Maybe I should have asked for music.
Anyway, I had my first nightmare the night before - dreamt the MRI was a blue metal coffin with the feet end open. It’s absolutely nothing like that at all. Funny how the mind plays tricks tho.
Onwards to surgery in 3 weeks and I’ve no idea what to expect there. Guess I’ll find out next week!
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I also suffer from claustrophobia. I was surprised that the MRI machine was relatively open. They are bigger than they used to be - I suspect because people are getting bigger. Also laying face down really helped as it felt more like a massage table than the awful sensation of having the ‘roof’ inches from your nose. But most importantly, my husband was allowed in with me, and he sat at the open head end and held my hand all the way through the scan. I could also have had a sedative if I wanted, but just having someone there and knowing that I could press a panic button if I wanted got me through it. After a few MRIs I felt quite blasé about it, which I would never have thought possible.
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Hello
I found this thread while waiting for my MRI. I am claustrophobic. Okay with lifts and planes (usually) but not smaller spaces. I had a failed MRI before.
I wanted to say, in case it helps someone, that I managed to do my breast MRI with diazepam that my GP prescribed. I was also taking propranolol at the time. I took 5mg diazepam about an hour before the appointment and then another 3mg maybe 15 minutes beforehand when I realised I was still quite anxious.
They had to take me out a couple of times initially but they let my husband come and hold my hand. The radiographer was really kind. After the advice I read here I didn’t look at the scanner at all (they told me it was the widest bore scanner available - I want to say 80cm?). I kept my eyes closed for most of the time.
It was still quite hard but I kept imagining that the space around me was really big and light and that it wasn’t going to be too much longer. The radiographer told me how long each sequence would be before it started. Most were a few minutes. The whole thing took maybe 30 - 40 minutes. The longest one was the one with the contrast dye which the radiographer said was the most important one and couldn’t be interrupted without needing to redo the scan another day. I think that was 15 minutes.
The noises were odd. The worst one sounded like a fire alarm. That one started to really freak me out and it took a lot not to panic.
There is no way I could have done it without the diazepam / propranolol. I would have - and did, the last time - panicked. With the diazepam it was hard but do-able.