MRI with and without contrast

[hpymomof3]

My 13 dd is getting one on Wednesday to scan her brain. Is there anything I can do to prepare her for it? She has had a CT scan before and did fine but that was several years ago. What do they do to get the dye into her (a shot?) Will she feel funny when the dye is entering her body?

My mom also just told me that my grandmother had trouble with the dye they use. She had hallucinations. Is that something I should worry about with dd. Since that is her great-grandmother are they far enough removed that she shouldn't have a problem?

My older dd had an MRI done before but not with the dye so we really don't know what to expect.

[Sugarfoot]

:grouphug: to you and your DD. I had this type of MRI when I began having migraines. The dye was injected into the vein in my arm (like having blood drawn, but reversed). It wasn't painful at all. I didn't feel different in any way. I don't have a problem with MRI's, but I know some people feel panicky being mostly "enclosed." Some places give you ear plugs to dim the "thumping" and some give you headphones and pipe in music. I think closing your eyes helps with the "closed in" feeling. I wondered if the dye would have any weird effects, but it didn't. I was fine immediately afterward.

Hope this helps!

[Eliana]

The contrast agent I was given was administered through an IV.

After they checked to make sure I didn't have any metal hair clips, etc in, I lay down and they put in an IV.

They did about half of the scan and then brought me out and administered the contrast agent.

It was really weird. I could *feel* it, especially when it hit my heart, and then I got really hot all over and my heart raced a little (but I have cardiac issues). After the first brief flash, the heated feeling did go away.

I think gadolinium-based contrast agents are the most common for MRIs/

The American College of Radiology issued a Warning (http://www.acr.org/SecondaryMainMenuCategories/quality_safety/MRSafety/recommendations_gadolinium-based.aspx) the other year in response to some evidence that, under some circumstances, using these agents can be an issue - I would ask your MD about the latest research, if you get a chance.

The technician should be able to clearly describe what your daughter might feel with the specific agent being used - the only immediate, scary issue I know of would be if she has an allergy to iodine (one to shellfish is, if I remember correctly, potentially concerning). For some people, the hot flash and other sensations can be disconcerting, but I found it really helpful knowing that it was completely normal, and nothing to be concerned about - I only needed to panic if I started having an anaphalactic response! (Not everyone finds that reasoning comforting, I know!)

Other than that, I would remind her that the MRI process is *really* noisy at times - and it can be, even with some of the newer machines, a little claustrophobic (but nothing like the awful ones they used to have where you were shut into the thing - that was a horrible nightmare). You should be able to be in the room with the techs and be able to talk to her during the process. I found it helpful to keep my eyes closed *and* have something over my eyes so I would not see how small the space my head was in was. I also found it helpful (and the technicians humored me very kindly) to verify that I could move myself out if I panicked... and to move my arms and legs a little before we started so I knew I wasn't confined.

I hope that helps a little - I'm just here for a second, so this is a little muddled and cursory, sorry about that!

[Laurie]

I was really worried going in because I'm pretty claustrophobic. I had an IV put in before I went into it , and they used a small amount of blood thinner in it because they delay starting the IV until part way through the MRI and they want it to flow easily. When it started I could feel it going up my arm but it wasn't uncomfortable for me, and that's the only sensation that I noticed.

They gave me a "panic button" to hold in case I couldn't take it and needed to come out, and just knowing that I had that option helped tremendously! The technician talked to me frequently...and it was easy to hear her even with all the noise because the sound from the control booth comes right into the machine. I also sang to myself, not outloud but in my head, every children's song about Jesus that I knew! If your dd is a Christian she might like to try that, too!

[Melinda in VT]

My son had an MRI last year. They let him bring a CD to listen to through the headphones. I was also able to sit right next to him.

[Karen in NE]

about what you can bring. My son gets annual MRI's and he can either bring a CD to listen to, or depending on which machine he's scheduled for, a DVD he can watch. We usually try to request the machine that has the DVD set-up. His MRI's usually last 90 minutes so he'll pick out a money of that length.

Good luck!
Karen