Relax, Bayside Standing MRI is more claustrophobia-friendly!
Having scans using a tunnel MRI can be daunting for a person who suffers from claustrophobia or a similar anxiety. That’s because having a tunnel MRI involves sliding the patient into a relatively tight-fitting tube - a position they’ll need to stay in for a potentially lengthy period of time.
Our MRI scanner is different, however. As the photos of the machine show, the MRI is more open than the tunnel MRI. In fact, if you’re having the MRI on your lower body region the entire top half of your body will be open.
However, if you do suffer from claustrophobia you may still have difficulties using our MRI. While it’s not a tight-fitting tube and it’s not noisy, you do need to be on the MRI table for an extensive period of time and during this time you can’t move or speak.
Bayside Standing MRI understands the difficulties that people with claustrophobia may have, which is why we use a range of protocols. This includes having a small dose of Valium before the MRI and having a friend of family member there to support you.
In addition:
- Some people find herbs, such as passionflower and kava assist to cope better with claustrophobia feelings and other anxieties.
- Relaxation and stress-relief techniques have been shown to help some people.
- Similarly, meditation and even music can relieve symptoms.
- Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) or controlling your thoughts can also help.
Still feeling anxious? Talk to one of our friendly staff. We understand the difficulties that some people have with MRIs and we can discuss the non-harmful processes used with our MRI scanner, so you’ll know exactly what’s involved before you have any scans.
* Bayside Standing MRI is a private service. Fees are not bulk billed or claimable through Medicare. See our MRI Expenses page to find out why our MRI typically costs no more than a Medicare-rebate MRI elsewhere.
