MRI

Hi Terimacs,

Thank you for getting in touch with us and welcome to the online community.  I see that you’ve joined a couple of our forums and I hope you’re finding them helpful and supportive.  My name is Adrienne and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line. 

I’m so sorry to hear how anxious you’ve become about having an MRI scan and this worry is now affecting your upcoming CT scan too.  It’s important to be very open and honest with your healthcare team so they can support you as much as possible.  This may include medication like diazepam but can also include helping to lower your anxiety levels on the day of your scan by talking you through some breathing techniques, giving you some headphones/earplugs or talking to you regularly whilst you’re having the scan.

Anxiety around having an MRI scan is not unusual and this could be for different reasons.  Some people find an MRI scan claustrophobic and this causes their body to pump adrenaline.  The body  will to go into fight or flight mode and can therefore lead to a panic attack.  There are some things you can try to counteract these feelings before they lead to a panic attack, such as focusing on your breathing.  This can sometimes take a bit of practice but if you do it every day, you may find it helps during a scan.  You can read more about breathing exercises here.

Another reason some people become anxious about having scans is because they are worried what the scans may show.  This is also not unusual and in fact has a name ‘SCANXIETY’.  Bowel Research UK offer 10 practical steps to help cope with scanxiety and you can read about them here. 

If you feel that you cannot cope with the MRI scanner in the future, talk to your team about it.  They may be happy to monitor you through other types of scans and tests.  They may also refer you for some psychological support to help alleviate some of your anxiety.  However there are open MRI scanners available in London or Manchester.  If your consultant thinks that you need to have an MRI scan but you cannot face going into the scanner, they could potentially apply for an individual funding request (IFR) from your local NHS trust and arrange a referral. 

I really do hope this information was helpful.  Please know that you can always give us a call to talk things through further.

Take care and best wishes,

Adrienne (Cancer Information Nurse Specialist)

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. 

Ref: AMc/PG