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Original poster

MRI Scan - General Anaesthetic or not?

96 replies

MABS · 12/01/2003 12:23

I'm sorry to post again asking for help ,particularly after my recent absence from the boards, but I wondered if anyone had any advice. As some of you know I have a 2 yr old ds with cerebral palsy and am very used to him having to visit hospitals etc! This time the problem is with dd, aged nearly 8 ...... For the past 6 - 8 wks she has been suffering with very bad heads and exhaustion. To cut a long story short, Gp has tried migraine medication - no help - and last wk referred her to a consultant. Much to our shock the hospital rang us the next day and spent 2 days taking bloods, coordination tests etc. We have now been told that they want an MRI done 'as a matter of urgency' Apparently she will have to stay totally still for about 15 mins. They said 7 yrs and under would be definite general anaesthetic, but cos she's nearly 8 they hope she can stay awake. Anyone had any experience of this ?

OP posts:
carriemac · 13/01/2003 21:22

Mabs, I havent worked at GOS so not sure exactly how they approach things but
I would say usually for a sedative and definitely for a GA you would have to be admitted to a ward and fast beforehand. Be prepared for the sedative to fail, it often (10-20%)of the time does, with a GA you will get the scan done on the day. if you are relying on her staying still be prepared for failure and having to rebook the scan for another day. I dont mean to sound negative, I just know how difficult it is for parents to arrive for the scan and leave despondent after a technical failure. You may not get the results for a while,a doctor always checks the scans on the day but MRIs are complicated and often need to be discussed with a few experts before a diagnosis is reached. as I said, email or ring me if you want to know anything else

mieow · 14/01/2003 06:26

My DS,5 has had 2 MRIs with sedation, DD 2 has had 1 with sedation and DD2 had one at 1 week old without. I would defo. ask for sedation as the machine is very noisy and scary (and that was just for me) My son had his done at GOSH and I thhink that they like kids to be sleepy. Its usually given as a med. and it takes a while to work, the only downside is that your daughter will not be able to eat. Don't know why they are saying GA as the sedation was enough for my two and my son's last one lasted about 30 minutes. Anyway thats all the info I can give. Hope it helps

Bumblelion · 14/01/2003 10:46

My daughter had to have a skull and spine x-ray at 8 months - checking for a curved spine and synostosis. Spine x-ray fine, skull x-ray didn't give a definitive result. She was awake for these x-rays and it was very traumatic (for me and her). She had to lay on a huge hospital bed and be strapped down with foam either side of her and then had to have those metal cushions placed on top of her to keep her still. Very traumatic.

Because the skull x-ray couldn't rule out synostosis, she then had to have a brain scan - carried out at 10 months. For this she was sedated which, for both of us, was much better. Bit upsetting for me (and her father) seeing her being put to sleep, but she was not aware of anything that was going on and I was allowed to be in the room with her while the scan was being carried out.

My posting won't have been of much help as my DD2 is so much younger than your DD.

Obviously, my posting won't be of much help as my DD2 was 10 months when she had to have her brain scan but, after having been x-rayed - checking for synostosis = positive ... and curved spine = negative and having been held down with heavy metal cushions, the brain scan was much better (for me as her mothe) as she was asleep as I was able to be in the room with her.

Tinker · 14/01/2003 10:52

Stupid question alert but is sedation different from a GA? I'm asking because my daughter got her appointment this morning to have cyst (tiny) removed for her eyebrow. I am now having major secind thoughts about GA and wondered if she could be sedated with a local anaesthetic. She's 5. Thanks

Bumblelion · 14/01/2003 10:58

I am not certain, but I think it is the same. When my daughter was sedated, she was given a drink what made her go to sleep. If think there ar different means of administering the anaesthetic, but the end result is still the same.

Obviously, I may be totally wrong here and someone might say different.

Reading these postings has prompted me to "try" and contact Great Ormond Street as my DD2 has been referred there but I still have not heard anything from them (her having been referred in September and they - or my local hospital - having lost her notes).

mears · 14/01/2003 11:16

Tinker - sedation is different from a GA in that it is more a mind altering medication which may induce drowsiness/sleeping from which you can respond, with no recollection of what has happened. A general anaesthetic 'knocks you out' completely but can be very short lasting with no ill effects. Local anaesthetic needs to be injected which would not be pleasant for a 5 year old. I would be guided by the medical staff as to whether sedation or GA is best for the procedure because they know what works best through experience.

mears · 14/01/2003 11:17

Meant to say you are totally awake with local anaesthetic because it 'freezes' the area to be operated on.

cos · 14/01/2003 13:35

Re sedation Vs GA
as I posted earlier its hard to sedate a child over 5. Dedation is usually given as a drink/in a drink

Tinker · 14/01/2003 13:40

Thanks for the info everyone. I'm pretty scared of thh GA and may try and put this off until she is older and can have it with a local anaesthetic. I think the GA is more dangerous than the cyst so doesn't really make sense to do it.

Original poster
MABS · 14/01/2003 14:54

Thanks all, dd a bit brighter today. Just put phone down from Consultant's secretary , we should know when MRI is by tomorrow.

OP posts:
Original poster
MABS · 15/01/2003 11:15

Tempted fate yesterday by saying dd was brighter , we had a terrible night . Waiting for a call to say whether she needs to go back to the obs ward ...happy days eh?

OP posts:
bundle · 15/01/2003 11:23

MABS, sorry you had a bad night...thinking of you and ds

breeze · 16/01/2003 15:36

Just read this thread, i just wanted to wish you all the best, hope it goes ok.

AnnieMo · 16/01/2003 21:28

MABS - hope all is well - have you had the scan yet? I know something of the worry you are going through - although don't know your DDs exact problems. It is hell when something is wrong with your child - and it sounds as though you already have enough in your life with your younger daughter. Do keep in touch and let us know how things are going

Love and hugs

breeze · 17/01/2003 08:12

What i can add if that a friends dh has just had an mri scan, he had been having terrible head-aches and feared the worse, when the results came back it showed that what he had was trouble with his sinuses.

Original poster
MABS · 18/01/2003 19:04

Hi all - no still no scan, should definitely hear Monday, we see cosultant again then. Dd has been up and down , unfortunately when she's down with a headache its very bad. She was up 3 times last night crying with pain. As you can imagine my time on the pc is limited at the mo, but I really appreciate the kind and helpful comments.

OP posts:
breeze · 20/01/2003 11:14

Dear Mabs, Hope today went ok, and you have finally got your scan date. Let us know, thinking of you.

breeze · 30/01/2003 10:35

Mabs, any further news on this one.

Original poster
MABS · 30/01/2003 21:20

no news i'm afraid Breeze, thanks for asking - dd is still very up and down. MRI STILL not happened, she is on beta blockers much to my horror and after 18 calls to the hosptal, this week alone, i'm very frustrated and p**sed off. (sorry to moan)

OP posts:
lou33 · 30/01/2003 23:08

Mabs that's awful for you all, have they said why they haven't scanned her yet? You must be climbing the walls right now, wish there was something I could do....

robinw · 31/01/2003 07:44

message withdrawn

carriemac · 31/01/2003 10:12

Mabs i would take her to the hospital A&E and have her admitted. Then the MRI will happen.

Original poster
MABS · 31/01/2003 17:42

Thanks all , I've been assured a phone call on Monday Morning from the consultant......we'll see.
Carriemac - she's been admitted 3 times since Xmas to the children's hospital, but the scanner is at a different hospital. When she's in , all they do is watch her and give pain relief - I can do that just as well at home. They say that as they are trying to 'exclude' a lesion rather than 'confirm' one , she drops down the waitlist.

I going to start a new thread about beta blockers as I'm desperate for info. Thanks all.

OP posts:
Original poster
MABS · 10/02/2003 19:29

Well - just heard they're doing a CT scan instead , tomorrow at 2pm , not under GA. Now the reality of it has kicked in and I feel sick. I know they are pretty sure it isn't a growth but , as the doc said - there's always a chance......

OP posts:
breeze · 10/02/2003 21:02

Wishing you all the best tomorrow MABS. I am sure we are all thinking of you

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