Pain during MRIs

[ajunebug]

Hi there....well, I have my pre-op appointment on Tuesday, so I was supposed to go get my current MRIs done last week. I was to get my head with/without contrast, my whole spine to look for syrinxs, and a cine flow. Well, I only made it through the head MRI and I had to get out because I was in SO much pain laying still on my back. The neck piece was pushing right on my neck where all my pain is. It hurt soooo bad, I was crying in the tube! I had to have them take me out. :(

Has this happened to anyone else? I am going to go try again in a week, with valium and oxycontin. If that doesn't work, they'll have to IV sedate me. Honestly, I wish we'd skip right to the IV sedation - because I'm not sure there is anyway I am going to be able to tolerate that level of pain for 2 hours in the tube, staying perfectly still!

Is this a common issue for chiarians? It seems like it would be, since it's often hard for us to stay in one head position for very long.

[pamk5]

I had to have a MRI the other night 6 days post op from PFD.  I had them give me IV Ativan and did fine.  Of course I had my pain killers that I was taking from surgery too.  They can put extra padding at your neck too.  Good luck!  

[STL5]

I had a lot of trouble lying on my back.  I had pain and was uncomfortable even with medication while having my MRIs.  I just kept telling myself that I had to bear it to get the results and answers.  That was the only way I made it through.  You may need sedation to make it through.

[ajunebug]

No, they don't have a sitting MRI. I'm hoping a combo of valium and oxy will help. But I seriously wanted to die from the pain of laying on that neck piece. It was pushing just below my skull on my neck - and I have a big herniation, that's right where my tonsils are. Oh my, it hurt so bad. I've had MRIs before, but the last one was in 2009 and my pain problems are a lot worse now. I even took a vicodin before I got in the tube, but it didn't even touch my pain in there.

I can barely lay flat on a pillow at night (I sleep on my side). So that neck piece and plastic bed was just torture for me.

I'm so annoyed though, because now I have to reschedule my pre-op appointment till after I can get all the MRIs completed. Gah!

[selmaS]

  Hi...I know it can be diff to lie flat for that time and it can be painful, but we all have diff levels of pain we can tolerate....so this a question that u may get many diff answers to.

I never had an issue while inside like u did, and I was inside more than 2 hrs for one visit....I always got the pain after I got out.....

  Does ur MRI facility have a MRI u can do sitting...that can be just as uncomfortable, but it may help u get thru it....ask ur dr about it.

   "selma"