I HATE MS: What Doctors Need to Know #4

MRI “claustrophobia” does not necessarily require pills

In a previous post, I talked about how I think MRIs make me very, very anxious. It has gotten to the point that I take an Ativan an hour before it so that I will chillax and just go to sleep. I find it very anxiety-producing because there are such high stakes to what the MRI test will reveal. Are the drugs working to stop the progression of the illness? Are there new lesions on my spine or brain that did not exist before? Have the sheaths of my nerves magically healed themselves? Am I permanently or just temporarily screwed?

The United States loves a market-based solution. This includes doctors writing prescriptions for an anti-anxiety medication when there are a number of ways to reduce anxiety around getting an MRI. I will share some of the ways I have been able to reduce MRI anxiety beyond filling an Ativan prescription.

There are simple things that people can do to prepare for the MRI.

1. Ask for the wider machine.

Not all MRI machines are created equal. Some machines are actually constructed to be slightly wider so that when you're in the machine, your arms are not always touching the sides to make you feel like you are lying in a coffin. Since the United States is a society that is larger than most other western societies, we need bigger machines to accommodate our larger bodies. The wider machines reduce the feeling of claustrophobia while you are getting images done of your brain and spine.

Some facilities even have different sizes of MRI machines. By chance, I got access to a wider machine when I was in Philadelphia and in Chicago. Once I experienced the wider machine, I gave up on that feeling of being squished into a circular grave. Never again, is what I told myself.

Three skinny, smiling, pale people smile with their heads poking out of the MRI machine as a vote of confidence for us fatties.

2. Bring a washcloth or a sleep mask.

White brunette, blue sleep mask in bed with bleached teeth and white sheets.

Having something to cover your eyes while you’re in the machine is really helpful for distancing yourself from what is happening inside of the machine. If there’s nothing interesting for you to look at but closing your eyes is hard for you, put something over your eyes. I’ve only been to one or two places where they had a washcloth to cover my eyes. Most places never offered to cover my eyes.

3. Bring a friend.

The best MRIs that I've had are the ones in which I was able to bring a friend or family member into the room with me. Not all facilities allow you to do this so it's a godsend when they do. My brother Chidi, my mother, and my friends Natalia, Onoso, and Jennay have all come into the room with me. They place their hands on my foot while I am inside of the machine. Above the loud sounds of the machine, my brother Chidi sang Elton John. I made Natalia sing old Shakira songs from her first few albums in Spanish.

There is usually a moment in which I freak out and jiggle my leg vigorously. This is when they pat my foot and let me know that they're with me and I am not in a tomb waiting for angels to roll away a stone and let me out.

If you bring a friend, remember that they cannot havd any metal on them. That means no earrings, no watches, no cell phone. Ever since that dude died wearing a huge chain in the room after his wife finished getting an MRI, I don't even want my friends wearing an underwire bra! Having somebody by your side while you're undergoing the procedure makes it a lot easier.

MRIs suck. These are some practices neurologists and their patients should know about if they “get claustrophobic” getting an MRI.