Well, this is my head, so I guess I'll be staring at a metal plate. Or, since I won't have my glasses, I won't be staring at much of anything at all. I'm extremely nearsighted.

Others have brought this up with me. I try not to eat too much ot anything, including chocolate. And I LOVE chocolate.

My girlfreind recently had an MRI as part of an ongoing oncology series. She is not doing Chemo any more, but they want to make sure. She found that the stuff they gave her made her want to pee A LOT! It also made her taste things slightly differently, like metalic, for about three days afterwards.

Just make sure you have voided beforehand!

I hope that this does not stress you too mauch, leading to more headaches. Good luck!

Rena

Been there, done that.
Upside: WAY cool pictures of your head and (possibly) and explanation of your condition.
Noisy machines, though.

This may sound strange to some, but it is this way with me.

I have worked underneath cars solidly sitting on jackstands with my nose almost rubbing the undercarraige and my arms stretched over my head dong some work that I could not reach otherwise. I do this with no fear and small discomfort of a mental nature (Although sometimes I wish I was rich enough to have someone else do it.). I can work in small rooms with closed doors, in tight places, get on elevators, and scrunch up in cars and buses without trepidation.

I can not get into a sausage stuffer MRI!

I used to do some weight lifting when I was younger and although some of the muscles are no longer all there, the large chest and wide shoulders are. I weigh 265 lbs. and am 5' 10" (And shrinking.), so there is a fair sized gut involved.

The last time I tried to get into a tube shaped MRI, my shoulders were so wide that they wanted me to hold my arms above my head for the 45 to 60 minutes that I was going to be in there. Stretching my arms thusly tended to make my belly jut upwards and almost touch the tube. The MRI was for my right knee, and they would still have had to put my head completely in the tube which would have put my face within kissing distance of the tube. Even though I had taken a relaxant pill before hand and it had mellowed me out, as soon as my face started to go into the tube with my arms in an extended position which was not just uncomfortable, but painful because of my arthritis, I demanded out of the tube. I ended up having the MRI done at a place that had an open MRI, with music and a muscle relaxant. My arms stayed at my sides and the only discomfort was having my knee locked up in a jig for that extended period of about 45 minutes.

So why can I crawl under a 4,000+ lb. automobile, while alone, which can slip and crush me, and still fear a solid tube that is monitored by competent and caring people which cannot hurt me?

I believe it is about CONTROL!

If I begin to feel uncomfortable while working on something, I decide if I want to slide in, do not have to remain still (I do a fair amount of twisting, grunting, growning, and swearing.) while underneath, can always slide out, take a break, have a Pepsi, and go back underneath at my time of chosing. Over the years, I have developed techniques for working under cars that make it easy for me.

Back in the old days when I couldn't jack the car up high enough because of my girth to use a mechanics creeper, I would put down some heavy dry cardboard so that I could slide in and out faster and easier than you would be able to on concrete, asphalt, or dirt. I didn,t use carpet because it was not as slippery as dry cardboard that I would get free at the local furniture sellers.

Since I am one of these guys that would look at a new tool catalog before I would look at the swimsuit addition of a sports magazine, I am on a lot of mailing lists. One day I got a catalog from Harbor Freight Tools out of California and went straight to ecstasy. They were selling a 2 1/2 ton floor jack that would lift a car 31+ inches. I made all my bills for that month wait and wrote out the check for $159.00 and ordered one. It took two of us to get that thing off the loading dock, into my van, and into my garage. I then bought four 6 ton jack stands, not for the weight factor, but for the height they offer. When I work on cars now, I can use a mechanics creeper and slide from one end of the car to the other without feeling constricted.

Craig, the MRI is safe!

Craig, the people that are going to be there for you care, and they want to help you.

Craig, my fear is unreasonable and therefore should NOT be your fear.

If you still feel uncomfortable, always know that they will listen to you and remove you at any stage of the examination and in your case that should be enough.

Good luck!

Bountyhunter

Good point. Thank you.

I checked and my favorite sweats have no metal. Thank again.

I know exactly what you're talking about. I work with computers doing programming, but I also enjoy maintaining and supporting them.

To reach computer cables, I can crawl on my hands and knees between filing cabinets and the wall where the space is so tight my hips are squeezed.

Yet I am hesitant (but becoming less so) about the MRI. Why? It involves choice. I choose to get myself into tight little places to fix computer. I am being told, by my neurologist, to place myself in this MRI. It is not my decision, it is my neurologist's.

Just like when I was young and wanted to help my parents by washing the dishes. If they told me to do it, I didn't want to. But if it was my decision, then of course I did it.

I know it will be alright. The key is to educate myself to know what to expect. My doctor is too busy to do so. Same with my neurologist. That's my job, as the patient.

Knowing what we're getting ourselves into is also part of being Equipped to Survive, even if it involves only a trip to the MRI.

So what haven't you done? Grin.

Yeah, I've read they are noisy and cold. I've got sweats without metal eyelets ready to go, and I sleep with earplugs anyway.

I have learned I am quite sensitive to sounds. If I am trying to fall asleep and the cat downstairs yawns, I hear it. Even through a fan, white-sound machine, and shooter's deluxe foam ear plugs.

Have you considered different glasses when using a computer? My computer glasses are diffferent from my bifocal prescription and my screen intensity is set at its lowest level, while my contrast is set sharp.

If you don't wear prescription, have you tried high quality polarized sunglasses or a CRT screen shield to mute the glare? How about different background colors and/or contrasts?

This is probably all old hat to you, but it would be nice if your problem was outside of your head and body as those things are easier to replace, and deal with.

Bountyhunter