MRA/I on Hip

[KatieLillian86]

I am having an MRI and I a dye injection into my left hip, i was just wondering if anyone has had this before?
What should i expect? What is the pain like? what does it feel like? anything else you can help with.

The reason I am getting one is due to cartlige tear from MVA a few years ago. I am in constant pain and I am only 23 so really keen for some help and any advice!

Thank you!

[KatieLillian86]

Thank you so much for your advice!
That first MRI sounded horrible!!! i will ask for no interns haha
Im feeling a lot better about it now :)
Thanks again
KatieLillian86

[littlebeth07]

I've had this done on my hips twice now. The first time was performed by a bunch of interns (5 or 6) and they did an awful job. I was nervous in the first place but they made it ten times worse. The second time was a breeze.

I can't predict how yours will go but I can tell you about both of mine.

The first one was bad because during the injection, the doctors had a hard time getting the needle in the right spot. They have you lay down on a table and have a large x-ray machine over you. They then numbed the area with a topical anesthetic and use the x-ray to guide their needle. Try not to look at the needle, its very large. The interns must have hit my femur bone 9 times and it was excruciating. It was the sharpest and worst pain i'd ever felt and I cried the whole time (the injection alone took an hour and 15 minutes). Once the dye is injected, they'll do the MRI which is easy. Just make sure you have no metal on you and lay still. It seems like it takes forever but its not so bad. The injections the worst.

The second time around, I went to a different hospital. I was so scared and really unsure if I could go through with the procedure again but the injection took maybe 10 minutes and I didnt feel a thing.

Hopefully yours goes as well as my second one, good luck!

-I hope this helps somewhat and doesnt scare you. I just wish someone had told me. The first time I went the lady told me oh its not so bad. So i asked her when she had gotten one and she told me oh i got one in my wrist it was easy. I looked at my dad and said oh so hips and wrists are the same now.. right.