tips for an enjoyable MRI

in the whirlwind of illness leading up to my diagnosis and treatment of ms, i had four MRIs. then just

two weeks ago i had a fifth. results were great this past time :) but the point i'm getting to is that when it comes to MRIs, i'm a pro.

for many, MRIs are nerve-wracking or uncomfortable. and for others, especially those with claustrophobia, MRIs can be frightful. i'd like to reach out to anybody in the population with an upcoming MRI to let them know it's not as dreadful as they may think. here are my tips to an enjoyable MRI.

schedule at a relaxing time

if you have a choice as to when you have your MRI, schedule it at your most relaxing time of day. this is, of course, person specific. my choice is first thing in the morning when the day has not had time to put me in a lousy frame of mind. nothing has happened. no one has approached me with a deadline or eaten my lunch out of the fridge. this last MRI i was able to schedule on sunday which was even more amazing because there was no traffic and very little people crowding the hospital.

the best time for you may be as an escape on your lunch break or later on toward dinner. you schedule for you.

wear the right outfit

this is no joke. wear your favorite and most snuggly, comfy sweats. i also recommend socks and sneaks. no zippers or snaps. and if you are a woman, no hooks and underwires in your bra. so i suggest a sports bra. wearing an outfit with no metal allows you the comfort of wearing your own clothes and not a hospital gown. who designed those crazy things anyways?? i mean they fit no one.

plan to go alone

here's the thing. it may sound like a good idea to have a spouse, family member, friend with you, especially if you are scared of what this MRI might mean. however, you will probably not be getting results right away. generally you hit your doctor appointment a day or two later to discuss. so you won't need a friend for support.

bringing someone along only has the potential to make this MRI more difficult. on the ride in you have to talk to this person. you will likely discuss the possibility of poor results. this can only add stress to the task currently at hand. additionally, an MRI can take a while. perhaps you will feel bad that your support person is now out in the waiting area alone. that too can stress you out and make you feel bad.

listen to a soundtrack

on your way to your MRI listen to your kind of music. music that makes you happy, content, or relaxed. if possible listen to your iTunes or Pandora. what you don't want is talk or news radio. the woes of the world do not need to be on your plate at this particular time on this particular day.

prep for comfort

once in the MRI room, you want to take measures to ensure your comfort for the extent of the MRI. earplugs are given and you should be sure they are snug and therefore will be effective. some MRI facilities have padded headphones. if this is the case, feel free to request a particular kind of music.

if you are one who suffers from claustrophobia you may want to consider an eyemask of sorts. if you can't see the confines of the MRI machine you perhaps won't be affected by your fear. some eyemasks even have aromatherapy properties which can add another layer to your relaxation.

one last issue to consider is the temperature of the MRI room. typically it's cold and can be too cold while laying still for over an hour. request a blanket to be safe. you will not regret it.

meditate to relax

the first part of your meditation is to do a body scan. think of every part of your body from your head to your toes and make sure to relax each body part. pay close attention to the area of interest as it is important to keep that area from moving during the MRI. if you are carrying tension in that area and you don't realize it, you may find you need to move at an inopportune time.

the second part of your meditation requires you to go to a happy place. envision a place in this world that makes you incredibly happy. for best results this should be a place you have actually been to. try to choose a place where things are happening and there are many things to see. remember this vision needs to last for your entire MRI. it can't just be one place with one scene.

my happy place is catalina island off the coast of southern california. i'm snorkeling...weightless...floating on the top of the sea...drifting in and out of the kelp beds...oodles of bait fish are passing by...maybe bat rays are flying through the water...a seal swimming towards me...  as you can see this vision can go on for some time :)

putting some thought into your MRI ahead of time can make all the difference. you may find that you even enjoy this time to yourself!

~j