Meditating in the MRI Machine

Ok, this is actually a picture of a ct scan machine, but it's what was on unsplash.com (picture by Ken Treloar). I had my first MRI, and boy is it an experience -- I have to have minor surgery on my upper left arm.* The doctor just needs to see it to know how to approach the surgery. All the noise and being closed in in the small bore machine. At moments the noise sounded as if techno house music was starting to play. Other times just pulsing over and over and over. 

I had decided before hand that I would close my eyes, breathe slowly and deeply while, yes, meditating. Not the usual place I'm sure for most people. I wondered briefly if the Dalai Lama would meditate in an MRI machine. Then, I thought why not. I've read that he meditates 5 hours a day from early morning until breakfast. (He also goes to sleep fairly early.)

I had to make sure that I didn't move my shoulder and arm. Thus, I had to concentrate on breathing in a way that, while deep and slow, didn't move that part of my body. 

I meditated by saying thank you for the amazing technology that would help my doctor know what she needs to do. I then said thank you for my family, friends and all the people and metaphysical entities in my life. I moved on to just repeating thank you over and over again. I started to smile at some point, which I am sure is not a usual reaction in an MRI machine. I think it was because I was expressing gratitude continuously.

I do want to confess that my hand began to shake a bit during the last series of views. I had to have some extra ones because the doctor needs some with contrast die for the appropriate picture of what's going on to be clear. So, I switched to pressing my hand against my thigh and concentrating on not moving. My mood and sense of contentment did shift the more uncomfortable I became. 

I believe that I made it through this experience of having my arm jammed up against my body in a slightly odd position because I went into the experience by practicing a gratitude meditation. I do hope that I don't have to have another MRI, but I now know that I can tolerate it. I'm not claustrophobic and the experience didn't make me anxious -- no need for a tranquilizer. Yeah!!!

*So, I wrote this before I had the results. It turns out that the best option is to do nothing. The results of the surgery, because of the location of the lipoma (underneath the deltoid muscle) would be much worse than just leaving it alone. It bothers me a little bit now and then, but it would have to be pretty bad for me to contemplating having the surgeon cut through the muscle.

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