Maybe I was ignorant, or maybe a little naive, but I had a very different picture of what getting an MRI was going to be like. Because the 25 minutes in there were the most relaxing 25 minutes of my life.
Are you claustrophobic? Do you hate sitting still for long periods of time? Do loud noises scare you? If you answered yes to any of these questions, let’s talk.
Leaving Behind False Superstitions
Dear Reader,
Before you read any further, let me say that this is my experience with an MRI, which does not in any way account for others’ individual experiences. My goal here is to share what I learned from having one, and hopefully help you (if you ever end up getting one) to be more prepared and know what to expect.
In my life I have been known to get freaked out in small spaces. And while I am not terrified of loud noises, I still don’t enjoy them--especially not when I am forced to listen to them while lying still for 20 minutes.
So if you have never had an MRI (and you are like me before I got one), the only images you’ve ever seen of them are the creepy ones from the movies. You know, the ones where people get psyched out from being in a small space or have weird stuff happen to them.
So you can understand that these were things I initially feared when I found out I would be going in that machine. But if you've had an MRI before, you know they are nothing to be afraid of. Disclaimer: I didn’t have to have my full body in there because they were just checking out my knee, but most of my body was in there. My head was the only thing sticking out, and barely. So I guess it could be a bit worse if you have to have your entire head in too, but even then, the technicians make sure you are comfortable before they stick you in there.
Let me break it down for you. By the end of this, instead of picturing a big, white tube with lots of noise in a bleak, sterile-white room, you will picture something more realistic. Like friendly lab technicians, dimmed lights, and relaxing music.
When the day of my MRI arrived--two days after having my knee checked out by the orthopedic surgeon--I was feeling antsy and already frustrated. I mean, I just wanted to know if I had to get surgery or not. The waiting was killing me.
Confronting the Beast
So that day, my sister dropped me off at the hospital, and I hobbled through the first floor on crutches. When I got to the radiology department, I checked in, and they had me wait in a small room where I put on my hospital gown. Then they led me out to where the MRI machine was. The room wasn’t stark white like in the movies, and the machine wasn’t nearly as scary, nor as big as I had imagined. A friendly technician greeted me. He gave me earbuds, showed me how to adjust the sound, and asked me what my favorite music was. I told him Brian Crain piano solos. He told me he had just the station.
A minute later, the radiologist came in, told me what was going to happen, what to expect, and said I’d be out of there in less than 25 minutes. He also made me feel comfortable, and I couldn’t help but smile as I laid on the little white bed and put my head on the pillow.
They covered most of my body with a plastic covering but left my knee out. They told me that if I had any problems to raise my arm to let them know. Then they left. Brian Crain Pandora station soon turned on, and the little bed automatically slid itself inside the machine. A buzzing noise started, but I could barely hear it over the music. My favorite song, Two Spirits Soar, was the first to come on. A few tears rolled down my cheeks, but I had never felt more comforted. It was truly a tender mercy--like God was telling me everything was going to be okay--not matter the results of the MRI. So yes there was loud noise, yes I was in a small tube, and yes I was terrified to be told I would need surgery, but in that moment, everything was okay because God knew me, and I trusted Him.
An Afterword
And before I knew it, they were pulling me out of the machine, and telling me I had done a great job. “I didn’t even do anything,” I thought to myself, “except fall asleep.” But I let thanked them for the compliment anyway because hey, they were nice people. And you know what? I felt great. I had done a hard thing--I had conquered my fears. After that, I got dressed in the little room, and they told me they’d call me in two days with my results.
So you see? It wasn’t that bad. I hope I’ve dispelled some of the rumors that come from movies. And if you ever have to get an MRI, I hope you realize how lucky we are to have such amazing technology in this day and age. Because even though that MRI did give me bad news, it helped me know for sure what the best path of recovery would be.
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