Sedation for MRI

[TheOldSwitch]

Any experience of teens having sedation for MRIs? I once had light sedation for a camera down my throat and honestly it did bugger all for me!

They say to turn up to the ward 2 hours before the scan. If they give her the injection that early then won't it wear off by the time she needs it?

Will she be flat out fast asleep or still awake?

My other concern is having a wee. She has had trouble with interoception before due to autism. Will she be so deep asleep she could pee herself? Or will she be awake enough to get up and use the loo if I remind her?

They'll probably give her a small dose of diazepam which won't be like the sedation you had for your procedure. It'll make her feel relaxed.

See if the hospital has an autism liaison type role that may be within their Learning Disability Liaison Nurse team and seek planning support from them for Reasonable Adjustments.

You'll arrive 2hrs early for admin, booking in & checks, you won't receive sedation immediately upon arrival.

You'll be given a free NHS wait upon arrival.

I had heavy sedation for complicated lower wisdom tooth removal. I was so out of it i dont remember. It was a long pricedure and no I didnt piss myself. You retain bladder control.

Why is sedation needed for mri?

She has had a few shorter MRIs but this one is very long and she reaches her panic attack stage after about 25 minutes. She has autism and finds the noise and enclosed space a sensory nightmare.

I have loads of MRIs so have seen quite young children going in. I have to say I have never seen a child sedated, I have been there in the waiting area and a nurse often sits and explains what is going to happen to them, they can choose what they would like to listen to. They usually last about 30 to 45 minutes, I wear an eye mask due to claustrophobia.

Eye mask and ear defenders ?

Sedation is horrible. You feel groggy for ages after

Ear defenders are standard in fact

She can't get up and use the loo during an MRI. You have to stay stone still. So just make sure she goes just before and maybe minimise liquids beforehand.

It will probably be something like a short acting benzo so she will feel near enough knocked out and her memory of the experience will be wiped. So when she 'wakes up' she probably won't knows she's even done the scan.

I appreciate the suggestions of eye masks and ear defenders but this isn't our first rodeo. She has tried many MRIs and always has a full blown panic attack after about 20 or 25 minutes. This is a very long one and she really wouldn't be capable of staying still that long. The hospital are aware of her complex needs due to autism and they offered sedation as a solution. I would never want to use drugs as a first choice but in this instance the MRI is really important for her care plan and this is the only practical way we can get it done.

If it doesn't work you can ask for a general anaesthetic. My son has to have an mri under ga every 18 months.

I have no additional needs and if I need another I will be demanding as much sedation as I'm allowed, I was in it for over an hour and it was hideous.

I do too,I had no idea I was claustrophobic either until I had one. Just the thought of it makes me panic. I really hope all goes well for her OP.

OP you need to talk to the team doing the procedure. Deep sedation in an MRI scanner is unusual, but they may well have a protocol that works for them - no one on here can answer that though.

DSis had severe anxiety due to her medical condition and had to have several MRIs. She couldn't have sedation - perhaps because it was her brain tumours they were assessing? They allowed me to go with her into the scan room and they set up a mirror so that we could maintain eye contact. I'd hold on to her feet so that she feel I was there.
She also got to choose the music. When I hear Ed Sheerin now it takes me right back into that room.

Hope you find a solution.

They do give you them but they don't seem to mask the noise the machine makes. Maybe minimise it a tiny bit. And they play music. Actually maybe they were just meant to be headphones? 😂

I have nearly fallen asleep in there before, despite the noise! I almost find it quite pleasant being cocooned in there.

They must be able to do something. My mum is claustrophobic and she can usually get them to let her stick her head out the top or go in feet first. But i guess it depends where they need to scan.

Ask the hospital for details. I will
never have another MRI without sedation because i am claustrophobic

I've had a few MRI's. Going in feet first is better, you feel as though you could get out on your own rather than being trapped. For a lengthy one I asked if I could have a couple of minutes break half way through, the staff were OK with this and it did help.

I haven't had sedation but have seen adults coming out who have had it. They are up on their feet, walking with a nurse for support, nowhere near a deep sleep.

It’s my last MRI which gave me claustrophobia. Never even thought about it at the time. But when I lay asleep on my bed my heart was pounding and I woke up feeling like I was stuck in the tube. Took me weeks to realise that it’s claustrophobia. Since then I can’t sit in any seat I can’t get out of myself (wall side of a booth or window/middle seat in an airplane). Dreading having one again if I were to need it ever. Definitely go for sedation or even GA.

Same.. nothing could have prepared me for that moment. I’m not sure what I was expecting and went in oblivious .. but an hour in a tunnel with very fucking loud noises banging and crashing was my limit. The knee surgery itself was far less severe! Hope it goes OK for her OP x

@TheOldSwitch

My DD had an MRI last year under a general anaesthetic.

This is what happened when we arrived at the children's ward.

She was weighed, blood pressure taken, Dr's came round to explain everything and we signed the paperwork.

If she was over 12 and having periods they wanted a pregnancy test done too - my DD was not required to as neither were applicable to her.

About one hour before they gave an oral sedative, they got me to give her this as it was in a syringe, then they wanted her to stay on the bed as she would have been wobbly.

The play specialist on the ward came round with some toys, but I had taken some favourites with me, also watched the TV.

We were then collected and she was wheeled on the bed to the MRI department and the anaestatist got me to hold her hands and they put the mask on and she was asleep very quickly.

My DD had an MRI, some baby teeth removed and full blood tests as we liased with all the different Dr's to get everything done at the same time as it was easier, even though it took quite a while to arrange as it was so many different departments coming together.

We arranged to be the first appointment so had to be at the hospital for 8am and she went down at around 10am and was back on the ward at about 1.30pm, we were on our way home at 3pm, after the Dr's checked she was okay and she had eaten and drunk some water.

Is that an option? Why do they put you head first then?

I don't know why they don't put more people in feet first. I said I was anxious about it, especially as it was a longer one than I had previously and I asked if I could have a short break half way as one of my strategies is to count down the number of seconds I need to endure. Mine was for lower back/pelvis so it would be in the middle which ever way I went in. I didn't have anyone to drive me home so a sedative wasn't feasible at that point. My partner had one on his knee and he went in feet first also. Unless it's for the head / neck it's worth specifically asking, it's still very noisy but the claustrophobia is much less.

To scan people's heads/necks, for starters.

The body part being scanned needs to be in the centre of the MRi. Feet first and scanning your torso with tour head out if a head or neck scan is needed 🤣

Well yes,obviously but if they're scanning your abdomen why wouldn't they ask of you want to go in feet first?