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Original poster

To think a 3yo should be sedated for MRI

57 replies

Shiny88 · 13/04/2022 13:38

So today my DD who is three, doctor has referred her for an MRI to check her brain for a tumour as she's been vomiting in the morning and some other stuff aswell.
Anyway I asked him if she would be sedated for the procedure and he said no.

Now I know the risks of sedation etc but surely they would have to sedated her to keep her still in order to get a clear scan?

Has anyone else been in this position? We're your children sedated and how long did the MRI take?

Thanks in advance Smile

OP posts:
Hoolahoophop · 13/04/2022 14:56

My DC had one some time between 18 months and 2 years. They did not sedate. But said to keep them awake as long as possible then feed so they fell asleep. They then wrapped up in a kind of inflatable wrap to keep them still. This worked like swaddling for a baby. My DC did fall asleep in the machine. 3 is a trickier age but they will have practiced techniques. Best of luck and prayers for a clear scan. Flowers

10HailMarys · 13/04/2022 15:10

Have you had an appointment letter yet from the hospital? That should tell you all you need to know about whether your DD will have to be sedated or put under a general anaesthetic (they're different things), and if it doesn't, there will be a contact number that you can call to find out more. And as others have said - they will be doing MRIs on children of that age all the time, and will have tried and tested processes for getting it right, so you and your DD will be in expert hands throughout.

GPs or referring doctors don't always know exact hospital procedures for that kind of thing - they obviously know when an MRI is required and what it entails but they won't always know in detail exactly how the hospital will carry out the procedure, so I wouldn't worry too much. (As an example - I was referred for a gynae scan a while ago which the doctor said would need to be internal but when I got there I was told that external would be fine.)

Sorry you're having go through this kind of worry with your little girl. Fingers crossed all will be well Flowers

Marvellousmadness · 13/04/2022 15:11

Ga is dangerous..

Oopsydaisynotagain · 13/04/2022 15:14

My DS regularly has MRIs, he is under 1 and he has never been sedated. However his seem to be done within a couple of minutes as I believe they are only on a small area of his brain. I’m sure at our hospital they offer sedation to all children above 2.5years if needed.

Somuchgoo · 13/04/2022 15:15

Ga is dangerous

So are brain tumours. The priority is getting speedy, clear images in the safest way possible.

Poppins2016 · 13/04/2022 15:27

@greenlynx

What kind of scan do they have? Is it a to sit or to lay down? I did scan for my back laying down so my head wasn’t in. I’ve found it quite unpleasant and I’m grown up woman with average tolerance of medical procedures. I would double check with MRI department what options are there.
Just for balance... I've had a couple of MRIs and found them absolutely fine, almost relaxing, so not unpleasant at all!

Of course, there's no way of knowing how a child will find an MRI, but there's no reason to assume the worst case scenario!

Hiphophippityskip1 · 13/04/2022 15:44

This reply has been withdrawn

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Princetopple · 13/04/2022 15:48

My son had an MRI on his head but he was a year or two older than three. I was able to stay in there with him for parts of it and I could also talk to him through a microphone thing. I think he moved at one point so they stopped and then carried on.

He was also sedated for a different procedure and it kind of made him hyperactive. He was headbutting things and thrashing around madly. It took three adults to hold him still even under sedation. The nurse said that some children do react that way and don't really become sedate with it, so there's no guarantee that sedation would be effective.

MrsAvocet · 13/04/2022 16:07

One of my children has had a lot of investigations of different kinds. Its years ago now, so things might have changed but we were told that the problem with MRI scans is that obviously a lot of medical equipment is metal so can't be used in the close vicinity of the machine. We were told that anaesthetising someone in an MRI scanner requires special (and very expensive) equipment, and staff who are experienced with the techniques so its not available everywhere. The nearest hospital to us that could anaesthetise a small child for an MRI was over 100 miles away at the time and had significant waiting lists but we could get it done locally much sooner. There could be similar considerations for you so they might want to try without any sedation first to speed the process up. But the best thing to do is ask - I imagine there is a lot of possible reasons. Hopefully the staff cabn put your mind at rest.I hope it goes well and you get a good result quickly.

girlmom21 · 13/04/2022 16:14

Wow they're pretty daunting for an adult. I can't imagine my almost 3 year old could have an MRI of her head whilst awake and she's pretty brave. I would expect them to be sedated but maybe they'll just secure her head quite firmly?

When I had an MRI they told me to take my favourite CD (it was 11 years ago - obviously!) and played music through headphones to protect me from the noise.

all the best OP. I hope she's ok!

SherryPalmer · 13/04/2022 16:22

My son had one at 7 and was absolutely terrified. He has had terrible anxiety about being alone ever since to the point of needing someone to be in the same room as him 24hrs a day. We’re not in the UK so it might be different but effectively he was just shoved in there and I wasn’t allowed to stay in the same room as him and had to watch from the adjoining room with the technician. It took about 45mins in total. He managed to stay still and composed for about the first 20mins but after that he was too upset.

Fortunately they didn’t find anything (were looking for evidence of brain damage) but they did comment that they weren’t able to see some of the images very clearly.

I’m surprised that a 3yr old would be able to remain totally still for 30mins but the one my son used didn’t have a video to watch and I can see how that would improve things.

Moomieboo · 13/04/2022 18:38

Ask for a small sedation rather than a GA ...something like Midazolam or Chloral Hydrate ? !!
My severely disabled has hos jejunum tube replaced with Midazolam!

elliejjtiny · 13/04/2022 18:51

Ds had about 8 Mri scans between birth and 6 years old. He had a general anaesthetic for all except the first 2 when he was under 6 months old.

Original poster
Shiny88 · 13/04/2022 19:25

@Somuchgoo

My 3yo has a brain tumour. My understanding/experience (we are quite new to this still) is they should sedate for a ct scan and MRI are under GA at this age.

Mine has had I think 4 x CT and 2 x MRI so far, and that's been the case. Her next scan is MRI and its going to be under GA.

A MRI is noisy and takes ages. Young kids cant keep their heads still and calm for that length of time.

I hope its a false alarm.

If it does turn out to be a tumour, feel free to PM me if it would help.

Im so sorry to hear your 3 year old has a brain tumour, I wish her a speedy recovery and sending lots of hugs your way. If you ever want to talk, my inbox is open also.

If you dont mind me asking, what were your little ones symptoms? I completely understand if you dont feel comfortable answering.
xx

OP posts:
Original poster
Shiny88 · 13/04/2022 19:31

Thank you too all who have replied with advice and their own personal experiences it really does help to try and get my mind round everything.

We havent had the referral letter yet, as we only saw the paediatrician in the hospital today and he has sent off a referral for her today.

Luckily, I have my playwork level 3 (from many moons ago so a little rusty) but I'm already planning ways how to incorporate an MRI procedure into play to try and get her familiar with what will happen at the hospital.

fingers crossed its just a false alarm, obviously my mind is racing. My OH on the other hand is worried but he's much more relaxed and says its probably nothing, but my thinking is if the doctors feels there's a need for an MRI then he must be concerned too Sad

OP posts:
ToryWantsBorisOut · 13/04/2022 20:42

Hope you're okay, your chances of a good outcome are higher than a bad one (of all the people who are referred with these symptoms, most won't have a brain tumour) but that doesn't stop it being an utterly terrifying time for you of course. Just to correct the person who said GA is dangerous. It is not dangerous. Kids cope very well with GA and many, many kids have a GA with no ill effects every year. That doesn't mean it's without risks, but that's not the same as dangerous, and they are much, much safer than they used to be (I think when I last had a GA I was told the risk of complications was something like 1 in 10000).

AegonT · 13/04/2022 20:57

My daughter had a GA for an MRI as a baby. She was only in hospital a few hours.

Notimealone · 13/04/2022 22:49

@Shiny88

I'll PM you.

Original poster
Shiny88 · 13/04/2022 22:50

@Notimealone ok thanks

OP posts:
Original poster
Shiny88 · 13/04/2022 22:51

@ToryWantsBorisOut I'm ok as can be, had Abit of a wobble this evening but alright ha!
I'm sure it is nothing but it doesn't stop the worry.
I just find comfort in being prepared for what will happen and how it will happen and if I'm calm she will hopefully be calm too

OP posts:
Throckmorton · 14/04/2022 11:43

Best wishes. Another thing to bear in mind is that the ceiling of the tube is very close to your face, so there is the potential for claustrophobia. keeping your eyes shut helps.

As to play, I'm thinking that a loo roll on its side is very much like an MRI scanner , and if you can find a doll that just about fits down the loo roll inner, that is pretty much what an MRI is like! Bonus points if you can put something heavy on/around the doll to mimic the structure of the tray they slide you into the machine on! Maybe get your daughter to make the loudest grinding and clunking noises that she can (in the beforehand play!), and see if she can make herself as loud as the scanner could be. The noises aren't constant, so you need to prepare for variations in sound type, timing and intensity.

Somuchgoo · 19/04/2022 13:51

How are you doing @Shiny88.

Has she had the scan yet?

LimeSegment · 19/04/2022 14:10

Hope everything went well OP. Don't feel bad if your dc couldn't stay still for the mri without sedation, it's nearly impossible at this age. Too old to feed and wrap, too young to cooperate. I'm a radiographer and even getting a CT scan (which takes 5-10 seconds) on a 3 yo is near impossible. Even getting an xray (which takes milliseconds!) can be difficult!

mustbrushhair · 25/04/2023 20:07

Hey @Shiny88 I hope you are all well, & I hope you don't mind me asking how things went/are now? Xx

Gdb15 · 11/02/2024 18:08

AegonT · 13/04/2022 20:57

My daughter had a GA for an MRI as a baby. She was only in hospital a few hours.

Did she have to be sedated? I know you wrote this comment a long time ago but find myself in this situation and my daughter has an MRI tomorrow and she is coming Upto 5 months and sedation freaks me out

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