Yesterday's MRI

So my day began yesterday with stress and a mild sedative. Sounds like fun eh?

Hubby and I ran a few errands before he took me to get an ice cream to ward off some of my nerves about having an MRI. I also took a muscle relaxer/sedative to help with the anxiety I was having, and to help ward of claustrophobia from being in a tiny, EXTREMELY NOISY, tube absolutely still for an hour.

We got to the imaging place early and began the paperwork, which hubby filled out for me because I was so nervous and medicated. They ask you a million questions about where you could possibly have metal in your body. If you have any metal ANYWHERE it could quite possible be ripped straight out of your body and sent into the very center of the machine (Which in my case happened to be where my head was). I happen to have metal in my head already, which cannot be removed. The tech said it "should be ok." Which is not a great comment to hear.

[Flash back: So the night before I was sitting on the computer researching MRI's, stressing myself out, when hubby sent me a link to Youtube. I open it...bad idea. It was a video of an oxygen tank being pulled into the magnetic force of an MRI at like 100mph and smashing through the machine. Opps. Then I saw another one of a chair being pulled into and stuck to the machine (this can happen at any time since they never "turn the machines off" 24/7).]

So, I heard the nurse say it "should" be ok and I was thinking of the oxygen tank. Talk about adding to ones stress level. We were then whisked away to the back where we both had to remove anything with metal. Hubby was going to sit by the machine so, he had to be relatively metal free too. As we neared the MRI room the loud road construction sounds that we heard in the waiting room got louder and louder. We soon realized, as we entered the room, that that was the sound the machine made when it was NOT being used. GREAT! What about when it is...

So they had me put in ear plugs (and hubby- oh great) and lay down on the very skinny "tray" they send you into the machine on. Then they asked me to put my head back into the head holder dodad (technical term). They asked me whether or not I wanted a wash cloth over my eyes. I said yes (the BEST decision ever). They covered my eyes, put a cage around my head (which is called a coil) and then stuffed pads around my head so it stayed put in the cage. I WAS NOT EVEN IN THE MACHINE YET. BAH!

So, they asked me if I was ok. I guessed so. As ok as anyone with their ears plugged, eyes covered, and a cage around there head can be before they get stuck in a tiny tube that has a potentially fatal magnetic charge.

Cutting to the chase now, I promise. So, they sent me into the tube of horrors and the noises began. For each series of images the machine takes it makes varying pitches and clunking sounds. The sounds were LOUD, LONG, VIBRATING AND VERY NERVE WRECKING. It is really SO much louder than you expect. If you don't wear hearing protection it could potentially hurt your hearing. The annoying thing is that it starts and stops so, it makes you jump even though you are trying to be perfectly still. The worse set of pictures was accompanied by sounds of increasing pitch, speed, and vibrations. My heart rate and anxiety level rose to an alarming "Get me the heck OUT OF HERE NOW" type of level...so much for the muscle relaxer. Not fun.

Add to all of that, the sensation that your skin is getting slightly warm and you think you are being tunneled into the depths of...you know where.

There was one and only one thing that got me through it with out going insane. My hubby. He was right there the whole time holding my hand. He couldn't say anything to me because of the deafening sounds but, he was there. Stroking my hand and my leg. Letting me squeeze the crap put of his hand for like half an hour. For that I am extremely blessed and grateful. I could not have done it without him right there by my side.

Now comes the waiting for the results...

Me

If you would like to see more about how my day went, visit this Youtube video. It explains all about MRI's and you can hear the AWFUL sounds the machines make.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j_D_sLKj4M