Re: MRI next step

From: Karen O'Keefe (kareno@azlink.com)
Mon Jun 7 23:32:58 1999


You can request an "open MRI" - these machines don't make you feel claustrophobic. If you're not able to find a place that offers it, you'll probably do okay with the other too. No pain involved there, and usually they give you a headset to listen to music. I nearly fell asleep during my first MRI! My second made me a little claustrophobic - if that happens, ask them to give you a towel to put over your eyes. Keeps out the lights and makes you feel alot better. Good luck!

Karen >
> Hi Everyone:
> I'm going nuts. My pcp has suggested an MRI as the next step to search
> for the cause of the pain I continue to have.
> He finally did call me, was very caring, (so I guess I won't fire him
> yet :<) but admits he is stumped. My complaints do not correlate with
> my physical exam. When a doctor has said that to me in the past, it has
> always led to a dead end. At first he suggested CT Scan of the abdomen
> and pelvis and then decided on the MRI of the lumbar sacral spine
> instead.
> The everyday lower right side abdominal pain that I had two
> laparoscopies for continues. This is pain #1. Pain #2 is the symptoms
> of bowel obstruction which have subsided since I cut out all the extra
> fiber I had been eating. I read that some people never adjust to
> increase fiber (I did it for 6 months) and although the symptoms were
> suggestive of a partial bowel obstruction, there might not be any reason
> for such an obstruction other than the increase in fiber. (then there
> could be the adhesions causing it) This is the pain that occurs on both
> sides, and feels just like menstrual pain. (my gyn told me most
> menstrual pain is bowel pain).
> It is now pain #3 that is getting to me, combined with pain #1. I
> sometimes wake up early morning with severe (as in don't want to move an
> inch) lower right sided pain that is dramatically alleviated by a change
> in position. (although the area remains sore the acute pain is gone)
> This severe pain never happens in the daytime, nor does it ever happen
> on the left side of my abdomen. It happened a few times during the
> period I was having the laps (1 year) but has increased since March
> which just happens to be when I started a course in step aerobics. When
> I get out of bed I expect to have to hobble to the bathroom hunched over
> in pain but am surprised to find that I feel almost normal. a full
> bladder seems to make it worse, in fact a full bladder during the day is
> the closest I can come to duplicating the pain. My pcp says this relief
> by getting up and walking around is consistent with certain kinds of
> back problem. Am I getting muscle spasms? What does that feel like? Add
> to pain #1 and #3, pain #4-this is the pain I now feel on the lower
> right side of my back and into the buttock area. Of course my question
> is, is this connected to pain #1, the lower right side everyday pain? Or
> just a coincidence? Kind of odd that's everything is on the right side.
> It is possible that adhesions are involved in this, or it might be
> something entirely different. (and may have been all along) If the MRI
> gives no explanation I guess the next step will be drugs that affect
> perception of pain such as antidepressants.
> Does anyone have adhesion pain with strange patterns of occurence such
> as I have described above? It sounds as if everyone's pain from
> adhesions is more or less of a consistent nature. I'm afraid I'm
> barking up the wrong tree!
> I'm trying to post on the neurology MD forum but they are really backed
> up.
> Finally, has anyone had an MRI? What can I expect? They just called with
> my appt-next Monday at 9 PM!!! Weird? The daughter of a friend had one
> and she normally has no problems with things like this, found the MRI
> very, very difficult to tolerate. She said it took intense mental
> imagery to keep from panicking in the enclosed area. She advised
> pre-medication. Help!
>
> Chris S.

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