MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

I'm hoping and praying that it works for you, Jo...

I hope it works for you as well Jo. I know very little about pain meds so this discussion is giving me an education.

One thought that just came to me from Jo talking about an MRI ... I personally would rather have more children by natural childbirth (which I did, twice) than have a breast MRI. The last time my surgeon suggested one, I cringed, and she said to check and see if my insurance covered a BSGI (breast specific gamma imaging). Mine did, and a center near me had the equipment. You sit up and the machine comes to you, kind of like a mammo but not as painful. You get a dye injection beforehand and the special camera follows the dye around, similar to an MRI. I get these yearly now instead of MRI's because I had bad experiences with them (one example: tech inserted needle wrong and dye was going all over my face and arm while inside but they didn't believe me and kept me in the machine ... yeah, not kidding!!)  Anyway, just wanted to throw that out there in case others have an aversion to breast MRI's with dye contrast as I did. My public service announcement for the day!

Jo - I hope the medication change helps get you pain free. lt's not too much to ask for and I am hoping the pain doc gets you there.

Barbe - Not sharing the results? SO not nice!! I am betting you could've taken her....ha ha

Welcome to the new and hugs to all.....

I am going to see my BS next week and I think he is going to order a breast MRI.  From what I am reading, I am not sure I want to do this.  I have never had any kind of an MRI.  Now I want to know what happens with these.  Are they painful?  That is not something I need right now.  Anyone who has had one, would you please explain the procedure to me in detail.  If you don't want to go into it here - please feel free to PM me.  Thanks. 

Didn't mean to scare you Jo! I just hated mine because I have claustrophobia a bit. I had to lay face down and your breasts hang down through two openings. They put an IV in my arm so they could add the contrast dye. They rolled me into the machine, a round tube. There is air blowing so the temperature is comfortable. They gave me the choice of earphones to listen to music or earplugs because the machine is very loud. They talk to you occasionally to tell you what they're doing and you have to lay perfectly still....that was the difficult part for me because I'm always antsy. It took about an hour for mine. It's not painful except that there's pressure on your breast bone and that does get uncomfortable because you can't lift yourself up to relieve the pressure. They roll you back out when you're finished and remove the IV. I must admit I was very happy when it was over!

Maybe other people have had different experiences...

For people with claustrophobia, they keep the tunnel well lit, with air blowing and mirrors so you can see out. I tempt myself by opening my eyes when I know the machine is almost touching my nose....I like to stretch my comfort zone....hehehehehe

My experience with the breast MRI was just as Barbe explained except I was not offerred headphones. Probably a good thing as I likely would have taken a nap had it not been so dang noisy!!

jo, just be prepared for loud noises.  i have no idea why the MRI machine is so noisy, but it clanks and thumps and it was such a big surprise to me.  for my last one i agreed to take 20 mg of valium right before and i think it helped a little.  i do NOT like having to stay still for any length of time.  just being told i have to be still makes my nose itch and my heart beat too fast.  i've always been like that. i think if i'd been warned about how noisy it was, i'd probably have been fine.  you'll do great, i'm sure.  there is absolutely no pain whatsoever.

Jo, the MRI can be a bit of a challenge, but it is not painful at least. You lie face down, with the boobs plopping into special cups. The tube is not big, and you are in there for what seems an eternity (for me it was about 40 minutes). You have an IV port in your arm, and halfway through, they inject some dye in there. The machine is NOISY like all get out. They give you ear phones to protect against the noise.

My mother gets claustrophobic, so they gave her a xanax before the MRI and she just kind of dozed off. WIth all the testing and other stuff I have been through, I have gotten used to asking ahead exactly what a test or procedure will be like, so I can get used to the idea, and I also warn the docs when something is likely to freak me, however silly it may seem. If I can't deal, I take half a xanax before (although that has only happened 2-3 times). 

....ok - just put choc chip cookies in the oven for my grandchildren, lit some candles and turned on music - I am just going to chill-out. For those of you are not familiar with my posts, I usually do not panic - I do rant on occassionally about healthcare profs and 17 year old radiation machines that break down all the time - so, please do not dread me being here. I am often upbeat and funny - promise.....Sher

Jo I hope they can get you taken care of.  This dang stuff has got to let up sometime. 

Thanks for the info., madpeacock (Love your name!) Somehow, being on my knees sounds better than lying flat - I think.....at least for my lower back. 

Sorry the party talked turned medical - I can relate - I was invited to my son's girlfriend's parents for dinner - They are very casual people, so I looked forward to a relaxed get-togeher. All turned-out well in the end, as I kept changing the subject - (actually, I spent as much time as possible playing in the snow with my grandchildren.) I expected people to ask me how I was doing, but I did not know a lot of the people there and barely knew the others - instead of people asking me about treatment, if they had to, in a more private conversation, it was asked as a general topic of conversation - I have spared my adult children many of the details of treatment and was so uncomfortable discussing it in front of strangers and my son. I declined all invitations to Christmas get-togethers and was glad I did. 

elimar - Thanks for the new photo - It awesome.

Sher 

barbe - What an idiot - I bet you wanted to slap him!