MRI Scan - what happens? 

I am 51 and had my first MRI scan yesterday. I just wore my regular clothes. It was an upper body scan so my legs weren't inside. I was actually very comfortable. Were it not for all the noise I could have taken a nap. Visits to the dentists are scarier than an MRI scan. But I'm not claustrophobic in fact I found the small space comforting and that probably helped a lot. If you are claustrophobic, you might want to keep your eyes closed and be sure to have them pipe in music that you really like

I had a scan today on my back and have read some of the comments of horror on here. I can honestly say it was a breeze. The staff were really good and friendly and relaxed me from the start. I went in headphones on and closed my eyes. I cleared my mind, let the machine do it's work and to be honest if it had of been any longer than the twenty minutes that it took I could have had a snooze.

I've gor an ABI, caused by the contraction of meningitis post resection of a pineal ependymoma, and I get one of these monthly to check my head for anything else. This video has great information about recieving an MRI, as well as any other info regarding MRI. Kudos to you all. Thumbs up.

What really helped me during my MRI scan is this. When you lie on the table about to go in, close your eyes and do not open them until the scan is complete. Not seeing yourself going inside means you have no image of yourself being in that small space. I do not like small spaces so this helped me get through it with ease. You may feel panic when you are on the table about to go in the machine. I felt it, trust me. I just took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

@happyguy82 - It's actually the sound of the electromagnets. The field strength is altered during the scan, causing a wide range of sounds as the magnets are rapidly switched on and off during the procedure. You're normally given ear protection (the headset you can see) and sometimes music is played through the headset. Hope that helps!

Why in the world would anyone dislike this video. These guys went through the trouble of explaining a little bit about something, that's more than the rest of us will do. And thanks for whoever uploaded it :)

That was the most traumatic experience in my life. I know we need that technology but please redesign that machine.

I got an MRI today! I felt a little bit closed in at the start, but after five seconds of deep breathing, I was calm. I got to watch Futurama, and it was awesome! They spoke to me during the whole process. It was pretty fun actually.

I had my very first MRI scan today and it was actually really relaxing and calming! I actually fell asleep and dozed off, and 45 minutes flew by so fast! So don't worry if you're scared to go in it, cuz there's actually not much to it but just to relax and think of awesome things! ;)

I just had mine done today, wasn't nervous at all they gave me headphones with some good music, as I was going I was like "oh fuck" I was literally shaking. Best advice I can give you is to just chill and sing along with music in your head and the time will fly by.

I had a scan today and it wasn't to difficult in the wide bore. I closed my eyes and thought of my family.

I had mine today took 45 mins from start to finish! Kept my eyes closed listened to some music a bit drowned out by the zazzzing noises - was a bit like being on an upmarket sun tanning session in an Ibiza nightclub - I prefer this to both CT Scan and an Isotope Scan as well - don't panic if you haven't had one before it's so painless!

I had my first mri done like a month ago. many ppl had told me it feels like you're being put in a coffin. I had a really good tech. who talked to me the whole process. I was having a horrible anxiety attack, but the tech kept talking to me until I relaxed. great tip close your eyes and it's not roomy. try, it'll be difficult, but block the sound with a song or memory

After suffering from a seizure 2 weeks ago I've now been booked for a MRI scans too see if there is any problems.

Although I felt nervous, there was no need. Just lie there and remember this procedure is going to help in your treatment. Think "it is only 40 minutes, maybe less out of my day". That's nothing when you realise it will probably aid your recovery. There is only some loud noise but there is no pain at all, only loud noise for a short time.

Had my first one a couple of days ago. Not a load of laughs, but it was bearable. The first half hour I just closed my eyes and tried to relax. After that I tried singing old songs, and the effort of trying to remember the words passed the time nicely. Still, I must admit I was glad when they let me out.

Better than the claustrophobic mri's from the 1990's, there was about 3 inches of space in front of my nose lying on my back

@MrAlexdive usually takes about 20 minutes... depends on if you are getting contrast or not. The scanner should not cause any dizziness, but people do tend to get up feeling dizzy from laying down for that amount of time.

I've had really a countless number of these due to cerebral hemorrhages and epilepsy. The first time I was nervous, but forced myself to remain focused (think happy thoughts) on the importance of it and got through it. one memorable time I fell asleep. the 2nd to this last one I started getting extremely agitated and nervous that I wasn't going to make it all the way through. the most recent one, I requested Ativan and got through it like a breeze. It also helped that I was in a machine sized for FAT people. I'm thin so they were always assigning me the smaller tube machines! So Notes: 1) Request a Fat person machine or a anti-anxiety drug. 2) Covering me with the comfortable made me feel extra confined. 3) I have turned the loud machine noises into music beats. 4) You must remember why and whom you are doing this for. you can't get around it so you just have to soldier your way through it. Best Wishes

I have to have one and I was wondering how it would be. This helps a lot.

To everyone who's scared: I got one today and it was fine (my second one so far). Make sure you don't move your legs so you don't have to repeat the sequences. It gets very uncomfortable if you're someone who can't stay still (like me) but it's okay, you can get through it.

I had one today. Idk how but I fell asleep even though it was VERY noisy and it was embarrassing bc they had to wake me up

@AllianceMedical No in this case it is the sound of the liquid cooling system for the magnet. The magnet has to be cooled down to be superconductiv. When no person is lying in the MRI or being scanned, the gradient magnets are turned off. So there are no loud noises, like you can hear.

This was great. I live in France, am going for an MRI scan in 2 days, and have been told absolutely nothing!

@happyguy82 - Yes, your hunch is correct - the psst psst sound is the compressor for the helium which is the cooling system for the magnet.

I had my MRI scan today, there's not plenty of room ffs😂, and they gave me ear plugs not headphones :(, I'm a bit claustrophobic so it was extra hard for me

@valheartscsr What he handed her was a 'panic button' in case she starts feeling something wrong. It's a sensitive squeeze-ball button, which sounds a horn to alert the technician. They can then communicate directly through the headphones to the patient, who can respond via a (hidden) microphone.

Plenty of room my ass.

Not like the one I had today ,I went in head first?

thanks for this video my little sis 8yrs old is going for one next week & seeing this made it not so scary :)

Getting my first MRI tomorrow for my ankle first thing in the morning. Not really sure what to expect but hopefully everything goes well. I'll probably have to go to a specialist or physical therapist.

(1) HOW TO COPE WITH MRI SCAN: I just had a 30 minute scan for my spine. I am a nervous person and here is how I coped with it. First prepare yourself to hear the loud noises in the machine....low and high pitch buzzes, crickets chirping, clanging etc. In fact it sounded a lot like sound effects in in an old science fiction movie, like 2001 space odessy etc. They usually offer music through head phones while you are in the machine. Tell them you want "easy listening" music........see part 2

I have had 3 MRI scans over the last 15 years and they are very noisy and very scary for anyone who is claustrophobic. You can choose what music you listen to to drown the noise out except when they head scan you (your head goes in the little round cage shown in this video on the lefthand side at 1.13 above the cupboard doors & they wedge foam around your head so it doesnt move). They will offer you sedation or you can take tranquillisers a few hours before your scan like me. Hope it goes well.

Today I was told that I was going for an MRI. I'm so happy of this demonstration and all the comments. I'm happy my doctor prescribe an Ativan....lol I hope my claustrophobic wont interfere :-)

Over the past two days I had two MRIs (one for my brain and one for my lower lumbar) and despite everything you hear it was no big deal. The noise isn't too bad and as anothe poster said, after awhile the noise itself seems almost relaxing. The music they gave me could have been louder but still I got through both fine. :)

I had an MRI scan yesterday. I had thought beforehand that it was a quick affair - a brief snap, a short trip to Boots to get the negatives and Bob's Yer Uncle. The scan took half an hour and it was quite hard for me to keep still for that length of time.!The clanking sound orchestra didn't help. Thx Ray for the quip "hope they found a brain!!"

What happens? You are put into a tube that barely affords you room to breathe. If you are claustrophobic, it is very stressful. And the noise is loud, unnerving and very unpleasant. You are cold, uncomfortable and once the test starts, there is no break, and they can take up to 90 minutes. I did the tests under sedation, dilaudid and Tylenol 3, or something stronger, and blinders. They are absolutely no fun, unenjoyable, miserable and awful.

(2) think of it this way... the average easy listening song is roughly 3 minutes so you only have to make it through 10 songs for a 30 minute scan. Don't think about the 30 minutes think about counting each song. For the first song I kept saying "ONE" in my mind over and over again till the 2nd song then say TWO over and over again etc on each song till the scan is done. The reciting of the numbers distracts your brain from becoming too nervous....like a "montra".......see part 3

@AllianceMedical Hi, Thanks. No I wasn't referring to the tapping sound. When I stepped into the MRI room, even before I got on the table, the machine was making this psst psst psst sound all the time and it doesn't stop. It can be heard at the start of this video too. What's that? Thanks.

Thankyou everyone for the comments , I am having one to tomorrow and I am a bit anxious. Your comments have made me feel a lot better about it!

0:19 how did they get those birds in the MRI machine? Lol I know those aren't birds.

I had one of these yesterday, i wondered what the constant chirping in the background was, i hear it in this one too!

I did it , first time I couldn't do it , took diazepan , eyepad and it was done ..will recommend having both if you feel claustrophobic

@NipplesTheClown83 To generate sound waves requires some kind of mechanical movement which usually means either using a real magnet or an electro-magnet system to move the diaphragm inside the headphones. Even if they used silver and such non-magnetic materials, thats the part that really impresses me. Wonder if there's a website that goes into detail about their construction...

Hope the scan went well

I'm getting a MRI for my neck on monday and I am a little scared but this did help me

What actually happens to your atoms when you are in that MRI field?

I had one a few days ago. It was hot and uncomfortable. My arm was the part getting scanned. And after 5 minutes in my arm started to cramp due to the wierd positioning. I hit the ball they gave me to tell them. And instead of being concerned. The guy tells me "If you cant be still, we will have to reschedule". After that i started crying due to the pain. I ended up just suffering in pain, because i did not want to rescedule and come back. At the end my arm was shaking really bad due to the pain. And it hurt to move my arm for 30 minutes. It was a horrible experience that did not have to be. I had also had an MRI 7 years ago. And the techs then made me feel way more comfortable. So if you have a good MRI tech with a good bedside manner, its makes it a lot more pleasant.

@AcursedBlade there are no known long term or short term biological effects associated with MRI, so long as the technologist is made aware of any and all metallic objects inside of your body.

I had an MRI today, I couldn't stop laughing while I was in there thinking of your comment lol

I'm getting a head mri done this coming monday. Looks exactly like the CT scan though. Are they pretty much the same thing?

I'm claustrophobic, too...but the unit they were going to put me into was narrower (I think I could have licked the top), you HAD to go in head first, and the end of it was not open like that, but closed off. I refused to go in

@awesomecaws they give you headphones to wear that deaden the noise, i just had one two days ago and i have hearing problems and it didnt hurt my ears :)

I had MRIs before cuz I have a history of seizures but I take Meds for it and I don't have mri's anymore 😄💜

This is actually a nice MRI scan. It has a bit of room and you go in feet first. I was in a very narrow tube kind. So narrow that your elbows hit the sides when you are transported in. They call the one I went in "traditional" MRI. They still use traditional because they still produce the highest quality scans.

@ABIGAILNUTTALL actually the setup for this scan is correct. the scan being performed dictates what position and what coils (head cage) are used. your head is put in a "cage" for exams like brains, orbits, IACs, and vessels inside your head. this video actually shows the setup for a lumbar spine exam, in which case their head is on a pillow and you go in feet first, with the centering just above the top of the pelvis. hope this helps:)

ive got an mri scan tomorrow after noon and im so nervous, its only on my foot but im dreading it... so much so i havent sleep properly for the last few days worrying about whats going to happen.

I managed to almost fall asleep because I was not worried about the scan. Relax and remember that all glasses that are half empty, are also half full. GOOD LUCK.

@trancebubble I think it's safe to say that (in terms of cloths), you can wear anything you want. HOWEVER, before going into the actual machine, you have to remove any kind of metal objects from your body, (i.e. jewelry, piercings etc.). The last MRI I had was a few years ago. I had to take off my wrist watch and my glasses before going into the machine.

@AllianceMedical That was a good demonstration of a person pretending to have an MRI scan I've never had one in my life

I had an MRI scan today. It was soon noisy, they did not give me anything to cover my ear😢

Just had one done this morn. small space but not to bad just close your eyes they played music in the head phones and talk to you at different points during. It took about 20 min.

Did you go naked and wear the blue thing in the end ? When I had mine, I got to keep my shorts on, which is odd because the zip is metal.

You also forget to mention that you are strapped down by a big thing over your chest. Someone seriously needs to rethink the design on these hellish things.

I've been here to examined by this machine on 2012, and guess what? I chilled and I while seating there, I was busy thinking all of my things, relaxing...The doctor was amazed that I even slept while the sound of that machine was so set high lol too noisy ...MRI scan is not scary at all...

So true. Felt my clothes moving slightly but that may have been psychological even though the thought never even entered my mind prior to the scan.

merci a touts ceux qui ont travaillé a créer ces infos et ces images pour nous .... Micha

I will have to go for one in due course. But am wondering whether my huge pot belly would fit in there. Don't want to be stuck half way through like Homer Simpson.

I just found out today that I have to get an mri scan to check for a tumour in my pituitary gland. I'm so scared, it's not for a month.. I wish I wasn't so anxious but I can't help it :(

I might be getting an MRI soon, I'm insanely claustrophobic and I can NOT handle being strapped down or restrained.. I had a couple ct scans and even during those I was panicking the entire time.

Had one today in Ireland, they played music some uplifting opera, ... but agreed absolutely terrifying I felt like I was like tilting over and leaning to one side

Best of luck mate, never give up!

Please answer me. Who works on this device? Dr.? Physical Medical?

I never think I would have an anxiety or panic attack for something like this in my entire life. I have been going Universal , ride everything scary , fast, dangerous, but MRI is something else, I went inside with music on my ears and closed eyes, first 10 second I had terrible feeling that I was about to push emergency button but I said to my self just be patient and finish it up. I did but I promised my self that I would live healthy and never going to have to do mri again. I only can say this much to not scare other people, it did happened 4 hours ago I am still not feeling good. I still think I have panic attack. I thought I didn’t have claustrophobia , I think I did and I learn in a hard way. I wish I didnt close my eyes, it might be easier experience I dont know, but if I ever needed again I should use some sedation or something. I already start thinking how they can build this machine little bit less scary, or can they just build one room with the same idea. Some people they go in and out several times, so dont take me wrong, maybe it is hard for some people. My doctor sister went inside several times and she didnt feel anything like I felt so please read and be prepare before you go in it. I am still reading about it to overcome my fear if I ever going to needed again.

I remember having an MRI last year, it wasn't that bad... the only side effect was that I had temporary short term memory loss, but nothing extreme...

I need some answers please....anyone that knows. Diagnosed with degenerative brain disease and previous MRIs looked per doc notes: Horrible. Had bad reaction to dye so now in 2017 needed up to date scans without dye. Nurse leaves message everything perfectly normal ???

if the ear plugs metal why are they being used more mri scan? what are they made of?

Just got an MRI of my elbows, showed up knowing nothing about MRIs. I thought I'd be out in 2 minutes but the lady was like "this will take about an hour." It ended up taking an hour and a half. I also didn't know how loud the thing would be. It sounds like a jackhammer in your right ear and 12 air compressors in your left. She gave me some special headphones so I could listen to the radio to drown out the sound a little bit. I asked for the classic rock station but apparently the reception sucks at this place so she put it on some crappy pop station. I'm not claustrophobic so being in a tiny tube didn't really bother me but what did was sitting still for so long. I've been sick for a few days but the lady told me if I coughed it would mess up the scan. I eventually started to fall asleep, and that's the way to go. If you can get used to all the noise just take a nap. Waking up while being wheeled out of a metal tube with lights in it in those restraints is a trippy experience. Feels like you're in a sci-fi movie, especially if you forget where you are for a sec.

Even though I closed my eyes because I am claustrophobic...I felt like I was inside of a hollow log and bugs and taranchulas were all around me...wheewww I was so glad when they let me out of that terrifying death tunnel.

I fell asleep during my neck MRI with and without contrast.... so relaxed

ive got to have an M.R.I. scan on my brain next week....i am dreading it!...my last experience was awful and i had to get off of the table :( i have been to my G.P. and he has given me some Diazepam to take before i have my scan.....still doesn't help when I'm sh**ting bricks :(

had a mri scan on my back 2 days ago for 20min i survied but the sounds and small space did make me nervouse

I remember having this done on me when I was like 9. Though, I they only put me in halfway because I think they thought I had brain cancer or something. Turns out I only had really, REALLY bad sinuses... I really wished they'd put me in all the way. It looks like fun! =D

what's that repeating sound that the scanner makes? something to do with the helium?

Love all these tales of woe in the comments over something so painless, I can understand the claustrophobics and the noise, but at the end of the day, having an X-ray has more risk than an MRI.

My father had one today at VA Hospital on the swelling of his brain

@Chenions im getting one soon and im kinda scared ...not just because of my brain injury but because my ears are extremly sensitive due to a injury when i was younger.....do u think the mri will severely hurt my hearing or cause me to run out of the scan machine even with earplugs???

I had a knee scan today and i started to feel very scary, i think that i've discovered that i'm a little claustrophobic. At the end everything was fine, no pain, nothing.

I am feeling sick palpitations and my Mr I is not till Wednesday. What will I be like on the day

I had an MRI due to thoracic spine pain. Can muscle strains and tears be seen on these scans?

I had to do this again a few days ago. 2nd time now & still hate it. It sucks having to stay completely still, the loud banging noise which doesn’t help when you have a headache like I did...feeling trapped! I’m not claustrophobic but I don’t know how I manage if I was. I also don’t like holding my breathe for 20 seconds ☹️😥

I’m having a scan in 27 days for my ears but I don’t know what to do because I won’t be able to wear headphones

Yes very, very noisy ( not heard on this video) but don't worry, it is supposed to sound like it is falling to pieces but if you have not been warned it will come as a surprise!

I had an MRI done on my head.The one I was in had music coming thru headphones.Mine took 30-45 mins NOT 2hrs WTF.I was fine up until the last 2 mins then the claustraphobia hit. YES! the LAST 2 mins.The process left me a bit shaken,and disoriented had to take a valium to calm down but I`m now fine

im going in the tenth of april i heard that its nt good to go in with metals bt u know :S.... my mom put earrings on me that are gold she superglued it and one broke so now the other is stuck does any of you thing it ll b harmful?

Wait how does the bed go in if the motor needs a magnet

Keeping ur leg still is so tough😠

@broncosbill I don't think it's to do with keeping them cool because they get hot, it's to do with keeping them as cool as possible so they don't produce any resistance at all, therefore keeping the running costs down. The hotter a metal becomes the more energy it loses, so they are trying to achieve the opposite, cooling it down keeps all the energy in the magnets, thus minimum energy loss, thus cheaper to run, MUCH cheaper.

When I got a MRI scan, They didn’t give me headphones. Instead, they gave me this virtual reality looking like thing that lets me watch movies of choice

I have a question, Have you gotten an MRI and then got chest pain?? If yes please tell me because I don't know if I need to go see a doctor or not