Can You Fall Asleep During An MRI?

Imagine sleeping in a space no bigger than a tanning bed. Now imagine sleeping in that small, claustrophobic space with a jackhammer going off all around your head. Comfy right? Somehow my mom thinks so.

Let's talk testing. MRIs, spinal taps, and clinical examines are typical methods for diagnosing MS. I can't speak about spinal taps but from what I hear from everyone who has had one, they're awful. The ideal of sticking a needle into my spine and pulling out spinal fluid gives me anxiety. I actually cry talking about it. I know I'm going to have to get one because of my brain disorder, but the longer I can wait the better. The spinal headaches you can potentially get afterwards I hear can be even worse than the spinal itself. If you get a spinal headache, typically you have to get what's known as a blood patch. That's where blood is injected into the spinal to stop the spinal fluid from leaking. So you mean to tell me that you're going to stick a needle into my spine twice? I don't think so. 

An MRI is the most common method of diagnosing MS. An MRI is a Magnetic Resonance Imaging tool. An MRI is noninvasive. Think of an MRI as a camera taking pictures of brain. Hundreds of pictures. I personally don't mind them. I'm claustrophobic and was very nervous the first time I ever had to get one done. I was told on a couple of different occasions what to expect during the procedure. I was told when the Gadolinium is injected that I would feel a warming sensation and that I might even pee a little. What! I'm going to pee my pants, on the table, for the all the technicians to see? I don't want to pee myself! It never happened. Guess what? It still has never happened. I know it happens to some people I know and I know they were all trying to prepare me, not scare me. I wouldn't go as far as saying that an MRI is relaxing, but I don't mind getting them done now.

When you get an MRI, your doctor can order it with or without contrast. That contrast that is injected is called Gadolinium. Gadolinium is helpful to see if there is active inflammation. When the lesions on the brain are active, they light up white on the MRI when the Gadolinium is injected. Along with clinical examines, MRIs can help you doctors determine if the treatment you're on is working and if it's time to switch. Every neurologist has his or her own preference on how often and MRI should be performed. Typically, an MRI is performed once a year. Some doctors want them performed every 3-6 months, and some go as long as every 2 years. Various reasons can determine the time frame including, but not limited to newly diagnosed patients, switching therapies, relapses, clinical examine findings, and stable MRIs over a long period of time. Everyone is difference and every doctor is difference. You and your doctor should be having the conversation about how often you should be getting an MRI. 

I may not have peed my pants during my MRI, but at least I didn't fall asleep in the machine like my mom did. Yes, one time she actually fell asleep! How can anyone sleep with that loud banging surrounding you? Apparently my mom can. She was out like a light! I'm surprised she wasn't snoring and drooling! She's been getting MRI's for the past 30 years so it's not like she's new to the rodeo. But I guess on this particular day she needed to nap. The technicians had to redo the whole test, which I'm sure they weren't too happy about.

I guess she needed a nap and thought what better place and time than now. Hey, when you gotta nap, you gotta nap.