I've had more MRI's than I could possibly remember but I do remember my first ever MRI and being incredibly anxious about the thought of it- they really aren't anywhere near as bad as you think they may be so I thought I’d take the time to write a little bit about what to expect & how to prepare if you have an MRI.
The below advice is just my personal experience & each experience will depend on your scan & what it’s for/ who is undertaking it!
Firstly what is an MRI and why am I having one?
About MRI’s:
MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging.
Doctors only request MRI scans when absolutely necessary.
According to NHS guidelines it can last 15-90 minutes. Mine have usually taken 20-30mins
They can do lots of different types of scan & may do multiple scans in one sitting.
A great question to ask your doctor or radiographer is what the scans are or why they are doing them, I find knowing what scans I'm having and how many to expect really helps ease anxieties.
Before:
This is like any normal appointment you’ll sit in the waiting room & they’ll call your name. They might take your height and weight (I always ask them not to tell me mine!) Don’t worry about doing any kind of prep for the MRI unless they’ve asked you to!
What to wear:
They’ll ask you to take all your metal jewellery, belts, earrings, bras etc off so if you have difficult piercings like a belly bar or helix piercing maybe take them out at home to save you stressing before not being able to get them out
You sometimes have to wear one of those beautiful gowns, so I’d say wear something quick and easy to get on and off – I often opt for skirts in hospitals if they're planned trips! Underwired bras may need to come off too- depending on what body parts are going on the mri scanning machine!
The experience:
MRI’s with Tourette’s are a bit more stressful you have to stay really really still! If you experience pain it may be worth asking for a cushion or a block around the area as it can get a little uncomfortable. I find taking my hair out helps as I've had a hairband digging into my head before and it was really irritating!
2.
You’ll lie down on the bed and get given little rubber earbuds to protect your ears from the noise then ear defenders to wear on top. You’ll have a panic button on a long cable which you can squeeze at any time if you want to get out the machine.
3.
They will place a plastic cage type cover over your face if you are having a brain scan but it really isn’t as bad as it sounds – I tend to close my eyes or look for a piece of dirt or marking to focus on on the machine
4.
You’ll be moved back slowly by the electronic bed into the donut shaped machine, the medical staff conducting the scans can talk to you about what is happening throughout the whole process and you can press the button to get out at anytime, if you are having a head scan your lower legs and feet may not be in the machine- I often wiggle my toes as it makes me feel free!!.
5.
Sometimes they’ll play music which is quite muffled, others times they don’t, the noises the machine makes can be a little off putting but they’re totally normal! Just effectively a rumbling noise & a high pitch noise- it sounds a bit like a typewriter or a frequency wave, sometimes they can make you feel a bit shaken.
6.
You lie down for quite a while so might need to get up slowly afterwards if you have low blood pressure
7.
They will conduct multiple scans, an audio will announce 'scan one two minutes' then another etc.
8.
They can be quite uncomfortable so prepare to potentially be in a little bit of pain flare afterwards.
9.
One scan I had early on in the development of my tics, I had to be strapped onto the table (sounds like some kind of horror show but I promise it wasn’t) as my tics could not keep my head still, the staff gave me a mirror which was angled so I could see outside of the MRI machine where my mum sat, which really helped me with anxiety.
I hope this has helped you to ease any worries. It really isn’t as bad as you think it is! It’s just super noisy!
Most importantly have your nice treat planned afterwards as it is the rule for hospital appointments!
Let me know in the comments below if you have any top tips for preparing for an MRI scan!!!
Your typical MRI machine will look something like this. Mine was on a truck!
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