StatsA few months ago, I revealed to my readers that I was fearful of MRI machines. At that time, I was deathly afraid of sliding into a long tube. I had a serious case of claustrophobia.
It seems that many more maladies are being diagnosed with the information provided by an MRI test. I’ve had tests for my head (I played football and rugby as a youngster), my aorta, (a little bit of plaque), my lungs and pancreas (prevention), my shoulder (skiing accident), my knee, my prostate and my Achilles tendon. I feel been in MRI machines monthly.
Every time I walk into a doctor’s office, he or she prescribes an MRI examination. The first couple of times, I offset the claustrophobia using unusual, but effective tricks. Most notably, I insisted on receiving general anesthesia (very expensive). Once, I wore a pair of glasses that enabled me to see backwards out of the MRI tube. Clearly, I needed to man-up and find a way to survive the dreaded MRI.
My plan was described in detail in the earlier blog post. I “practiced” for an upcoming MRI and was successful. What, practice for an MRI? It was simple, and over a few days. I lied on the floor, shut my eyes and stayed motionless for 30 minutes, the standard period of time for MRI exams.
It was a gigantic moment, I bravely slid into position at the imaging company and told the technician to zap me. No problem. No fear. All the practice got me through the terror of being in the tube. That was then.
Now I’m proud to announce that I just had a cardiac MRI that lasted one hour. That’s 60 minutes of lying still and breathing in and out about 100 times. What a challenge. What an accomplishment. No one will ever call me a wuss.
I recommend, not that I’m qualified to recommend any medical treatment, to practice before you take an MRI, if you are claustrophobic. I’m happy to make this discovery for man/womankind. ‹ Softball Politics — WordPress.com