Another MRI before surgery

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Bbccats
Bbccats Member Posts: 52
edited February 2018 in Surgery - Before, During, and After

Hello,

I am having surgery on Wed. (Feb. 21st) and yesterday afternoon the hospital called to say that I have an MRI on Tuesday Feb. 21st. I was surprised to hear this but just took down the information. Unfortunately this was at the end of the day Friday and here in Ontario we have a holiday Monday (Family Day). My MRI is at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday so I can't call the hospital to get more information. So I thought I would try here to see if any of you could think of a reason for this. My cancer is a non-mass lesion that was only seen on MRI but at the time of the MRI biospy a clip was put in to locate the area. I am scheduled for a mammogram seed localization before surgery on Wednesday. Any ideas why I would be having an MRI. The only reason I could think of is the MRI was taken in the prone position and they want images in the supine position before surgery. Have any of you had an MRI before surgery for this reason. I'm extremely claustrophobic so I just keep wondering why I have to do this.

Thanks for reading.

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  • Georgia1
    Georgia1 Member Posts: 1,321
    edited February 2018

    Hi there. I wish I could help, but no, I have not been in that situation. I see from your other post that it's DCIS, so it could be the surgeon wanting to have the best images possible so she gets it all with clean margins. I know MRIs aren't fun and my only advice is to make up a funny story for yourself to distract your mind - I pretended the loud, weird noises were from aliens and I was on a space ship! Stupid, I know, but it took the anxiety away for me.

    And best wishes for an easy surgery and recovery.

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  • Veeder14
    Veeder14 Member Posts: 880
    edited February 2018

    Hi Bbccats,

    I had an MRI before surgery, actually the morning of the surgery. It was done for the wire localization since my tumor only showed up on MRI. It's a good thing it was done because the clip that was put in during the MRI biopsy had shifted by 1 cm (no wonder it was hurting). So all new MRI pictures were taken (not just a quick few to check on the wire placement) so the radiology doctor could place the wire in the correct place for the surgeon. I was prone during all the MRI's. I'm really claustrophobic also but face down MRI's aren't quite as bad.

    I would guess the MRI would still be prone if the surgeon is using it to direct him during surgery. It's definitely not cool to have the scheduling people call late on a Friday afternoon instead of treatment staff. That's happened to me before and I worried all weekend. You could call the after hours number for your surgeon's office or the radiology dept. and ask that someone call you back and explain why. That's what I would do. Good luck with your surgery.

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  • Bbccats
    Bbccats Member Posts: 52
    edited February 2018

    Thanks so much both Georgia1 and Veeder14 for your replies. So great to be able to reach out and get your ideas and advice. Very much appreciated!

    Georgia1, I usually try to visualize myself on a quiet lake in a kayak but since it is anything but quiet that doesn't seem to work. Maybe I will try the Aliens in a spaceship, although that makes me wonder if I would want to escape more...lol.

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  • Paco
    Paco Member Posts: 208
    edited February 2018

    bbccats,

    Hmmm, did you have an IV of contrast dye the first time?

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  • Bbccats
    Bbccats Member Posts: 52
    edited February 2018

    Hi kellyoc519

    Yes, I had IV with contrast each time, the first time when they found it and the biopsy and clip.

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  • Bbccats
    Bbccats Member Posts: 52
    edited February 2018

    Hi kellyoc519

    Yes, I had IV with contrast each time, the first time when they found it and the biopsy and clip.

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  • Bbccats
    Bbccats Member Posts: 52
    edited February 2018

    Got the answer today. They decided to do seed localization using the MRI since it was the only tool that saw the cancer. They put in a couple of radioactive seeds. Hopefully this will help the surgeon to get better margins tomorrow. I took 4mg of ativan sublingually and that did the trick. No issues. Feeling sluggish at home now but was fine through the whole MRI.

    Thanks to everyone for their responses.

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  • Paco
    Paco Member Posts: 208
    edited February 2018

    Good luck for tomorrow Bbccats. I also had the "seed" implanted prior to my lumpectomy which went very well and was virtually pain free. I hope yours will be too

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  • Butterfly1234
    Butterfly1234 Member Posts: 2,432
    edited February 2018

    Best if luck tomorrow bcats. I also had the seed implant and my lumpectomy went very well. Hugs and best wishes

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