I was somewhat resolved to doing it going into the radiology department at the hospital down the road, not knowing how confining and prolonged the CT experience would be. Back in February, I had a first time MRI to rule out some things (which it did), and that was purgatorial. When I made the MRI appointment they asked if I'd like "conscious sedation" which I'm still unclear as to what it exactly is, but it's for people who are claustrophobic. I am historically not. Until this MRI anyway.
The MRI machine they used for me didn't have a round tube. The ceiling came almost down to my nose.
For the MRI, I walk into a small room and there is a large machine with a tunnel. I think "no big deal" until after I lie down my head is completely locked into a bolted-down helmet and when I am transported back into the tunnel, there is maybe an INCH between my nose and the ceiling of the tube, and I'm immersed in it from the top of my head down to my elbows.
You might think "yeah I can do that, no problem." But the sucker took 30, yes 30 minutes with no stops, the whole time my head completely locked in the helmet. If I should want out, it would take a chunk of time, and ruin the scan. This is what you're made aware of by the tech who counsels you before he sends you into confinement.
Oh and just for fun, you're hearing clunking, electrifying, weird Star Trek kinds of sounds of all sorts.
The first few minutes I felt okay, but then it starts to sink in you're going to be in that stuck position for a Half Hour! Deep breathing helps, but when those strange sounds start pounding and clicking, you have to resort to other measures.
So for the next 25 or so minutes, having made a deep down decision I MUST do this MRI and endure it, for my health, my subconscious mind reverted to an ever more subconscious trance-like state. I would transport myself back in time and relive every camping and backpacking trip I took with my dad as a teenager. That's how I got through it.
I imagined the car drive, the food and gear prep, stopping at the ranger's station, what I was wearing, the feeling of excitement to explore the outdoors, the various vistas and valleys we hiked through, the campfires, stories, mishaps, and thrills. I relived several of those trips in that half hour. It was a mental marathon.
So going in to do a CT scan today of my sinuses, I had no idea if I'd be confined like that to a tunnel or for how long. Boy what a relief when the tech said it'd take 5 minutes, and it really only took 2-3 minutes. There was no tight tunnel, and most of the time my head was covered just to the neckline, and just for a short time down to my shoulders.
Fun times. Anybody ever had the fun of an MRI or CT scan? Share in the comments section below.
The CT scan today looked like this. So much bigger diameter, and no tunnel.