MRI and Me

The MRI machine is two powerful magnets with a hole in the middle where they slide you in on a table head first to get scanned. The hole isn't very big and your nose is inches away from the ceiling when they do the scan. It's very loud and the scan takes at least 30 minutes.

I went to KU on Monday last week to have an MRI of my head, neck and spine. To do the neck and spine the technician moves the table you're on farther into the machine. I couldn't breathe or move my arms and felt like a sardine so I said I didn't want to do it.

On Friday I had an "open MRI" at Olathe Medical Center. With an open MRI, the magnets are turned sideways and you don't go in a little hole. Instead, when you're on the table, they slide you between the two magnets and it's more open. My arms weren't constricted and I could breathe so it was no problem. It was still loud and my head was next to the ceiling but I just closed my eyes and told myself "I can do this."

My doctor said people with PPMS have more lesions in their neck, and since she wants to see if her theory is true I had to have an MRI. I go to see her on July 1st to find out the results and until then I will be patient.

I will also remember to ask for an open MRI if I have to do it again in the future.