My MRI is tomorrow! Eeeeek!
 

The big girl hospital called to remind me of my appointment. :o

I told them that I am not just a bad IV stick, I am a horrible stick. My fav nurse (harry) no longer works in that department. He is in the ER, and Thursday is his day off. This means being stuck over and over till they either get a line, or I get a neck stick. OMG you cant believe how much that hurts. I have offered up my foot several times. I burned out my veins with chemo and breast cancer. :mad:

I reminded them how much trouble with anxiety I had last time, and while I survived the ride, I was clawing at myself on the inside by the time it was done, and since I am now mid flare, I am having MASSIVE anxiety attacks. I dont think I can get away with pills this run. I was given a lecture on how tight the schedule is, and how that switching me from oral to IV meds would require a nurse be with me. I may have to reschedule. :(

After a talk to explain that not only do I have MS, but a glioma, and a flare, and have been forced to wait greater than 2 weeks for this particular scanner by the MS center, I felt it was unfair to bump me because I am anxious. She put me on hold, and came back in a min. She has placed me one on one with a nurse, who will have a syringe full of the hard stuff and wont leave me. I thought that was awfully nice, but why did I have to play the brain tumor card to get it? :confused:

So, its a day of distraction. Im so nervous! :o

Who else gets really bad anxiety when flaring? what tricks can you pass on. The DH is being a good boy, and just staying out of my way. I hate this stupid disease!

This sucks.

The wrong people get stuck with this disease. I hope someone is going to take you to dinner after and buy you something nice.

((huggs))

Awwww Dej, I have 2 scheduled for tomorrow too. Shame you don't live closer we could use the buddy system. I bring my own music, and an eye mask, it seems to help. It amazes me they don't do open MRIs for people with anxiety.

Good luck tomorrow. We will be sending good vibes your way. :grouphug:

Im going today Dej. I have a couple of valium to take but am worried it
is not enough. Mine is only lumbar so I think I dont go all the way in. But
at this point I can think of nothing else and my anxiety is thru the roof. They
should have given me meds for the two days before.

I will be thinking of you. Best of luck:hug::hug:

I am upping my xanax today! I think its the flare that has really ramped up my anxiety. I just cant seem to get a handle on it.

They dont have music in this machine, like the one I wanted. I do have an eye mask that is a black out mask. If I forget it, i have them cover my eyes BEFORE they show me the cage.

I agree, they need to start giving you anxiety meds the day before! I just took a walk, and we talked to some neighbors with a new doggie. The nut job down the street, got a new air horn! He is out on April 1. I have a DVR full of goodies to watch. I have movies, and games to play....I just cant seem to get calm.

Why do I let this bug me so much? Its not hard work. its not dangerous (altho I was IN the machine when the power went out once) and its not painful. I just have to LAY DOWN! thats it. That is the only job requirement. I can work as a nurse in a prison, but I cant lay down on an MRI table? how stupid is this?!


I think I will try some yoga. :o

Take a deep breath and good wishes and good luck to you. :hug:

Can they do the side of the wrist near the hand? I had a nurse do that in the ER once (I was impressed.) Try not to worry too much. :hug:

I don't have the severe anxiety that you experience, sweetie, but I do get a ramping up while in the tube.
When I feel the waves of anxiety coming, I begin to count my breaths up to 10. If the anxiety makes me forget what number I'm on, I have to start over. It's a mind trick a spritual teacher taught us to get out of the jabbering mind and into a peaceful state.
If that doesn't work, I start praying like crazy...and it helps...I know I'm not alone with it, at least.
But just don't put that thing over my face until my eyes are closed!! I don't wanna see nothin'!

Take care of yourself, dear. And no caffeine that morning...

Awww, Dej, I hope your experience is much better than what you are afraid it might be.

Saying a lil prayer for you, my dear. :hug:

That's not crazy. YOu are probably like me, prior to MS there was never time to lay still, we had too much to do. I had a strict motto "There's plenty of time for sleep after I am dead"

I can't stand them without music, even horrible music is better than the sounds of the machine. Foregot my CD last week, had to use one of theirs. It only had 3 songs on it.... for my 2 hour MRI. Never again!

Well..Im back ...didnt make it in...I tried by couldnt:(. I am rescheduled
with a new mri machine that has larger opening and I have stronger
meds called in.

It felt like the walk of shame...walking out to my ride.

I hope you do okay tomorrow. My thoughts will be with you.:hug:

For those who have trouble with MRIs even with meds, would the center let someone stay in the room with you? My husband stays with me and rubs my lower leg. His presence has never caused an artifact on the MRI pictures. It relaxes me so much I usually fall asleep! :grouphug:

Good luck w/the MRI Dej. I think the anticipation is really hard, plus the annoying ''knocking'' noise. I am having a pelvic MRI next Tues and am dreading it, too. (More so w/just waiting for the results and having to lie there so long w/hip pain.)

Sorry you had trouble today Sox!! I know you wanted to get some answers to your pain sooner than later.

I have a solution. Switch to medicaid you will never have another MRI ever again! LOL. They moved mine again! which means moving my Ty infusion too. Horrible rotten medical help

I really hope the time really goes fast for you tomorrow!Make sure you treat yourself after( ice cream or a big chocolate anything works for me:))Will be thinking of you!:hug:Take care talk to you after!:winky:

Ok, today is the day! I took xanax last night, and managed to sleep! yeah me! I am rested, but anxious. I am going to take my xanax on the way out the door in a min, and all will be well. They just want me to lay down. thats it! just lay down. How hard can that be? I will pretend I have a child laying ontop of me that needs this exam, and if I dont lay still they wont get good picsof my child. Isnt it funny what we will do for our babies?

So, thanks for the hugs, cheerleads, support, and messages. public and private. You guys rock!

I can do this! I can do this! I can do this! :grouphug:

Coming in to this kind of late, but I hope all went well today. Truly you are not alone in what you are experiencing. I do ok up until an hour before I leave for the MRI. I take my lorazepam and by the time I get there I am relaxed enough to no freak and yet not fall asleep. I jerk too much in my sleep and that makes for a bad MRI/MRI do over. NOT happening. LOL

When I find my mind starting to wander in to negative thinking, I start praying the Rosary. There is a lot of concentration in that as you are counting and praying at the same time. It works well for me.

The last time I had my MRI, and I think mentioned this on another thread, the music was so low I couldn't hear it. So in my drug induced relaxed state, I used the noises in the tube to create my own music. That kept me occupied as I was busy trying to create a symphony and my focus was on something totally different. I had to really concentrate and think - what instrument does that noise sound like and what other sounds could I hear to match it.

Also, even though it can be painful to lay still, I do my dam*edest to lay still. I don't want a do over.;) I can usually get the brain and cervical spine done within 30 to 40 minutes.

Anyhow, I do hope all went well today. Check in when you can and let us know how it went.:hug:

I hope it all went well and the reading is a good one..:hug:

You're in our thoughts...let us know how you're doing, sweetie...

it was a 2 hour drive, and traffic wasnt fun. Got there to see one of the scanners is 45 mins late. I asked if it was mine and she said the mobile mri is on th fritz. Took me to the back, made me wear their clothes. Pills means you can keep simple colthes. IV sedation means you wear their stuff. I fought and lost the battle. They used a new special light to show hidden veins and tada! there wasa bigone.She plantedtheIV in one shot.

Gave my oral pills to stick under my tongue. I only knew my tongue tasted funny. no change in anxiety. Walked to the MRI room, and thesupervisor shook my hand. I started to cry! :eek: He saw I was struggling for words, and said "dont worry about it. while in flair half the patients go to anxiety,andhalf go to depression. I count my blessings. We woudl simply wait for Emily to come back with fun drugs. She came back and offered me my choice. I was in the tube about 12 minutes when they pulled me forward. Said they needed to examine me. Took my temp, and felt my skin. I asked why. She said I was shivering! it was either nerves, or was room temp. Since my skin was pale and dry, it must be nerves, and she hitme again. BooM! Versed, and phentyol, and phererghan! woo a trifecta. I was kept extremely comfortable during the whole ride, adn didntfeelike I wasted anyones time.

SO, thats my story will know anwers ina few day.

Sounds like quite a day for you. personally I don't mind the whole MRI thing and take it as a chance to daydream but can easily see how it stresses people out.

I hope you get good results :hug:

Sounds like your pros there were very cognizant of the situation and were very helpful...glad you got through it:hug:...now it's just wait and see...

Phew! Congrats, Dej. You did it and everything worked out just fine. I am sure with all those meds you are now in a deep sleep. :D Hope the results are just as positive.:hug:

I have to admit (thanks emily) that was one of the easiest MRIs I have ever had. They didnt make me feel bad for being nervous, or afraid, or like I was holding them up. They simply took me in hand, and knocked me out.

I cant believe I was crying! I never cry! Im not a weepy kinda gal. They seemed well aware of flare behaviors, and gave me great comfort. They saw I was trying to protect my husband from my anxiety (which i couldnt control) and they asked him to leave. Then Emily looked me eye to eye and said "I got this! you go ahead, panic, be upset, cry, have a fit! you deserve it! This is a horrible disease, and it asks alot of you. I promise I am going to keep you comfy and resting. She plopped a nice dose of versed at me and said "better?" I took a deep breath and said "thank you!" and she hit me again. she kept me peppered with good drugs the whole ride.

Best MRI ever! I gotta remember her!

Thanks for all the good thoughts, prayers, and well wishes. its really hard when you cannot control your anxiety. you guys rock! :grouphug:

I wish I had Emily. Im glad you made it thru with flying colors dej. You
did better than I did.:hug:

that's some concoction of meds dej.
i'm glad you made it thru.
i hope you get good news. stable and boring; that's my mantra for this yr.

Dej,
I'm glad you made it in and out (pun) okay. :hug: Praying for great results of the MRI and hope the flair goes away real soon. Feel better sweetie.

Still no word on the results. normally I book an appointment directly after the MRI, but this time since it was an urgent MRI, no appointment could be had. I called yesterday to say "whats up?" and havent heard back yet. I know they hold a round table discussion on Tuesday morns to discuss all the past weeks events. I hope they discuss me and then call me.

btw, I am an horrible person to knock down. I normally require at least double the normal amount of meds. They have learned this the hard way about me, and are always ready with the big guns when and if they need to knock me down. The anesthesia guy said what I take would knock him on his fanny for a week, but some folks just require bigger guns. Everyone in my family is the same way.

I dont normally require the IV sedation rate. I can normally to the oral Ativan, and grit my teeth through it, but during a flare, I am quick to panic, and take a long time to talk down. I hate this disease!

Thanks for all the hugs, prayers, emails, and PMs to tell me you were thinking of me. it means so much. :grouphug:

I'm sorry to hear you have such a hard time with MRI's. I also do and would not wish the anxiety, panic, total fear inside that I can not decribe on anyone. I make it thru but with massice amounts of one med 15 mins prior to. Here you only get atavan or you have to go to the hospital and be put under. I've been at this awhile so I know my limit and the drug. No I don't drive.

My MRI's are only for MS so this may not be an option for you; I pick up the hard copy of my mri the day after it is done. If I were to wait on Dr's, I would be in limbo for up to 2 weeks. I can not deal with the wait. I drives me totally nuts. I do mean nuts. I stood alone and read my 1st MS MRI (the simple speach where they said most indictive of MS (something like that)). I had it before the Dr. Just as well as I needed to be prepared, if one can ever be.

I truly hope and pray you get your results very soon and I pray they are excellent.

Good Luck & Hang in there :hug:

The results are in, and there is NO change since my last MRI. The MS center describes this as "typical flare behavior" but since the MRI is showing no disease progression, I am happy. They are happy to treat my sx of anxiety, and headaches now that they know I am not suffering with an enlarging brain tumor or a run away disease.

Thanks for all the support. I see the MS center again on April 8, but no MRI this time. Whooo!

Dej - That is great news!!! Phew! You must be so relieved. :hug:

Thats the funny part. I am terribly relieved that my MRI show no disease progression, and my glioma is stable, but....then...what is causing my recent headaches, anxiety, symptoms,and BS??? I LOVE that the test was clear, but...want answers! does that make sense? :o

Dej, I'm so darn happy for you! I've heard about the vein finder thing. It sounds like a medical miracle.

I want to go where you go and get all the drugs they gave you for my next MRI. Really though, I'm one of the fortunate ones. They can usually find a vein, and MRI's don't bother me much. I just take two Klonopin about an hour before, and they calm me down and smooth me out. :)