Yuck- Neurologist visit

[coyote]

I have never had an MRI, only been witness to one....I agree, they do seem scary. If you can not find someone to go with then, let us know when you are going so that we can keep you in our thoughts. Maybe with so many of us 'with you' atleast in though it might not be as scary.

Neuro stuff can be such a pian *ss to figure out. Hopefully you get some good solid answers soon.

[bmccasland]

I've had two MRI's back to back - head and then IAC's (inner auditory canals)back when my migraines were getting pretty bad. I thought they'd do both at the same time, run the head, get the extra cuts of the IAC's when they got there, and then continue on with the rest of the head. Nope. Two separate exams. Anyway, the MRI wasn't scary at all, and I fell asleep. The tech informed me he new I was asleep when I started snoring. Gee thanks.

So try to relax, it isn't bad at all.

[SadieKate]

Amanda, how much of you are they scanning? Are they using any contrast medium? How long do they expect it to take? What kind of machine?

There is no reason to be concerned unless you are claustrophobic or have had reactions to a contrast medium like Gadolinium (assuming they are even giving you any).

The first MRI I had was of my head only and was done in a open MRI - a big flat disk over my head and I could see the room. You are not enclosed. I am mildly claustrophobic but needed no medication. No problems.

The most recent one was two series of my head and then all the way down to my lumbar region. Two frickin' hours in a tube up to my hips. Xanax is WONDERFUL but you must have someone to drive you home. They will not allow you to drive yourself home if you've been given any medication to deal with the claustrophobia.

And if you think you need Xanax, you need to tell them ahead of time and arrive early.

There is no reason to be scared but you should find out the answers to the questions at the top.

One other note: I can't handle ear plugs but they'll try to make you use them as the magnets are very loud. Since my head is always immobilized, I have them put lots of padding against my ears. That with the Xanax and I'm in another world.

Oh yeah. The tech also put a tissue over my eyes and somehow that fakes you into not thinking about that tube just inches away. I'm becoming quite the expert in patience, relaxation and noise management with these.

[Aggie_Ama]

Eden- Thanks I wasn't too concerned in fact I couldn't see how using one of those was good for someone with a tremor. My BP is always good and yesterday my appointment was late, the receptionist misplaced my new insurance card when she was scanning it and I didn't want to be at a neuro again. So it was no shock to have high BP.

Coyote- Thanks you're very sweet. I am still waiting for the imaging center to call me to set it up.

Beth- I am good at sleeping anywhere so maybe I can have your luck. I did that during an EEG, the most magical test ever since the encourage you to sleep and conduct it in a dim room.

Sadie- The sheet just says "Routine MRI". I don't think they are doing on contrast dye but at least now I know what to ask the schedulers thank you so much for that. I am not claustraphobic per se but I do get panic attacks if I am not in control of my situation. So the first one you described would be okay but in a tube would probably mean a panic attack.

[Crankin]

I had 3 closed MRIs last year; head and neck, lumbar, and upper spine. I am mildly claustrophobic, but you could still see out part way. I just did deep breathing. I did have Gandolin with the head and neck and was quite concerned because I AM allergic to IV contrast dye they use with CT scans. But I had no problems with the MRI.
I can get panicky, too in these situations, but I was determined not to take drugs for this. I went by myself and it was fine.
Robyn

[snapdragen]

2 closed MRI's in the last year. I kept my eyes closed the whole time, and counted. The tech would tell me how long the scan would last, and I'd start counting

[Cataboo]

Aggie_Ama,

This could be completely out of left field since I really don't know any of your medical history - I do remember you mentioning the tremor & weight loss before but can't really remember the details.

But there are cases with fat soluble drugs that the drugs are stored in your fat deposits - and when you lose weight, those drugs are then released back into your system. that can play havoc with some random drug tests, btw.

So if you were on any sort of drug in the past - possibly when you lose weight, it's getting released back into your system and causes the tremors.