"MRI scan"

I recently had an MRI scan of my abdomen to check to see if bowel cancer had spread to my liver. I recently had surgery to remove that so after the shock of the diagnosis I was quite anxious about this procedure.

My experience could not have been better, 100% satisfaction! I would even go as far to say that it was pleasant and enjoyable and I will have no worries or fears about having the procedure again if necessary.

My appointment was late on a Friday afternoon and the team were on time.  I was greeted by an assistant who led me into a small changing room where I changed into scrubs as I was probably wearing metal in parts of my clothing and was able to put my belongings securely into  a locker.

I then met the radiographer, Richard, who was absolutely brilliant. The room had calming ambient lighting in shades of pinks and purples, the scanner is four years old, so quite new with a comfortable bed. Richard explained everything in detail, put a wedge below my knees for comfort and off we went.

I had heard from a neighbour who recently had an MRI scan in the unit that it was positive. The inside of the scanner was light and bright but best of all there is a screen you can watch throughout with pictures of hot air balloons, fish and a waterway. At the same time I was able to choose the music I wished to hear throughout the process, one is able to choose widely as the music is sourced via the internet.

I was given a button to press if I needed anything but the best part was Richard speaking with me throughout the process. He was so reassuring and the scan itself was not anywhere near as noisy as a scan I had twenty years ago. There are periods of calm, period where you are asked to breathe in and out and I think the whole thing took half an hour, much quicker than I thought and the time passed quickly.

I am normally quite claustrophobic but this made me feel totally at ease, not least because of Richard’s reassuring and confident demeanour.

I am pleased to say the scan results came through clear and even though I will probably have more scans in the future I will actually quite look forward to the experience,

Thank you again to all the team.