anyone had an open mri?

hi,

have not been posting or reading for awhile. been caught up in this colloid cyst thing and trying to live my life till the appt. with the neurosurgeon.

i have an appt. for an open mri. is it really open? the picture on midwest open mri sure looks like it.

i was told that i will wear the same head gear that you wear in the old mri.

i was thinking something must be dropping down to scan my head.

does anyone know? i am embarrassed as i am feeling anxious. i do not know what else to say.

thanks,

rose

Rose,

I understand your anxiety--I would be anxious too.

I don't know anything about an open MRI, but I just wanted to offer my support. I hope it goes well.

Thinking of you.

thanks tecky!
i have had regular mri(s) and do not like them. that post about my cyst might say something but i will repeat: at 2:00 am in the e.r. i could not get into the reg. mri. i tried twice.

this week has multiple dr. appts. and other things that normally happen and also unexpected stuff, all with strict timelines. with M.
i am not very good with timelines.

i think that is why i am anxious. i was just wondering how people felt.

sometimes when i have info. i can really breeze thru something.

i owe a lot to the "mindfullness meditation" classes and also being a thickheaded irish woman!

thanks for your kind words.

rose

Rose..the area around your head is pretty open. You can be given medication if being in closed places bother you. Thinking of you..praying, that all goes well

I have had two open MRI's and I didn't have any claustrophobia issues. The drum does come down real close to your face but it is very "open" and not confining. I did have one that was the older donut style and it compressed my shoulders inward which I did not like.

The open also are not as loud compared to the donuts.

I've had 2 open MRI's because I am claustroaphobic. They are a easy compared to the regular MRI machines. You do wear a headpiece, but it has a mirror on it so you can see around you.

Good luck!

I also hate a the regular MRI's so I can understand your anxiety. I may not even like the open one psychologically. My neuro prescribes valium which helps curb the claustrophobia. I'm not claustrophobic about anything else, just MRI machines. I've been putting off seeing my neuro because I'm pretty sure he is going to want another MRI since I haven't had one in several years.

hey, thanks everyone

i felt so much better yesterday when i read brent's post. something clicked in my brain and the anxiety was gone.

i had something else to do for charity/volunteering and it kept me from posting and from thinking about the open mri.

i am so happy you guys are posting about this. i cannot believe that i was feeling anxiety because it looked open on the website.

reading your posts has helped a lot!

i was told by michegan head pain and neuro. inst. that people with long term migraines should have mri(s) every 1 1/2 to 2 yrs.

my neuro. seemed to disagree.

now, look, if i had not had such dizziness and walking problems, i never would have gone to the e.r. and found out about the colloid cyst in my brain. i wish i had pushed for the mri after being in the chelsea hospital in michegan.

but that's life. luckily the ct scan found it and an old ct scan appears to have the cyst too, just in a tiny hard to see version.

i hate them but i would advocate for other long term m. patients to get an mri, open or old-style, just because of finding my cyst.

i have my open mri in 6 hrs. so i will probably post tomorrow. i will check to see if anyone else has had one or info.

thank you so much for the info. you have given me. i can't believe how quickly the anxiety ended.

rose

Rose,

Hope it goes well and will be thinking of you this morning, my friend. Hopefully after this there will be a clear idea of what to do for treatment.

Hugs,

Becky

Glad you feel better about it today and hope it goes well. I'm also an advocate of MRI's for those with migraine at least every few years even though I hate them. Regardless of what anyone else says on the subject, I go with my instinct and anything that hurts as bad as a full blown migraine cannot be healthy and tells me something is horribly wrong and needs to be fixed.

I don't think it is the neuro's that have anything against MRI's being done more often. It is the insurance companies.

hey,

thanks everyone for the info. and words of hope. everything you said was valuable and true.

the open mri was great! although mine did not offer a mirror, i was fine.

the tech. was perfect. not only did she set my mind at ease with her demeanor but she assured me she could see me at all times with the window., she showed me how easy the "headgear is to remove and let me remove it myself before moving the table/bed into the open mri. that made me feel in control.

a word to the wise, if you think you need a valium, go ahead and take one. i unfortunately took two!

the tech. let me listen to a cd i brought (loved music from high school) called "brain salad surgery" by emerson lake and palmer. the first mri i had years ago let me listen to the same cd but never after that one. i find it relaxing and the title makes me laugh. but the valium made me too relaxed and i was happy and even smiling and i do remember at one point i was actually singing. embarrasing!!!

i will post under my colloid cysts posts the rest of the story. i just have to go now.

thank you friends for everything.

will post the neurosurgeon info. and newest mri drama later today.

rose

Glad it was a "good" experience for you.

Good for you. Might as well enjoy an otherwise unpleasant task. Life is short!!! If I took 2 valium I would be singing too Just one does the job for me (maybe I will take 2 next time--nothing wrong with singing).

Hi,

don't know the difference between an open MRI or a closed one. I only know that I had one 5 years ago. An MRI cannot do anything for your migraine. One of the numerous docs I saw back than suggested it to rule out other possibly serious conditions (i.e. tumor) that might cause the headaches. My brain was deemed in fantactic condition after the scan and the diagnosis of "just" migraine has been re-confirmed.

Love

P

Petzi - I wouldn't go to a doctor that said "just" migraine. Migraines are serious and can be dangerous.
That is one of the reasons they do the MRI's.

That is why it has been the last time I saw the guy. Unfortunately this is how most doctors rate the condition. I can see how their eyes glaze over when the word "migraine" is mentioned. He was also an NHS doc. They have 10 minutes to talk to you and then, hey presto, next patient please.

I have had both and the techs and doctors tell me the closed MRI has the best quality.
I 'm claustrophobic so the closed didn't bother me. I have the haedset and can bring my own music. When it starts clanging I start a rhythm thing in my head to it and go with the beat.

My 6'5" 250lb retired swat officer brother in law freaked out in the closed one and had to be pulled out. Doesn't matter who or what you are anyone can get freaked out.

However I freaked out in the open one because all I could do is think about what is holding the huge disc over my head!
kathy