"MRI with Claustrophobia"

I have severe claustrophobia but had to have an MRI for a back problem. To say I was panic struck is an understatement, and spent the previous week feeling physically sick! From first contact the staff were great and very understanding. I was given a small dose of sedation to calm me down a bit. The MRI machine is slightly bigger than normal (70cm) and all white, so you don't feel like you're going into a dark tunnel, but best of all, you can wear mirrored glasses so that you can view a screen which shows short videos from around the world. This completely keeps your mind off of what is going on and you have no sense of being in a tunnel. You can also see how far into the scan you are.

I'm still amazed that I managed to get through an MRI quite easily and can only thank the staff for their help.