Now an MRI

NancyD

Now an MRI

NancyD

I've been through a lot of tests with this bc, but now I'm having my first MRI tomorrow. This is a post neoadjuvant chemo look at my left breast to see what the 3 tx of chemo have done or haven't done.

So here're my questions: 

1) will my feet have to remain still? I sometimes have involuntary spasms (little twitches) of my feet if I lie still for several minutes. Moving them ever so slightly tends to avoid a larger outburst. Since this is an MRI of my breast, will it be OK to wiggle my foot a bit?

2) I know every facility is different, but approx how long before my onc and surgeon get the results? This is the same facility that did my original mammos, and they were ver-r-r-y slow getting the results to my drs. Imagine, suspicious mammos and it took 10 days! Does anyone know how to light a fire under people like that?

3) I'm not claustrophobic, and I normally sleep on my stomach, so the face down position shouldn't be a problem. I've noticed that some people have had to ask for a towel for cushioning. Tell me they don't give you a pillow? Would it be inconvceivable to have one?  I mean, that would get me to be the most relaxed...I'd fall asleep, LOL.

4) Contrast die. What to expect?  I don't have any known food allergies, but after my PET/CT scan in March, the glands under my chin swelled up to golf-ball size. Is the die used for this test similar? (BTW, I will also be having another PET/CT scan next week. I will mention the swollen glands and see if they have a premed that will take care of that, or if I just have to suffer looking like a pro-wrestler for a few days).

otter

NancyD,  I'll try to answer your questions.  Somebody else will be along in a few minutes to help out, no doubt.  In the meantime, here are some websites that give pretty good explanations of what a breast MRI is all about:

http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=breastmr&bhcp=1

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/breast-mri/BR00019

1) I don't know about your feet.  Your top half has to stay perfectly still while the machine is doing its thing.  I've heard that it's OK to move a little once the clanging and thumping stops, but OTOH, they probably will want your body to remain in the same place for the whole procedure, so you won't be able to move very much.  I received a phone call from a nurse prior to my MRI appt, and I had an opportunity to ask questions then.  Maybe you can call and ask ahead of time.

2) I guess I don't know how long it will take for the MRI report to find its way back to your docs. It couldn't possibly be as quick as mine was.  My breast MRI was at 8:30 in the morning, and at 10:30 that same morning I had an ultrasound to check my axillary LN.  Turned out, the same radiologist who did the US exam was the one who had interpreted my MRI earlier that morning.  She told me what the MRI showed, even before I saw what the report said.  So, a 2-hour turnaround time?

3) There wasn't a real pillow where I had my MRI done.  Instead, they used a U-shaped face cushion.  It's kind of like a small toilet seat, but open at the bottom for your neck.  It supports your forehead, cheekbones, etc., pretty well; and you can breathe out the "hole".  I had trouble with it because the face cushion was sitting directly on the metal table, so my nose and mouth were only about 2 inches from the surface of the table.  Other places have a real opening in the middle of the cushion, and you can look down at a mirror or TV screen or whatever.  Not mine.  I kept my eyes closed ... tightly.

One problem some women have had is not with the face cushion, but with support for their sternum as their breasts hang (by gravity) in the holes where the MRI coils are.  The weight of your upper body will be supported by your face, your shoulders & upper arms (my arms were half-raised and lying next to my head), and your sternum.  I was fine with that, but some people find it uncomfortable to have that much pressure on their sternum.

Claustrophobia was not a problem at all for me with the breast MRI.  I've had "regular" MRI's where you are face-up inside the tube.  For the breast MRI, I was face-down on a table that was then moved feet-first into the tube.  The top of my head was actually outside the tube, although I didn't know it because of the face-down position.  If you like sleeping on your stomach, this will not be a problem.  I don't, so it was a little awkward for me; but I nearly fell asleep anyway.  I was very relaxed.

4) The contrast material they use for a breast MRI is usually gadolinium.  It isn't the iodine-containing material they use for many of the other scans.  Gadolinium is administered i.v. through a catheter they insert ahead of time.  For me, they put the catheter in before I even went into the room where the machine was.  The contrast material was delivered with a remote-controlled syringe about halfway through the procedure.

Most women have no trouble at all with the gadolinium.  I was weird, though (as usual)--the contrast material made me very nauseous and I almost threw up into their silly U-shaped face cushion.  Fortunately, I made it through the procedure without vomiting, but if it had lasted just 15 more seconds, there would have been a mess to clean up.  Next time I'll be asking for some of those wonderful anti-emetics I now know about because of my chemo experience!

otter

NancyD

Thanks, Otter. That's great info.  I did ask a few things when I made the appt such as eating abstinance required (answer no, thank goodness since the test is at noon, and I will be coming from my post-tx appt with my onc...with just enough time to eat a Mickey D hamburger along the way, but maybe I'll wait until after the test).

Every facility is different, I know, and I may get great service at this one (but kind of doubt it....they are the major player in the area and have little competition unless people want to travel across the river or into NYC.) They're efficient, but very busy, so there is kind of an assembly-line routine they have for most of their tests.

otter

Nancy, I think you're right in delaying the Mickey D burger, but you should probably eat something before the procedure.  I had a couple of very sweet jelly donuts before my 8:30 a.m. MRI, and that might have contributed to the nausea I experienced.  Maybe Cheerios would have been a better idea.  My preferred pre-chemo lunch (I get my infusions around 1:30 p.m.) is half a roast turkey sandwich and a diet Coke from the deli around the corner.  It's enough to comfort my stomach, but it's still fairly bland and it contains almost no fat.  (My tum hates fatty things when I get queasy.)

Don't assume your busy med facility won't be efficient (unless you already know that, of course!).  I've been having all my BC dx procedures and treatments at a huge university hospital/NCI cancer center, and they have been amazingly quick with results and follow-up appts.  They are definitely the major player where I am, but it hasn't gone to their head(s) I guess.

otter 

NancyD

Well, all I can say is great minds think alike. I didn't get to read your post before I left, but I did bring a little bag of Cheerios with me! I had to go directly from my onc appt to the MRI, and it was only about seven miles away, but by local roads.  So I snacked on the cereal along the way.

The MRI was harder than I thought it would be. I did have a touch of claustrophobia the first time they slid me into the tube. They had to bring me out and rearrange things a bit. The gown was bunching up around my face, and the blue paper cap they gave me to wear was being squished down from above. That set off the claustro. Otherwise, I was pretty comfortable.

The machine didn't just make that "clunking" sound every talks about. This one seemd to have bells and whistles, too. There were some sounds like sirens, and I thought they were trying to get my attention. Actually, it was those kinds of noises that sent my pulse up. I must be ingrained to hear them and think of bad things.

The surprising thing was that most of the time in the tube was not for the actual test. I must have been in there 15 minutes with lots of noises before they said, "OK, we're injecting the dye now. It'll be over in seven minutes."  And the main noises began again but for a longer stretch.

Oh, and I didn't feel discomfort in my chest until I got off the machine. My sternum has been hurting ever since. A couple of Tylenol have taken care of that. 

All in all, physical discomfort level was acceptable, but wow, my psychic discomfort was pretty high.

NancyD

WhooHoo!  The MRI radiologist called my onc and said, "I see no sign of the tumor. What did you do?" The tumor that was 6.4 cm in March!

How great is that?  It shows you how powerful and effective chemo is.

Well, we're going to do a fourth dose for "insurance" and then on to the surgeon! 

phoenix54

WOW !!!!!



Great news! i am doing a happy dance for you!



Wishing you all the best and good luck with your upcoming surgery



Barb

otter

Oh, Nancy, that's exactly the news you dream about hearing after having neoadjuvant chemo!  Congratulations!

otter