MRI Scan...advice please

[barbie1]

I have one booked for 12th dec, but the hospital didnt give me any info regarding whether i need to fast before or drink loads etc etc.
Tried calling the hospital but i'm abroad and its a PITA to get anywhere or any info.

Any advice would be appreciated, many thanks

You don't usually need any special preparation - which bit of you is getting scanned?

here is some info, don't worry that its from a cancer hospital, they do MRIs for all sorts of problems

Had one on Friday on my neck, as well as a CT scan of my chest. Didn't need to fast or drink anything. It doesn't work like an Ultrasound scan, so food/drink won't affect the results. If you had to fast, I'm sure they'd have stressed this to you. Hope everything is okay.

I thought my c-section scan was causing me pain but on further inspection they said there is inflammation of a part of my bowel. to scared to google...my first thought was bowel cancer

Don't Google, no good ever comes of it :) I was convinced I had Hodgkin's Lymphoma after a visit to an ENT specialist about a lump in my neck... then he discovered another. Cue urgent ultrasound/CT/MRI scans. From the ultrasound scan, it doesn't look like anything that sinister, more like a fluid filled cyst. I'm still worrying like crazy though, and still googling like crazy.

Stay positive. It's human nature to think of the worst case scenario but it doesn't always mean that is the case :) I can think of a couple more innocent causes of bowel inflammation which is much more likely than cancer.

Thanks girls...mn is always the best place to come for an answer

shewillbeloved hope both you and i have something that is easy to treat and we will be back to full health soon...

Can IBS cause inflammation? The only time i googled this came up? I think i have a few of the symptoms

IBS usually causes constipation or diarrhoea or cramps/pain, but not actual inflammation. IBS is just a thing they call it when they have ruled out illness but you still have issues with the speed/motility of the bowels and discomfort with no specific illness.

If you are terribly nervous (the machine is intimidatingly big), they will give you a Valium beforehand if you ask.

The most important thing is that you keep still - they would rather you were conked out on the bed than wriggling around in fear.

festive i do have some of those symptoms, can ibs never cause inflammation? we need a nervous emotion....

ninedragons i'm in Dubai so doubt very much i will be offered Valium. Im not worried about the machine, it will be a chance to lie down for 45 mins with my 9 month old climbing on me but i am worried about lying there with all kinds of bad things running through my mind. Im not the most patient of people either.

IBS is a functional syndrome thing, it generally does not cause weightloss, or blood in stools, or inflammation. It is just a combination of the bowels working too fast/too slow, and sometimes being unusually senstitive to pain from wind/aches in the bowel.

I was investigated for it - had blood tests to check for inflammation - normal. And camera test - horrible but quick. All was normal - therefore IBS as still had symptoms but nothing proper wrong with me, essentially.

How did they decide you have inflammation?

I had a scan on my c-section scar, they thought i had a tear inside, all looked normal.
There was a sharp pain every time they pressed a certain place, on further investigation they said there is an inflamed section of bowel causing the pain
Not sure if they said it could just be a blockage (i tend to go numb when having medical things done, the wimp that i am ) or that there could of been a problem when being sewn up after birth.

All i remember was the doctor asking loads of questions about my bowel movements, hence thinking of IBS...He wouldn't comment further until next scan.

I had a small hole in the muscle wall after my second CS that they stitched up after the surgery, and got a lot of pain from that area for ages, it did settle though.

More than likely, the MRI is just going to rule stuff out. And you just lie there, hear lots of loud noises, don't feel anything, like an xray but takes much longer.

Never had an MRI but am a nurse so have been in with patients having one, hth.

Thanks festive, just hope i can stay away from google until the 12th!

barbie ive had a few MRIs and theyre actually quite nice (think lying down for over half hour, with ear plugs in and no kids ).
They are very noisy but just close your eyes and imagine youre on the beach.

There are lots of bowel things it could be, bowel adhesions (which I have after my CS), bowel perforation (which I doubt they would let you go home with if they suspected anything), bowel obstruction (which could be something simple like a big poo).

Given that youve had a CS the most likely explanaton is bowel adhesions which are very common after any type of abdominal sugery.

HTH

mosschops I salute you, im happy now thinking it might just be bowel adhesions. And since you are still here posting i'm guessing it's not serious and don't have to think about writing my will

Disagree with mosschops about MRIs being "nice",
I had a double, which was a horrible long time to stay still in a very cramped space.
If you suffer from claustrophobia (or anything spelt like that) it would be worth asking for Valium or similar - no-one mentioned it to me.

Barbie - there is a medication called metformin. If you are on that you have to stop it 48 hours prior to MRI scan. Thought you should know incase you are on it, went for MRI and they could not do it (would be a waste of your and their time).

Surprised they did not send you an information leaflet.

They normally send you info and a form to fill in asking if you have a pacemaker/metal objects inside you or have worked as a welder. You won't need any special prep but it's advisable not to wear anything with metal on it as the scanner is a giant magnet. It will wipe any info off your credit cards aswell so don't take any of these inside.

They must do a safety check before you have the scan where they will ask you these questions, the scanner is like a giant doughnut but you will not go all the way inside it. They will place a type of blanket over your stomach. It's very noisy and makes alot of clunking sounds, they give patients ear phones and pump some music through it to drown out the clunks of the machine. It takes about 20 minutes, sometimes a little longer.

Inflammation means anything, it could be adhesions which are normal after a c-section and will cause pain. Try not to panic or google, every patient is different so someone with your symptoms may have something completly different IYKWIM.

agedknees On no medication but thanks for the heads up
I've had zero info about this scan ...private health care in Dubai so had to wait for bupa to give me the go ahead and then a vaguely english speaking person called up to say it was booked and they were 'looking forward to seeing me' thats it

shodatin thats a worry, i dont think im claustrophobic, but then i've never had a MRI done before. Will try to email my doctor for advice re sedative before hand

You won't need a sedative. They should give you ear phones and you can close your eyes which really helps. If they give you a sedative then you will be kept there for alot longer. It doesn't touch your face, it's around the same size as the drum inside a large washing machine if this helps.

lol barbie no dont think you need to be writing your will just yet however bowel adhesions can cause bowel obstruction if they are big (which is why I have a bad lactulose addiction).
However the real ball ache is that its quite difficult to identify them, without opening you up which of course ....would potentially cause more bowel adhesions, so its a bit of a nothing diagnosis IYSWIM.

I really dont think you'll need sedatives unless you are really badly claustraphobic. Ive had two head MRI's so had to go right in, but just closed my eyes, dreamt of the beach and enjoyed the rest.

Hope all goes well for you

Ask if you can keep your socks on, sometimes it is really cold in there, and I found I couldn't stay still as my feet were freezing!

Sorry, just my feet were cold, the rest of me was ok.