A Little Light Reading (MRI)

[ellenkushner]

I had an MRI of my right foot today (ongoing annoyance, no biggie - anyone else out there suffering from Cuboid Syndrome? and, no, both my eyes are still on either side of my nose, thank you!). I had no idea what this entailed; I thought it would just be a fancy X-ray. Imagine my surprise when I learned I would be immobile in a room where all extraneous metal was banned ("Take off your jewelry," he intoned . . . and then he took my f**ing glasses!) - and the process would take at least half an hour!

I said, "Can I read?" He didn't think so. It would be very loud in there. "Look," I said; "will my head be in the machine?" No. "Will my hands be free?"

- Yes.
- So I can read.
- You can't read.
- Why not?
- It's too loud.

I assured him that I could read no matter what, and that in fact I would go mad with nothing to do for an hour. I ran to the waiting room and fetched a magazine - a light one, with lots of text (unfortunately the only New Yorker they had was the sole issue I've read from cover-to-cover this year, so I had to settle for Newsweek), and beguiled the time with my earplugs & headphone noise-blockers reading up on current events. The hardest part was keeping my arms raised above my nose (supine).

Sheesh.

Comments

[burgundy.livejournal.com]

I have had MRIs for my head, my abdomen, and my leg. I was fully-encased for all of them, so the best they could do for me was give me earphones. No reading or moving of any part of my body, period. Fortunately, enclosed spaces don't bother me, so I can just fall asleep.

[saoba.livejournal.com]

When I had my shoulder scanned in the open bore MRI the nice tech gave me headphones, let me choose from the imaging center's extensive musical library and told me to hold still unless he instructed me otherwise.

It took about half an hour.

I went to sleep.

The tech was surprised as most folks evidently find it too noisy and stressful.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

They have headphones w/music?! Wow; this guy must really have hated me. I had noise-blocking 'phones, but music was not on offer.

Falling asleep makes perfect sense to me - I fell asleep at a rock concert, once: too much noise = overstimulation = sleep to get away from it.

[elissa-carey.livejournal.com]

Yeah, MRIs are neat machines, but no metal or they can't render a proper scan. I was telling Alex this while watching an episode of House that had a character trying to keep a gun trained on House while House was supposed to diagnose him. As soon as House showed the starburst pic, I turned to Alex and said, "See?"

He claims I watch House like others watch Jeopardy.

[quizzicalsphinx.livejournal.com]

When my father was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré last year I'm afraid I came off looking like a medical genius because I knew exactly what it was and how to treat it, based on it being featured on House. I steal all my fictional ailments from that show.

[lostwanderfound.livejournal.com]

It's not "no metal or they can't get a proper scan"; it's "no metal because it will go flying through the air like a bullet".

One of the researchers I share a lab with once saw someone killed by a flying metal mop bucket after an absentminded janitor came wandering in.

[elissa-carey.livejournal.com]

Well yes, that is the primary reason. :) (Man, it would've been great to see that gun go flying, or at least involuntary firing thanks to the machine in that episode!) But anything that doesn't go flying will interfere with the scan and distort it.

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

I may need an MRI of my own right foot soon, so I will quote you to anybody who tells me I can't read while they do it. :-)

[scbutler.livejournal.com]

Another sleeper. As long as I have my earphones on I find the vibrations very soothing.

My arms would fall asleep if I had to read holding up a book.

[anghara.livejournal.com]

what - does he think you read with your ears?...

(well okay - audiobooks - but you did say READ...)

If it is an eyeball activity what on earth has the ambient noise to do with it?...

(Disclaimer. Never had MRI. I would probably scream blue bloody murder from all I"m told - claustrophobic in that kind of small confined space - I'd hate it hate it hate it. But it's the SPACE issues that would freak me out, hardly the NOISE...)

[mlt23.livejournal.com]

Out of all the medical procedures I've had to experience, (luckily, not that many) MRI's are my favorite. For some reason I find the noise extremely soothing, so I can just fall asleep.

That became a problem when I was a research study participant and was supposed to be awake for the MRI.