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I had my MRI yesterday....

Around a month ago, my specialist told me to have a small bowel MRI. I assumed I'd rock up to the hospital, jump in the MRI scanner and be done in no time, I was so wrong.

First the nurse put a canular in my arm (so they could inject Buscopan and the contrast agent during the scan), she then shoved a tube down my throat into my stomach.

A doctor then stuck a wire down the tube in my throat to position it in my small bowel. This was a particularly nasty feeling and I couldn't stop gagging/throwing up.

As I lay in the machine for 45 minutes, they pumped 1.5 litres of liquid into my bowel via the tube in my throat. The liquid passing through body was a weird sensation and by the end of it, I felt like exploding.

After the scan, I jumped in my car to drive home, when the liquid in my bowel decided it needed to come out. I stopped at 5 petrol stations and 1 shopping centre on the way home (it took me 1.5 hours for what is usually a 15 minute drive).

I rang my specialist that afternoon and told him that in the future, it's a good idea to brief his patients on what to expect.

Not the best day I've had and definitely glad it's over. (If I was flaring as bad as I was last week, there is no way I could have handled that whole ordeal)

Anyone else experienced this before?
 

Entchen

Chief Dandelion Picker
Good grief, no, I haven't experienced that, and GOOD FOR YOU for nicely suggesting that the office provide pre-test information from now on. Honestly, were they (not) thinking? I'm sorry you had such an involved experience with no information ahead of time that could have helped you prepare.
 
Wow, that sounds awful. How inconsiderate to not inform you of what would be involved. Although, I don't know that I would have went through that if I'd known about the NG involvement. I've never been awake during insertion, but have woke up from surgery a few times with it. Always my least favorite part of surgery. Glad you made it though, hope you don't get any nightmares.
 
Sorry you went through such an ordeal! I've never been through that before, I've only had to drink the fluid myself but it sounds like they were trying to put it in your bowel for you. I wonder why though, it's not as if you couldn't drink it yourself, right? Strange!
 
Haha, sue em', I love it.
I certainly would have liked to be prepared. I'm a huge sissy when it comes to needles and when the canular was injected I said, "well that's the worst part out of the way, her response, "not by a long shot".

Nurse: 1, winemaker: 0
 
Finally getting my MRI results tomorrow morning. I'm fairly worried as I've been in so much pain recently and not been able to keep any food down. The pain causes me to throw up anything I eat. It sounds like there may blockage or obstruction. I've lost about 5kg in the past week.

It's weird, I went from having the same symptoms as I have now a few weeks ago, then for one week all my pain disappeared and I could eat again.... Now back to the chronic pain and vomiting.

I don't know what to expect tomorrow but hopefully the scan shows something, otherwise I have no idea what I'm going to do.
 

DustyKat

Super Moderator
Good luck! I so hope you get the answers you need and keep us posted of the outcome!

Thinking of you, :)
Dusty
 
Results: No strictures or blockages, just chronic inflammation.
Specialist wants me to start taking Puri-nethol (Mercaptopurine).

I've just got home and looked it up and I don't think I want to take it. I'm about to start exams at Uni and don't want any more side effects to deal with. I'm going to change my specialist as my current one never gives me enough info about what's going on or the side effects of meds. I'm so frustrated!

I'm currently taking 3 grams Salofalk (mesalazine) and 9mg Budesonide (Entocort) each day.
 
I hope that's not what they do for an abdomen MRI. That sounds awful. I will be going for one in a month or so. The waiting list for them is pretty long here. I've been getting pain in my mid-upper stomach. I just had my blood work taken and an ultrasound (I'm on Imuran and Remicade) to see if I had Pancreatitis or to see if I have gallstones in my ducts. Both those results came back negative so she thinks they might be too small for the ultrasound to pick up and has scheduled a MRI. If this comes back negative I don't know what will be the next step.
 
I've never heard of this! My God, I am soo sorry!! From now on I will assume you'll be asking the questions of what to expect on the post side of things. Geez...
 
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