Mir Scan

[fruitsalad]

I have to have
Spine cervical
Spine Lumbar and sacral
Pelvis SIJ scanned, do you think I will need to go all the way in the tube, or maybe my head can stay out

[Sqad]

All the way.

[fruitsalad]

Gulp!!

[Bazile]

Are you claustrophobic?

[fruitsalad]

Yes Bazile

[mallyh]

does your hospital have an open scanner ?

[Peter Pedant]

basically it is your body
so you say how far it goes in

[TonyV]

mrs Tony had one nurses are really helpful and its not a big process and shows so much for doctors.

[TonyV]

She didn't feel anything just a buzz wen scan took place

[margarettom]

There are open scanners, but I think most of them are private. There is an NHS one in Birmingham. I am so claustrophobic I even had a panic attack with a CT scan and I never go in lifts, so it would have to be an open one for me.
You need to phone the hospital and discuss your problem and see what they suggest.

[jackthehat]

Providing you make them aware well in time, they can arrange a mild sedative for you.
Modern MRI scanners are open at both ends and it may be possible for you to have your head, or part of it outside, or at least not so far inside that it feels it is inside. I was able to look at an interesting mural on the ceiling of the scanner-room just by moving my eyes up towards the top of my head.
I have also had a couple of scans in an open scanner. In these you are posted in sideways and being open on 3 sides they are far more comfortable if you don't like being enclosed.

[237SJ]

I have had MRI on my neck. Obviously, you will be inside for that (I had a cage type of device over my head to keep my neck still). I`m not sure how deep the machines are but maybe there is a possibility that your head will come out of the other end of the scanner when you have the lower spine/sacral scanned. I`m not sure though. I just shut my eyes when I had it done. I was in contact with the staff there via headphones and it wasn't too bad really.

[AuntLydia]

I have recently had this done and had a go in a normal MRI scanner but had a panic attack so was rescheduled to an open scanner in a private clinic. Because it was lower back I was presented feet first into the scanner, though I still went in through the front not the side. It was like a huge polo mint it if that makes sense. I was in for 15 minutes and it is noisy but you can see out. I had a normal scan years ago and had diazapan but was told this is no longer available on the NHS. Ask for an open scanner if you are at all nervous otherwise you are just wasting your time and theirs, Good Luck!

[tinkerbell23]

I book MRI scans and
I would suggest that you may ask your GP for a sedative beforehand, if you are not an inpatient it may be difficult to get something prescribed!

Metal free eyemasks are usually allowed as are earplugs if they would help!!! Good luck xx

[silliemillie]

The worst things are keeping still and the boredom.

I once had one where they played music which was good but my recent one they didn't and I was in there for 45 minutes! I nearly fell asleep.

[Bazile]

45 minutes - that's a long time - what was the scan looking at ?

[fruitsalad]

I was told about 45 minutes, I will have a job getting up after that length of time, and having to keep still