MRI & Claustrophobia. An Error That Changed My Approach

One lapse changed my MRI experience forever. I share that experience and how I handle an MRI now despite having severe claustrophobia and panic attacks because of that lapse.

Me. In an MRI machine. Claustrophobic? Never.

I lie.

Well, I don’t, because that was my truth quite a few years back, and then one lapse, one error cost me this peace.

Over five years ago, my mother suffered a stroke – that was a lapse, an error too, but not what cost me my peace in an MRI.

Mum would have multiple brain MRIs where the sounds of the machine and being confined all made her cry, scream and be really afraid.

I would hold her hand, count her down through each set of imaging and along with mild sedatives she’d get through it, although taking longer than most people would.

I could feel her struggle but I could never relate to it. I couldn’t relate because I didn’t go through her sense of confinement and suffocation.

But it all changed for me. One lapse. That’s all it took.

In October 2015 as my legs gave way, I went through many scans, tests, outpatient procedures and regular hospital visits.

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In all the scans I went through, it’s the bone scan that’s one of the easiest ones to do.
But.

During the bone scan, I was lying down on the scan machine table. I wasn’t inside the machine like we do for MRIs, instead there is a mechanism that rotates around you and even if you go inside the machine, you don’t go in for too long.

So there I was, lying down, peacefully going through the scan, following all instructions of when I can and cannot move, when to close or open my eyes…

It was all going nicely, until the face scan began.

There was a scanning plate that moved from right above my face straight to my nose at rapid speed. I felt like my face was about to be confined, suffocated and smashed.

The technician forgot to tell me to close my eyes.

This was the lapse.

I saw the scanner move straight for my face and my body panicked – I felt I was about to be crushed and I had nowhere to go.

I cried out loud.

The technician came in and apologised for not letting me know.

I was struggling with my breath, I suddenly felt so scared which triggered dizziness and fluctuations in blood pressure (I was empty stomach for this test and I didn’t know at the time, but I also had POTS).

But it was all over soon. I was given my results right away and was diagnosed with arthritis in various areas – but I’ll discuss that on another day.

Umm… actually wait… did I say it was all over?

Nope. My nightmare in these machines had just begun.

The months ahead saw me go through six to seven CT scans and two MRIs – to that, add a few more in these five years.

As soon as I’d enter the machine, I’d feel it close in on me, about to crush me, suffocate me and there I was all restricted with no exit strategy.

The CT scans being shorter would be easier to manage, but during the MRIs I’d find myself going through panic attacks.

No matter how much I’d breathe slowly and count through each MRI sequence – I was clearly struggling.

Today, I still struggle.

But still, how do I get through it?

How to get through an MRI despite claustrophobia?

If you don’t have access to an open MRI and you suffer from claustrophobia – it’s a horrible feeling.

So in these regular MRI machines, I do a few things to reduce the anxiety and stress that I go through. It’s not 100% full proof, but it helps.

The most important way to get through an MRI is by being communicative.

I like to speak to the technician / radiologist and let them know a few things:

1. I ask to not be put in an additional restrictive casing, especially when they do a brain MRI because I don’t have an issue with being still, my issues is with feeling stuck and confined and additional casing leads to more panic.

2. I ask for the technician to keep informing me the length of each sequence and moments where I can take deeper breaths.

3. I ask to be given breaks outside of the machine, even if it’s for a minute.

4. I ask to have water or salt water handy in case my POTS is triggered and I feel dizzy. I usually carry this with me but not in a stainless steel bottle.

5. I ask to be treated with patience. Being rushed makes me more anxious.

During the MRI, this is what I do to keep calm:

1. I keep my eyes open as I go in the machine. Because if I suddenly open my eyes in a closed machine, I will panic. I talk to myself and tell myself that I am in a safe place and look to breathe normally.

2. Then when I feel comfortable, I close my eyes and tell myself stories, I take myself to a nice place in the hills or the beach – anywhere where I’m surrounded by open, fresh air in nature. Mentally I look to enjoy the openness which is the absolute opposite to my reality.

3. If I start to slowly feel the panic coming up – I try to stay focussed on breathing calmly.

4. If I don’t feel so good, whether it’s a panic attack or POTS, I ask for a break at the end of the sequence.

Before this bone scan episode, I would breeze through my MRIs, I was so comfortable that today I envy that version of me.

It’s strange and sad how this one lapse changed it for me.

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Do you feel claustrophobic during these imaging tests? If so, how do you handle them? It’d be great if you can share your tips.

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Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. I am a patient and have created this platform to share my experiences. This is all purely informative and in no way am I providing medical advice. Please consult a medical professional.