My First MRI Scan
Having a MRI scan is not something I had ever expected to need. I guess sometimes we think of things and assume that it will never be us in that situation, or its something you don't even think about. But life has a way of throwing the unexpected right in our faces, whether that be good or bad!
My hips and legs for example.. If someone had told the eighteen year old me that by the time I was twenty I would be suffering daily in pain and something as simple as walking would become almost a task that I would dread but bear-through, I probably would have laughed and told them that only elderly people or really injured people have problems like that, not someone young and starting their life. But that's not how the world works, you can never assume and expect, you just have to kind of go with the flow and hope for the best!
Hospitals, Doctors and Specialist appointments seem to have become a regular occurrence in my planner the last 6 months or so, with endless consultations, blood tests, X-rays etc... and if I'm completely honest, it can bring me down sometimes, but it also makes me faithful that whatever is wrong will be found soon, I mean, they can only do so many test until they have to right?
The day of the MRI I was an absolute nervous wreck! I'm not someone who likes to show that I'm nervous, but I think sometimes my body language can give me away... I felt sick for a good 2 hours before my appointment, my heart way going, and I found myself either not speaking much at all or nervously over-speaking about anything and everything!
I have no idea what I was expecting to happen, but it was something new and almost alien to me, I didn't know what it was, what it would be doing and that scared me a little.
Once I was at the hospital and in the correct area, I had to change into one of those horribly patterned gowns that patients wear and sit there awkwardly in an empty room listening to what sounded like roadworks or machines breaking, - which I later found out is actually the MRI machine - whilst I waited for another patient to be finished in the securely locked room where the equipment is kept and locked for magnetic and radio wave reasons.
Once it was my turn, I entered the room and had to lay on the machine and was given a button I could press if I couldn't handle it in there and wanted to come out, I was also told that you have to be completely still, not even twitching of the fingers or toes, the machine will pick it up if you do and you will need to restart the process. I then had headphones put on, with the radio playing, because you are warned before you start about the loudness of the machine whilst it works, and then I was moving, and stopping inside.
Surprisingly it is nowhere near as claustrophobic as I had been imagining and worrying about for days, but I still kept my eyes closed anyway to make sure I was relaxed and could concentrate on not moving!
There is a huge light close to your head so it is well lit up in the machine, but after laying there for a few minutes I certainly started to feel the heat coming from it, but luckily for me it was nothing too powerful, as I had began to worry that I would feel claustrophobic if I began to get too warm in such a small space.
And if I'm honest, it is a lot easier to be completely still than I could have ever imagined, especially as I am someone who when in bed suddenly gets little itches everywhere and constantly moves! I'm sure I must be terrible to sleep next to! But with the radio on and music playing to help distract you from the ridiculously loud sounds next to your head, it makes it very easy to focus on the music playing and your breathing.
To my relief it was over in about 15-20 minutes and once I was out, I honestly wanted to laugh at myself for being so ridiculous and over-dramatic, as it really was nothing scary at all!
Although it was loud and left me a little stiff, I do not know what I was thinking, if I moved the machine would crush me or something maybe? No idea!! But I was a huge wimp about the whole thing and even now it makes me smile that I was so crazily nervous.
So now I just have to wait...
The MRI images have to be looked at by a specialist, a Radiologist if I am correct, then the results and next steps will be discussed at my follow-up appointment.
Please let me know either in the comments below or on any of my social media accounts if you would like an 'update / results' post in the future.
If you also have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask and leave a comment.
