Expert tips for improving the MRI experience
Be nice to the technician(s) who run the machine.
If you're anxious about being in the tube ask the technician to talk to you between scans. Some scans are as short as 15 minutes while others can be as long as an hour and a half (depending on why your doctor needs the images). They'll say things like, "This next one will take 45 seconds ... This one will be three minutes and followed by another at five minutes." I feel better when know what to expect. Also, they can hear you talking while they use the intercom.
Ask for extra blankets when you lay down in the machine. It can be chilly in there.
Learn how to use the ear plugs like a rock star. Roll the squishy plugs into a small point. Stick the small part into your ears, and hold the large end in your outer ear as the small point expands.
Request padding around your head to block the noise. Most of my MRIs are of the brain and technicians don't want me to move my head. To help, they fit padding around the head and cover my ears. In addition to earplugs the pads block noise. If your MRI is not of the brain you can still request the head padding.
Ask for the alert ball. Techs don't always tell you they can give you a squishy ball on a cable to hold while you're in the machine. If you squeeze the ball it acts as alert that something is wrong. They will stop the scan and ask if you are OK.
Close your eyes and never open them in the machine. Once they have you in place they'll feed you into the long round hole that is the Magnetic Radiance Imaging machine. I've never opened my eyes, so I have no visual of what it looks like in there and I have nothing to fear of the tight space.
Accept that the scans are LOUD. You might flinch as each one begins, but this is normal. Each scan has unique tones and rhythms. I focus on the tones and make up music in my head to go along with the scans. There's one pattern that passes as the Red Hot Chile Pepper's cover of "Higher Ground". I often drift in and out of sleep to the tones.
Keep your eyes closed when they pull you out for the contrast injection. Keeping your eyes closed maintains your sleepy state. Ask the tech to use paper tape as adhesive for the cotton ball they use as a band-aid. (The plastic tape might irritate your skin.)
Take your time sitting and standing up when they pull you out of the machine. Laying still can make you sleepy or dizzy.
