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Originally Posted by DMACK
Hello all
It's been a while since I frequented this page but I come here today for advice and support.
On Saturday I attended an MRI scan appointment .
I have ankyloysing spondylitis but current pain might be MS apparently.
Upon arrival I was completely fine.
Because my scanner was an older type 70cm wide I struggled to get in on the enclosed full tunnel on the automatic trolley bed. Within seconds of entry I went literally crazy and thought my world was ending. Upon exit I practically fainted , threw up and couldn't, stand for five mins.
My last panic attack was about five years ago but I only associated that and previous experiences with suicidal thoughts.
The scan was aborted and I have another scan at another hospital and wider tunnel 80cm in a month
Since Saturday I have had four episodes of terror. Two at night sleep paralasis and two during the day both associated with clothing. I have rushed to shops to purchase baggy t shirts as I feel like I am suffocating.
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I desperately need to know what's going on with my physical body but the thought of a scan is terrifying.. my mum is dying of dementia, me and my wife are currently expecting redundancy at work... it's like these possible endings are freaking me out so much that claustrophobia is a problem I now have and never thought I had previously
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Anyone else had this experience
Regards
David |
David,
Really sorry about the sleep paralysis. When I used to get those episodes, I did not know what was happening. Does it help to understand it?
I don't know what experts recommend now, but at the time I learned to sleep on my side. Klonopin was supposed to help and probably did, and I
read years later that trying to move a finger or hand helps the rest of the body get out of it.
This site mentions moving a toe.
9 Ways to Wake Up From Sleep Paralysis | dream studies portal
I often get something called
Hypnogogic hallucinations which are related to sleep paralysis -- brain doing weird stuff while we sleep.
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Lots of people find those closed MRI machines terrifying. I am o.k. with them but I had issues with the techs being bosy and acting like it was a big effing deal when I knew it was only a scan.
1. One time, a tech got all over my case, telling me not to move at all while the scan was going on.
This was just for a knee scan but I was afraid that i would fall asleep or twitch or not keep the exact position she needed. It took her forever -- years ago the
machines were less efficient I suppose. She was a witch.
2. Second scan was an
open MRI
Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI – Doctors Center
The neuro had requested dye. The tech went almost wild when she said my
veins "collapsed" with only some of the dye in my body. That sounded scary. Then she told me I would feel "burning" from the dye.
Afterwards they asked me to wait 20 mins before I drove home incase I had an allergic reaction. Way to upset a patient a few times in one visit!
Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI – Doctors Center
3. I had a small stroke. Thus I was kind of out of it & not anxious.
BUt I had enough wits to "refuse" the dye. They said the test results would not be as readable but that the doc usually could get a good enough picture.
The machine was as tight as a vice but I knew what to expect, the tech talked me through it the whole time, and I was fine with the process.
4. Then an MRI of the knee again -- this time with someone nice. Machine was new/ faster / more efficient.
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Some people cannot be near those machines at all, choosing no image rather
than be put through the hassle and expense and stress.
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I feel for you looking at life altering events.
Do Docs give people valium, xanax, klonopin for the tests?
How about for a few weeks while you recover/ get out of this mode?
Recently Buspar (buspirone hydrochloride) (not a benzo) helped me with anxiety for a few weeks. Maybe you could benefit.
Some people can calm themselves down with deep breathing techniques but
I kind of remember you talking about these -- not sure.
You have to practice them for them to work -- the more often (especially over a period of time), the better the results
4-7-8 Breathing Exercise by GoZen - YouTube
How to Breathe: Breathing and Diaphragm- your body's way! (Franklin Method) - YouTube
People can download apps to their devices that are similar to the Youtubes.
You might not exactly have claustrophobia -- it's totally normal to freak out
inside one of those machines. I would not feel bad.
Are you also feeling kind of "claustrophobic" about your current situations?
----out of options, kind of stuck, overwhelmed?
I send lots of hugs.
M