Soooooooo you're having an MRI...

I've had a lot of medical tests done recently. I was having strange, and yet, horrible abdominal pain, and it was stumping my doctors. After I went to the ER (That whole story is HERE) and had a CT scan, they found a weird spot on my liver. While they didn't think it was anything to worry about, they still wanted me to have an MRI just in case. 

Yeah, that's the little itty bitty machine that I was supposed to spend a half hour to an hour in. Good thing I'm not clausterphobic, but I do have anxiety and am prone to panic attacks, so I wasn't sure how it would go. 

So I got to the imaging clinic, filled out all my paperwork and waited for like, ever. Honey Graham was with me and he took care of holding all my stuff for me and updating my friends and family. 

Finally, they came to get me and brought me down the hall to the MRI room. It was pretty freaky and there were all these warning signs, which didn't make my anxiety any better. 

The door to the outside of the MRI area had a Zone 1 sign, which means that the area is accessible to everyone and there's only a magnetic field of less than 5 Gauss units. 

There was a small waiting area and then another door with another sign warning us about Zone 2. Zone 2 is still considered a general public area, but there's a stronger magnetic field and you're supposed to be supervised by an MRI tech. 

I entered this big room with a bathroom, a couple of lab rooms, some lockers, and a changing room. There was also a hallway to where the MRI tech supervises over the MRI and the MRI room itself. It was already sort of loud in there and the thing wasn't even turned on! The Zone 3 sign was between the bathroom and the changing room, and it means that the area where the magnetic field is strong enough to present a physical hazard to unscreened patients and workers. 

There was a Zone 4 sign on the room of the MRI machine itself, and there's something unnerving about knowing you're going to go into a big room with a big DANGER sign on it... Zone 4 means there's the highest magnetic field and greatest physical risk. No magnetic objects are allowed past this point. 

I was escorted to the changing room where I had to remove everything (except my wedding ring, which was stuck and wouldn't come off, but they said it was okay since it's a gold ring... your techs may have different rules depending on where you're getting the MRI). I changed into a hospital gown and put all my belongings, glasses, and clothes into the locker next to the room. I had a (non-magnetic) key that I was allowed to bring into the MRI room and put on the table against the wall. 

I walked past the area where the tech does the computer work and saw the MRI machine in there. (this is not my photo, but it looked exactly the same) 

Yep, another danger sign. If you have any sort of pacemaker or any other medical apparatus that can be affected by a magnetic field, you could be in trouble... I think that's why they have all those signs around. 

Then I got walked over to the MRI machine. The tech asked me all sorts of questions, including if I could be pregnant, if I had any pacemakers, if I was taking metformin (which I am, but it's okay), if I have any allergies to any contrast materials, and even if I have a living will. 

She quickly took my vitals to make sure I could handle it. My BP and pulse were pretty high but I was very nervous and it was to be expected. 

There was a sort of backboard sitting on the MRI, and apparently that's where the camera was to take the photos of my liver and abdomen. 

Then it was time to get the IV for the contrast. You get the tourniquet and then a needle in the hand. The first IV failed, so my hand was bruised for about 10 days! 

Once the IV is in, they flush it with a little bit of saline and then get you ready to get hooked up to the contrast material. 

Then I had to lie down on the backboard, being careful not to move my IV. She strapped on this weird brace over me (this also is not my photo, but it's the best picture I could get) that also was a camera. I had to have my arms up over my head the whole time, but fortunately, even though I have slightly tight shoulders, this wasn't really a problem and I could move a tiny bit between scans if I needed to. It helped that I could wiggle my toes too. Hey, I'm a drummer and a bassist... I have to move! 

I was given a device that looked like one of those stress balls and was told to squeeze it if I had any problems, and I'd be pulled out. 

Then, I was given earplugs and was told there'd be all sorts of clicks and beeps and other noises. It would be loud. 

Finally, I was given a cushion for my legs to rest on since I'd be in there for 30-60 minutes. 

Then it was time. The table moved into the MRI machine and the "fun" started. At first, they just started with the baseline images, so there was no holding my breath or anything. It was indeed very loud, and there was a variety of beeps, squeals, and clicks. Once she got good baseline images, then I was given instructions to take a deep breath in, then blow it out and not to breathe or move. This is the part I had trouble with. I have no problem taking a deep breath and holding it, but MAN, it was SOOOOO HARD to not breathe back in again. Plus, I was already anxious about the whole thing, so it was tough. Finally, the tech told me I could breathe shallow and it should be good enough. That was a big help, but it was still hard. I never did figure out a good way to do it, and we had to retake some of the images since I accidentally breathed in too soon a couple of times. Phew. I was given the contrast material at some point, but I didn't notice anything like I did with the CT contrast. The only thing I felt was a little bit of warmth a few times as the magnets whirled around me inside the machine. I was also moved in and out of the machine a little bit so they could get different angles of my insides. 

Finally, I was done, and was pulled out of the machine. She flushed my IV again with saline and told me that was it. I was able to get my glasses and my key, but I had a HIDA gallbladder scan next, so I was told to just stay in my gown and she'd walk me over there. Normally, you'd have your IV taken out now and be allowed to get dressed and go home. 

That actually was the worst part of the whole MRI experience: having to walk around a back hallway in just my gown to get to the nuclear medicine area. It was COLD! 

I'll do another post about the HIDA scan, because it was a really weird experience. 

All in all, the MRI was pretty uneventful, but it was a little nerve-inducing. I can see how people with clausterphobia would be terrified of these machines. And I am not a small woman, and I didn't LIKE having the walls of the machine so close to me, but hey, I got it done, and the spots on my liver are harmless and will probably go away once my gallbladder is removed. 

Have you ever had an MRI? How was your experience?