When I had my knee scanned I went in feet first. When my legs went in I had a palpable wave of panic sweep over me. I’m grateful I’ve never had my head go in. And I’m one who loves cozy, little spaces, so my reaction surprised me.
I’ve had to have my knees MRI’d at different times and different hospitals. I went in feet first for those MRI’s. Also had my feet MRI’d. That was just a mini-machine that I sat in front of with just my foot in.
I’ve had several MRIs over the last couple of years.
For my knees, I went in feet first.
For my shoulder, neck and upper back I went in head first all three times.
My thought is that the table doesn’t slide through the scanner much past halfway (and a bit) therefore what you’re having scanned would dictate which end would go in first.
The worst part is the crappy old airplane headphones they give you to listen to music. The ones with no electronics but just the two robber hoses. Why bother? They are inaudible even before the MRI completely drowns them out.
Tangent:
What are among the shortest times and longest times one might expect to be in an MRI machine? I understand it can vary widely depending on what and how much is being scanned.
I assume there’s no such thing as a quickie 3-minute MRI? So the very shortest, I’m guessing with no MRI experience, is like 30-45 minutes … and the longest might be … 6-8 hours? Or might they mercifully break such a long session up into multiple scan sessions?
Yeah, I’ve had a bunch, and I usually fall asleep.
I am so glad I do not get panicky in close spaces. Walking high steel is a whole nuther ball game.
I initially read that and thought you got panicky when you had to walk in high heels.
Googling around it seems they range from ten to sixty minutes, with one site mentioning eighty minutes as a possibility.
Same here. All of mine have been head first, but most of them were for my neck and a couple each for chest and abdomen. The last two MRI’s I have had though, the people asked me so many times about claustrophobia and any metal items, that I started doubting my own answers. It was, “are you sure?,are you sure you’re sure?” over and over, it was bad enough that I made a complaint, which is very rare for me to do.
I had an MRI for my shoulder so there was really no other choice but to go in head first. I don’t think they could get a full shoulder scan with my head sticking out.
Which end of a loaf of bread is the head?
I guess that claustrophobia does happen, but have you ever had a claustrophobic reaction in any situation? Sometimes just thinking ahead of time that you will freak out will be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Yes! I spent the whole time in the tube wishing for a tape recorder as the polyrhythms and noisy grunts and groans sounded like the base of a great industrial track not yet released!
I’ve only had one MRI session (multiple views so in my perception, it was a long one) and I found it super soothing. It reminded me of the month my family lived in an RV in our driveway because our new house wasn’t done. I had the fold down bunk above the driver’s seat and it was similarly tight.
Claustrophobia did not bother me, it was the noise. I’m a car guy and things that are working properly should not sound like that. I was trying to keep still while imagining that the machine was going to fly apart at any minute. I had vertigo and partial facial paralysis so they were looking for stroke signs in my head.
I have a brain, apparently, and it was fine. Turned out to be labyrinthitis. The machine did not explode or disintegrate, but it sounded like it was going to.
I’ve not (yet) had an MRI, but as I do suffer from a bit of claustrophobia, I imagine it won’t be a fun experience when I do have to have one.
A friend of mine injured his shoulder, and his doctor wanted to run an MRI so they could identify what had been damaged. My friend also suffers from cerebral palsy – he’s not nearly as strongly affected by it as many sufferers are, but he does have uncontrollable tremors in his limbs. Taking an MRI of his shoulder proved to be nearly impossible – he’s just not able to stay still enough.
The best thing to do is fall asleep. Don’t worry, they’ll wake you up when it’s over.
The opposite end from the heel.
When I had my breast MRI last fall, it was in an “open” unit (shaped like a donut" and I was not only head-first, I was also face-down, to keep the girls in place.
They also asked me if I wanted headphones, and what kind of music I would like; I chose classical.
Sometimes MRIs are done on an emergency basis, to rule out strokes or clarify surgical issues not well seen on a CT. These need to be done more urgently, so having a head default makes sense. If just doing joints, obviously you can switch it up. But head, neck and spine MRs may need to be more timely than a knee.
I’ve had headphones, and they asked me what I wanted to listen to. I also get a things to squeeze to get their attention and a lot of blankets to make things warmer. I normally just close my eyes and try to sleep. I just lay there with soft music, a nice warmth, and hopefully not as loud random sounds.
Some of us aren’t good cooks so testing before human consumption is called for 
I found the MRI rather anti climactic. It was quite roomy for a tube. I could see out of the hole at the end and it wasn’t that noisy. There were nurses in constant attendance. I’m sure they have all sorts of ways to keep people calm. I have to admit that I was taking part in a study, it has to be worse if you have a condition or an injury to worry about.