How Long?

[Telboy1162]

I have heart failure and a blood clot and am getting a pacemaker and a defib on the 15th. Thats the main event, the prelude to it is an MRI on Thursday this week. I'm not really claustrophobic but wondering how long I'll be in the thing in case I suddenly find out I am?

[BeKind28-]

Hello

Good luck with getting your pacemaker and defib I hope everything goes well

How long you should be in the MRI should not be to long at all it should be over before you know it

Let them know how you feel and what you suffer with try and count in your head or distract your mind with things while it is taking place you can do this

I have had other scans and do not like them at all as I can get claustrophobic but I keep telling myself when I have I will be out of here soon and I manage it and I know you will to

Let us know how you get on x

[Telboy1162 in reply to BeKind28-]

Thanks Bekind28.

[BeKind28- in reply to Telboy1162]

x

[Rachmaninov2]

Not sure how long yours will take. I had one done very recently and do suffer from claustrophobia, I kept my eyes closed, listened to some music (they gave me the choice which radio station I preferred) and visualised being back at home again. I also tried to remember that the scan was being carried out in my interest. I hope it goes well on Thursday.

[Telboy1162 in reply to Rachmaninov2]

Thanks pal. Great advice.👍

[FrankWillbe]

You have been given some good advice. I had mine at the start of the year and was not given any warning or details, I was already in hospital with my heart condition being investigated.I didn't like it at all and it was very noisy plus I had to continually listen to instructions. It lasted about 45 minutes.

It confirmed my heart condition and also found a blood clot in my heart. So although it was hard to be in it, with my mind screaming to get out by the end, it was worth it. So hang in there, be strong, remember it is for the best.

I hope you treatment goes well.

[Telboy1162 in reply to FrankWillbe]

Thanks for that Frankwillbe. The echocardiogram discovered the blood clot so i'm hoping the MRI is just for a quick looksee for it and an idea of how my heart is performing generally. Good that you got through it. Hope your well.

[MDR1]

When I had mine I told them I was claustrophobic and very nervous. They gave me a mild tranquilliser which helped a lot.

[Telboy1162 in reply to MDR1]

Hi MDR1. I dont think that will be an option for me as i will be driving to the hospital which is over 20 miles away. Sorry for delay in reply.

[MDR1 in reply to Telboy1162]

Aah that's a shame. Hope it goes well

[fishonabike]

i have had 2 heart MRIs following an episode of Takotsubo (part of the left ventricle stops working for a while, so it's a temporary partial heart failure)) during which a clot had formed in my left ventricle the MRIs were to check the heart muscle for signs of damage, a cause and to evaluate the clot

the proces was in 2 stages with a short break between the stages (i dozed off at that point!) - in the second part a contrast medium is administered by IV injection and the test is repeated, it is normal to have a warm feeling in your nether regions shortly after this is given, a bit like wetting yourself, don't panic, it's normal!- the whole process took about one hour or so

you are always given a buzzer to press in case you need attention and they asked if i was ok during the proces - some departments allow you to listen to music during the process, but during mine i was given instructions throughout so music was not an option - the instructions are to breathe, hold your breath and breathe away again - the breath holds are mostly the same length, so if you count how long your have to hold your breath the first couple of times you can use the count to help you through the others - the lengt of time the process takes depends on how good the pictures are, they take more shots (more breath holds) if they are not getting what they need

the machine is a bit noisy, clunky and whirring noises, but i had headphones thorugh which i heard the instructions so that muffled it a bit - it was a lot less noisy than i had anticipated

if you look on line many hospitals publish patient info on the process, they are all much the same

personally i would prefer to have someone to take me home, so i feel it is best if you try to persuade someone to come with you if possible - they need something to keep them entertained for a while though

i hope you find that helpful and that your MRI goes smoothly

[Telboy1162 in reply to fishonabike]

Thanks pal. Advice much appreciated. This medical stuff is just so new to me. I'm 61 this month and i've really never been ill in my life. I had never spent a night in hospital in my life till 6 weeks ago when all this was discovered. I'm glad to be getting treatment for something that could've seen me off quick without it. I'll just have to think good thoughts as much as i can tomorrow.

[Telboy1162]

Had the MRI today. I was in for 45 minutes. The first 10 were the worst, i honestly thought i was going to have to tell them to get me out but i managed to overcome it. The almost constant "breath in, breath out and hold your breath" would drive you mad but i got there. I'm very, very glad it's over. Thanks for all the replies and advice. It all helped.

[Rachmaninov2 in reply to Telboy1162]

Glad you got through it, I hope you don’t have to wait too long for the results.