When I was a kid, I'd climb up onto a shelf in my closet with a pillow and read in there.

That made me remember something I hadn't thought about in decades. We had an old buffet that had a square open area on the bottom--maybe 2' x 2'-- and I used to crawl inside that space all the time to hang out. (I think I was too young to read back then.)

So, have either of you had an MRI, and how did you take it?

I used to climb under my grandmother's coffee table. My claustrophobia, like all of my phobias, has gotten worse with age.

Job ~ma to Dana's husband, and to tommy!

Seconding Jilli's rec for Nyx, flea. Also, you can try Elf products for her -- they're really not spendy, and would do the trick fine for her needs. (Elf stands for eyes, lips, face.)

Or drugs! Drugs are an option.

I appreciate that option most of the time, so it's worth a try.

I'm not typically claustrophobic -- I like cozy spaces most of the time. There's something about being on my back with very little space above that triggers it -- if I could do an MRI on my stomach, with my head on my arm, it wouldn't be so bad (or so I think now) because I couldn't *see* that there's very little room.

I've always loved hidey spaces and snug cubby holes, and enjoyed caves, including the ones with colored lights and walkways to show off the stone formations. I'd never been claustrophobic until I had a couple of panic dreams, which I assume are related to sleep apnea. I'm...kind of really severely panicky now at the thought of a cave, or a narrowing tunnel of any sort. I climbed narrow twisty carved stone stairs under the Marksburg castle down to the dungeon--just thinking of doing that now and my heart's rabbiting as I sit here.

I think...I don't mind tight spaces so much as I really, really like breathing. No, I take it back. I *hate* tight, underground spaces. Pity. I've always wanted to cave dive, for real. Not any more. I didn't have claustrophobia as a child or even as a young adult. It's developed as I've gotten older.

Job~ma to tommyrot and Dana's hubby. Benign nodulity to Steph. And I'm really glad -t's dad's on his way home--probably there by now.

Benign nodulity to Steph.

Seconding that!

I think my claustrophobia kicks in when I don't have a quick way out.

The other thing that worked for me in the past was going in feet-first, instead of head-first, allowing my head to remain outside and my arms stretched over my head. Again, not always an option.

A friend of mine (from years back, meatspace) just posted on FB the following (overlaid on a picture of Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, which just makes me angrier):

So the Left wants to blame Trump for the violent protests of white nationalists in Charlottesville?

Does that mean we can finally blame Obama for all the violent protests of BLM in Ferguson, Baltimore, Milwaukee, and Charlotte? Not to mention all the police officers assassinated by BLM supporters?

I just want to shriek with rage. [redacted because preaching to the choir] And there is no arguing with her, there never was, about anything. I honestly don't have the spoons to do it right now, anyway. How can people think this way?

Timelies all!

I don't think I'm claustrophobic. I do get a bit panicky when there's a lot of people around me and I can't get away.(Reason #1 of many why I will never go to San Diego Comic Con.)

The other thing that worked for me in the past was going in feet-first, instead of head-first, allowing my head to remain outside and my arms stretched over my head. Again, not always an option.

I did go in feet first (and the foot end was open as well), but apparently I needed to be far enough in the machine that my head was mostly in it. And the table is raised up so high that before it (with me on it) was slid in, I kind of panicked and said "Aren't you going to lower this down? My head won't fit, or it'll be smooshed against the inside and I don't think I can spend 30 minutes like that!" But as it turned out, my head did fit, and it wasn't smooshed, but it was pretty fucking close to the top, so I had to keep my eyes shut because the quarters were WAY too close.