More heart tests

Well that was an experience.....

Today in the next series of heart scans I had a cardiac MRI. These tests are very new to Canberra and apparently I'm the first patient to have one done. Yay me. Apparently cardiac MRI can detail where problems lay and "sort out" various anomalies of the heart, but because the things it can pick up are generally rare conditions cardiac MRI is not a commonly used tool and usually only available at research hospitals. It's also the most detailed heart scan currently available.

I thought it'd take half an hour or so. I got there and they told me it'd take about an hour. It ended up taking about 2 hours.

2 hours of lying in the MRI tube with the tube bit about 15cm away from my face. When I looked above me all I could see was tube, when I looked down toward my feet all I could see was tube. NOT good if you're claustrophobic. Luckily I'm not, but I initially did freak out a bit at it as I felt very trapped. They had all sorts of things on my chest, and a few straps fairly snug to hold the things so they wouldn't fall off, so the weight on my chest didn't help the feeling.

As well as that, they didn't tell me I'd be getting an injection so I was feeling dehydrated and it was fairly painful getting the cannular in. I hate needles...

So they're not sure if this will tell me anything more definitive, but if nothing else it will be an excellent reference point for any future tests.