I survived the MRI. I got there, they took my vitals (bp 110/84 – whoo hoo!) and then they had me take the super happy fun pills. I sat in a chair and read a magazine for about 30 minutes, and I thought I didn’t feel any different. Then I tried to stand up. Uh, yeah. They were definitely working!
I didn’t get nervous until I saw the MRI machine. I got to have a special cage thing around my head with things in there to keep my head VERY STILL for 40 minutes. I thought it would be ok, I kept telling myself that I could do it. I laid down and closed my eyes. They started to zoom me back into the machine. Then it happened. The walls were touching my arms and it started to freak me out, so I started squeezing the “get me out” button they gave me. They pulled me back out, I told them I would be ok, I just had to make sure I had my arms crossed on my chest so they didn’t touch the sides. I shook it off, laid back down, closed my eyes – I did not want to see the thing around my head – and they zoomed me back in. I did fine.
Towards the end they had to bring me out to put an IV in my arm for the contrast. I have no veins, and had said it was ok to use a butterfly beforehand. Instead the tech tried to use my arm, then my wrist (which I told her had also been used before for IVs.) Her first attempt on my right wrist ended up being very painful, and I now have a lovely raised up hematoma there. The other nurse came in and did the IV in my left hand and then it was back into the tube for me for the last 5 minutes worth of tests.
I still feel funky from the combination of the super happy fun pills and the contrast. It hurts to bend my right wrist at the moment too. I have a lot more to say, but I’ll save it for later when I’m up to writing more. For now, we’ll just say it is a small world. A very, very small world. In a very good way.
6 replies on “I Made It!”
I had an MRI back in October, but they didn’t give me any happy fun pills, instead I was told to drink two litres of prep to distend my GI tract so they could see more. I was fine up until when I had to hold my breath, then my dormant asthma started acting up and I couldn’t hold my breath for more than 15 seconds. The next day I lost my voice for about two weeks.
The MRI machine I was put into was an illuminated blue colour and they had so-called calming images everywhere. I felt the urge to be sarcastic and say “oh yes, the backlight palm tree pictures are so helping me forget that you are injecting contrast into me and shoving me in a confined tube”, but I resisted.
I hope you get some results from your MRI and whatever is wrong is treated quickly. Waiting games aren’t fun.
I’m quite impressed that, despite your fear and anxiety, you managed to take a picture of the MRI machine. A truly committed blogger.
Hope your test results bring you some good answers.
MRIs freak me out too. I’ve now had five. The head one was the weirdest with that cage thingy.
Glad you made it out alive!
I hope the MRI provided some answers. I’ve been through that hell – the confinement, weird noises, knocking… I’m sending happy hopeful thoughts your way.
Stupid me decided to check out your sidebar while I was commenting and I lost my damn comment!
As I was saying, I hate MRI’s too. I’m always afraid that something’s going to happen while I’m in there, like the power going out and I’ll be stuck inside that damn thing. Uggh.
Glad to hear you made it through in one piece. Thank goodness for small miracles, eh? 😉
Congrats on making it through! I’ve never had an MRI, but that really doesn’t sound fun at all.