I am assuming that the coding for the MRI WWO means with/without contrast... so that they will do this both ways..... So, I have some questions. I HATE NEEDLES and anything to do with injections. Which they are giving me a valium for the MRI as small spaces freak me out.
How do the administer the dye? At what point in the procedure do they do it?
Hi Lisa they inject dye, as it has to go into blood stream i took 30mg of diazepam before they did it and with the effect they had on me i just did not care what they done to me
Hey Lisa, I just had MRI on my neck w wo. I have already had my skull done. First, it is just a mind thing. They did the MRI with out contrast first, then they pull you out and find the best veins and put in an IV and add contrast. You wont feel the contrast and the IV is NOT bad at all. Just a little brief sting. Then they put you back in. It does not scare me nor does it hurt. It kind of cradles you. I prepare myself in advance. I reccomend eating comfort food before you go and cut your caffine in half or do without if you can. I find the experience kindof relaxing and everyone is always nice. I think I have had 4 or 5. You are so tuff. You will be fine. Best to you.
LOL.... I should say that I am one of those people that they have to call the "special" IV people for.... why? Because no one can ever find my veins... ever. That's why it's a nightmare for me. One time, when I had to be brought into the ER, they tried, I kid you not 7 times before I told them if they poked me again, I would consider it assault.
I've actually had an MRI before so I know I freak out bad. Any closed spaces -- Elevators so on, freak me out.
I have amazing invisable veins too!!!!!!!. I tell them the top of my hand is fine with me! My MRI was 6:45 am an hour away so, I drank strong coffee that am. AHHHH, don't do that and take your veins with ya. You will do fine. Sweet people like Stacy F will be there to help you.
My goodness, Lisa, when they see my freckled face, red haired person coming…they all scurry like mice when the lights are turned on! My veins elude the best techs, but I will tell you the genius of the Johns Hopkins' surgery techs…they put the IV needle in the base of my wrist, right where the little bone opening is if you stretch your hand back towards your forearms. They did this with my mom as well at the LA hospital during her cancer treatments. It stings a bit, and you have to keep your hand in the same place so as not to move the needle, but it works amazingly. You'll be fine. You've weathered TN for sometime now and this disease is 100x harder than an MRI! Also, I am VERY claustrophobic as well and have to take a 2mg Xanax when doing this test. I keep a song in my mind the whole time, usually a slow, melodic type song. I concentrate on the song, the words, and my breathing (or not breathing when they say hold your breath). Mental focus, or self-relaxing has saved me from the anxiety that comes with this test. I heard there are non-enclosed MRIs now…do you think this is the type you'll be using for the test? YOU are a warrior…so whatever comes your way, you are equipped to handle :-) Your friend, LyndaS
While in the MRI machine, I like to think about ways they could take these crazy sounds and sample them and integrate them into music somehow. I know that sounds crazy, but I think a band like Nine Inch Nails would do well with that concept.
That said, the MRI doesn't bother me too much. I used to have veins that were impossible to find, but the past couple years I've been told I have good veins. I think much of that depends on the nurse.
After TN, you can handle anything. And yes, get some valium. Mine took 40 minutes, so valium is helpful to make the time seem to sail by. Good luck!
Oh yeah, the claustrophobia isn't too bad if they adjust the mirror correctly -- they put a mirror so that you can see your feet and the areas that aren't enclosed. Makes you feel less claustrophobic.
Linda S- So funny about REDHEADS! I thought it was a Southern Thing. They have always blamed my red hair, which gets the blame for alot of things.
He, he, he, he!! Kimburlee—thanks for giving me such a good laugh…so true to blame it on the hair color! Growing up, my hair used to be strawberry blonde, so all of the blonde jokes landed on my ears as well! The jokes are funny because they are so true sometimes…especially with these meds…feel like an air head since the onset of this goofy disease! Thanks again, Kimburlee :-)
kimburlee said:
Linda S- So funny about REDHEADS! I thought it was a Southern Thing. They have always blamed my red hair, which gets the blame for alot of things.
Hi LIsa,
I dont know about where you live but in Australia they give you earphones to listen to music while you are having the MRI. To be honest, I fell asleep until they woke me up to put the dye in. haha
you will be fine! xx
This has been a huge encouragement to me. Just Between Us Magazine free JBU please look up and be encouraged. Really encouraged.
I also had headphones to listen to music on the first two mri. The third one the doctor had them give me something that made me sleep thru everything so the noise and vibrations wouldn't trigger a "lightning storm"! They wanted to give me just enough to make me groggy but gave me enough to go to sleep, and then be "goofy" the rest of the day. I'm sure you will be fine.
How were you able to keep your head still then???
Scott said:
I also had headphones to listen to music on the first two mri. The third one the doctor had them give me something that made me sleep thru everything so the noise and vibrations wouldn't trigger a "lightning storm"! They wanted to give me just enough to make me groggy but gave me enough to go to sleep, and then be "goofy" the rest of the day. I'm sure you will be fine.
Min
I really don't know. I almost fell out of the chair while waiting after they gave me the drug. I remember they helped me walk to the machine and then remember them waking me up after the mri was done. I assume they braced my head with something. Anyway it was a nice nap!
Min C said:
How were you able to keep your head still then???
Scott said:I also had headphones to listen to music on the first two mri. The third one the doctor had them give me something that made me sleep thru everything so the noise and vibrations wouldn't trigger a "lightning storm"! They wanted to give me just enough to make me groggy but gave me enough to go to sleep, and then be "goofy" the rest of the day. I'm sure you will be fine.
Okay, I remain absolutely impressed with OHSU as a facility. They asked me to be there early to make sure that I could take the medication prescribed. There was no traffic, so we ended up there quite a bit early (an hour). They got me in early.
I am a "hard stick" and people cannot usually find my veins... however this nurse found one right away and it was in before I knew it.... they then got me back to a machine right away... I was so glad I had the meds though because it is super confining... I was not told to put in ear plugs... I was so freaked out this would trigger something. She told me if it did, she would call someone and get me some pain meds asap. I also did not realize that they put pads up against your head (or braces). They were tight and did end up trigger pain. I had to hit the button she gave me to call out to her. True to her word, within 10 minutes they had some pain killers they put in through the shunt in my arm. This, on top of the valium, put me out for the next hour while they took the rest of the films........
Though then an orderly had to wheelchair me out of the hospital and down the air tram that goes down the side of the mountain, out through the lower south facility, and to the parking garage! LOL......... Not sure what they gave me, but lord bless them, I am no longer out of it, but have no pain still. Though I still feel incredibly loopy.
All in all it was a good experience.
Oh, and I was scheduled originally for an open MRI. However, the radiologist reviewed my file this morning and the open MRI's are not strong enough for the imaging that has to be done on your brain. So, I had to reschedule for later this afternoon for a different machine. I guess it is some kind of 4D MRI....... I would love to see the pictures!
Lisa, I belive it is your right to have a copy of all Mri's on cd at no charge so request a copy. I can tell you, I couldn't waite to see inside my head but when it came to putting the cd into in my player and pressing run it got freaker by the layer! I could not finish. I asked my husband if he wanted to see insde my head and he said no. Ha. For me I would rather have an MRI than to see insde my own head!!! lol
I was scared too for my first MRI. The noise is what really bothered me as loud noises have always bothered me and especially now with the ATN. They put xtra foam padding under the "earmuffs" for me. That helped a little. Then, I decided to concentrate on something else during the procedure. It seemed to take forever. I started counting back from 1000 in my head so I wouldn't think about the noise. The IV needle was a piece of cake and didn't feel it at all. I too do not like enclosed spaces. No one told me I could take Xanax or something beforehand. Would have been nice to help me relax during the procedure.
i just did a open stand up mri with contrast, took a xanax and it was so easy... tv too, and my doctor dr brown does see something on my nerve... gonna think real hard what to do....thank god for red for another view of things.