Posted by Lupercal on July 4, 2001, at 3:44:52
In reply to Re: MRI of head experience » Judy, posted by Craig on July 4, 2001, at 3:20:20
> I thought I had to remain still for the entire 45 minutes that I was in the machine, so it is great news to hear that there are breaks after every 2-3 minutes. How much can you move around during the brief breaks? What if I needed to sit up at some point - would they pull me out during a break or is that only a last resort? Is your head elevated at all in the machine? I sleep on three pillows at night or I have trouble breathing (mostly sinus related), so laying with my head flat on the table for very long could be a problem.
>
> If I'm only having an MRI of my head, will everything from my shoulders down remain outside of the machine? And finally.... are they going to make me wear one of those damn hospital gowns?!!! ;-)Ok, let's see... first of all, this is assuming you have the same sort of machine as I was in. They do differ a little. But this would be the most confining sort. I actually couldn't tell how much of my body was inside the machine (which has to be a good sign), but certainly your shoulders and upper torso will be. Try to fold your arms across your chest or keep them close to your sides. Having them brush against the sides of the machine reinforces any sense of confinement you might have. If you don;t come into physical contact with the sides of the machine, you would have no reason to suspect you were inside it (especially if your eyes are closed. I'd recommend that method, if the machine doesn't have the mirror-arrangement like mine did.)
I don't think your head will be elevated, but I could be wrong.
It may differ somewhat with you, but in my case there were about a half dozen different scans. These ranged in length from 15 second up to about 4 minutes. They slid me out between scans, so the longest I was in there at any one time was probably 5 minutes (they did do the last two without a break, but I think they'd have given me one if I'd asked for it)
And no, you should be able to wear your own clothes. The only thing that has to come off is anything metallic. e.g., armour would be a problem ;)
Tim
poster:Lupercal
thread:68788
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010701/msgs/68922.html