You may go your entire life without experiencing the phenomenon that is having an MRI, in which case this article may confuse you. Or you could be much like me, and have lied in the machine multiple times, thinking many of these thoughts. These are many that I went through the first time I went through the screening, but many of them I still have every time I go back through. Sorry if I forgot any big things that you may go through as you are starting the 30 minutes of laying very still.
1. “OK, this can’t be that bad.”
They tuck the pillows in the right spots, anchor your body parts in certain places and you find a way to get comfortable. For now, your job is to simply lie very still for the next half hour. That can’t be that hard right?
2. “Oh, OK. That is really loud.”
They warn you about the sounds that the machine will make before it all begins, but you can’t imagine it until it happens. It is a lot of "knocking" and what seems like noises surrounding your body. Because, well there is a giant magnet rotating around your body.
3. “Why is this thing so tiny?”
If you have the MRI done on a part of you in which you have to go fully into the machine this is always a thought. The top seems to be right on your nose, the sides are squishing you. Not good for someone with claustrophobia.
4. “I have an itch. And another. Oh, god, I itch so much.”
Seriously? I was completely comfortable until they said to not move at all. Why does everything itch? Then the procedure is over, you are able to move again, and nothing itches anymore.
5. “Ooooh music. Yes, I love this song. Oh, could this machine be a little quieter, I can’t hear my jam.”
You start to feel a little more comfortable with the music playing, but then the knocking starts again and you can no longer hear it. Not only that, your jam comes on and you can’t dance because, well, you can’t move.
6. “Why do they keep talking to me? Can they hear my reply or do they assume?”
Throughout the scan the nurse will usually speak into your headphones checking on you, updating you on the process and how long you have. But every time I have a scan I wonder, can they hear my reply? Sometimes you may even forget they can’t see you and just shake your head.
7. “This is like a built-in nap time!” (Then you fall asleep and are awoken by the nurse very confused)
In the past couple months I have had three MRIs, two of them while I was still going to college. On the bright side, I used the 30 to 45 minutes of uninterrupted time to take a small nap. When the nurse told me this was common, I felt better. Even though I was going to do it anyway. It is quite the experience to wake up confused in a giant magnet, though.
8. “I’m hungry”
No matter if I just ate before I crawled into the machine, or haven’t eaten all day, once I climb out off the bed (or shall I say slab you lie on?) I am always hungry. Maybe it’s all in my brain, or the magnet messes with my stomach, but every time.
