(no subject)
last thursday i had the opportunity to experience what a vampire feels like.
no, not the drinking blood bit but the lying in a coffin part.
as I laid inside the MRI scanner, i felt like Count Dracula lying inside his coffin.
in case you have no idea how a MRI scanner looks like:
from the good old wikipedia:
"Due to the construction of some MRI scanners, they can be potentially unpleasant to lie in. Older models of closed bore MRI systems feature a fairly long tube or tunnel. The part of the body being imaged needs to lie at the center of the magnet which is at the absolute center of the tunnel. Because scan times on these older scanners may be long, people with even mild claustrophobia are sometimes unable to tolerate an MRI scan without management. Acoustic noise (ie loud banging sounds) associated with the operation of an MRI scanner can also exacerbate the discomfort associated with the procedure."
i had ear plugs given to me to reduce the loud banging sounds. I was also instructed to hold still during the scanning session, holding my breaths at certain points. my head was stuck inside some holder so I couldn't move at all. I was given a "panic button" to hold in case i was struck by a case of the nerves.
even for a small-sized person like me, it was an extremely tight fit inside my "coffin".
so there i was, wrapped in layers of blankets ala a dead person, lying inside my "coffin", listening to the technicians giving me instructions over the intercom.
as befits the situation, what better topic to think about other than death. i had also watched the japanese movie departures not too long ago, so the topic of death was something i had been mulling over, albeit not in a morbid way.
i wondered what people who were buried alive felt.
it was also interesting to ponder about the things i would do if i have the exact countdown timer to my death.
the time ticked by very slowly inside my "coffin".
i was told that the MRI would only take 20 min but it took more than an hour eventually.
towards the end, the claustrophobia really got to me. i felt really panicky, couldn't breathe, wanted to move but found my head jammed and was deliberating whether i should press the panic button.
but my pride got the better of me. so i hung on.
i must say that i was the happiest person in that room when i was finally released!
i don't think i'm cut out to be a vampire though. ah, the sadness!