MRI SCAN

Claustrophobia is a real terror.

The fear of enclosed and dark spaces traumatizes people suffering from it: severe anxiety, panic attack, hyperventilation, and the fear of losing control causes extreme distress. 

If you are claustrophobic, you can avoid your triggers, but what about situations concerning your health conditions or diagnostic procedures such as MRI scans?

Indeed, when your physician prescribes you to take an MRI scan imaging services, you can’t skip it. It is quite integral to understand the inside images of your body.

So, how can you handle keep your nerves calm and control your claustrophobia during magnetic resonance imaging?

To prevent you from your horrifying MRI-related stories, we will tell you how you can handle your claustrophobia during the procedure!

Tips to Control Claustrophobia during MRI Scan

• Make Use of your Imagination

Indeed, you cannot just keep your mind off the process, but you must play well with your mind. To distract yourself, you can think about happy moments of your life. Think about anything you love or what brings a smile to your face. Easier said than done, right? 

Yes, it is.

We know it because it is not going to be easy when you are between two large magnets in a confined space. You have to work hard for this. The continuous effort of distracting yourself will take your mind to a happy place or your beloved memory.

This is a thing about the human mind. When you continuously try to get into the details of a good memory, it initially seems like a demanding job, but eventually, it can effectively distract you.

• Prepare Beforehand

When you know what you are jumping into, the process becomes easier. Well, it is not easier, but the familiarity of the procedure mentally prepares you for what’s to come, right? Learn how the MRI scan imaging procedure works, its duration, requirements, the noise machine makes, and more. When you familiarize yourself with every step of the schedule, you will know what you are going in for and what you will need to distract yourself from.

You may talk to your physician or the technician who is there with you during the magnetic resonance imaging procedure. Ask them questions and get the most knowledge you can before you dip your toes in the water. They may give you answers that will enable you to calm yourself.

• Wear an Eye Mask

Be the pigeon that closes eyes when it sees the incoming danger. If you see yourself going through it all, you will get anxious. What you can do is keep your eyes closed or wear an eye mask. It will help you feel at home. When you don’t see where you are, you will not feel trapped. The eye mask will also rid you of the temptation to look around and feel anxious about it. Take an MRI scan like your me-time where you can close your eyes, think about everything, and contemplate. When you dive deep into your thoughts, what’s going on in your surroundings will not matter.

• Keep Talking

Talk to the technician! During MRI scan services, you are not just left alone between massive magnets. You have a technician who you can talk to via headphones or any other means of communication. The technician will inform you of everything that is going on, and you can also ask them questions. To stay composed, you can initiate a conversation about random topics. Divert your attention and discuss your favorite TV shows or movies, talk to them about the weather or your job or anything that will keep your mind off the MRI scan imaging. 

• Play Music

If you don’t want to talk and maintain silence, you may ask your technician to play music for you.

During magnetic resonance imaging, you get the choice to listen to music through headphones you wear during the procedure. You are also allowed to bring your device or CD.

It will help you play your favorite music and take your mind to a better place than just a dark and quiet hole with creepy machine noise. Make sure your playlist has all the happy songs that you enjoy during MRI. Happy songs smoothly take your mind off and steady your nerves. 

• Take your Support 

When you have someone to support you, you will feel less scared of the enclosed bore. 

While you are inside the bore, your friend or a loved one can stay with you and hold your ankles instead of your hands. Although, before you take your friend inside, they will also be checked to remove magnetic materials and get the technician’s approval.

The physical presence of someone who cares for you allows you to get ease off a little. 

• Play Mental Game

Your imagination is like a color palette. You can make various beautiful paintings with a bunch of colors. Similarly, you can expand your imagination too.

Explore your creative side and create some interesting mental games for your 15 to 25 minutes’ procedure. Start with regular or backward counting. Counting slowly kills time faster during MRI scan imaging services and keeps your mind focused on the digits and the counting sequence. 

Moreover, if you are a daydreamer, creating scenarios in your head won’t be a problem. Wander your mind and make scenarios. Travel to your favorite destinations inside your head. With a piece of good music playing on your headphones, you can develop soothing and innovative ideas. 

• Open MRI Scan

 If none of the above tips work for you, the open MRI scan option is here for the rescue!

It is open on all four sides that won’t trigger your claustrophobic anxiety. Open MRI scan is the best fit that provides you a breathing room, comfort, and clean sight.

The image quality of an open MRI scan is the same as the traditional MRI. It is considered comparatively better than the former procedure. Your friend or a family member can also accompany you throughout the MRI imaging services.  

Open MRI NJ at AQMDI has the most qualified radiologists on board. With advanced machines for your open MRI, you will surely get quick and accurate results and say goodbye to your claustrophobic MRI scan concerns. Here, all your radiology-based needs are well catered to. 

Claustrophobia comes with inconveniences, but that doesn’t have to stop you from gauging your health conditions and early diagnosis. MRI the affordable imaging can be challenging for you, but we hope the procedure is not terrifying with our tips.