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Need MRI but need pain medication to get through it

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Posted 8/2/2013 1:48 AM (GMT 0)
I have an Rx for an MRI for "lumbar spine w/o contrast".

I cannot stand on my feet for very long or lie on my back without the inside of my left shin feeling like it's on fire. Heck, I cannot even lie on my back in my own bed (have to sleep on my side).

I'm told I need to be able to lie completely still on my back for at least 20 minutes in order to get a good MRI image.

However, I cannot seem to convince my doctor that I need to have my left leg numbed just prior to the procedure. She thinks all I need is to take a couple of the Norco that she prescribed along with a couple of ibuprofen tablets an hour before the procedure.

Well, I tried that, and when I went to lie on the MRI table, my left leg lit on fire pretty much on cue. No amount of padding to lift the legs and/or feet high or low helped. It was a waste of everybody's time.

I've had 3 MRI's, two of the cylinder variety, one in an open table variety, so claustrophobia is not an issue with me. I don't need sedation for that. What I need is something that will make my lower left leg numb long enough to have the MRI performed.

What do people (pro athletes for example) do who have been injured, need an MRI, have NO ISSUES WITH CONFINED SPACES, but experience severe pain when asked to position themselves for the purposes of conducting the MRI? I don't need medication to keep me calm. I need medication to allow me to be pain free long enough to get an effective MRI image.

Better still, what do I need to tell/ask my doctor to convince her that taking a couple of the existing pain pills she prescribed just prior to the procedure isn't going to be enough? Do I need to go to a hospital and have the MRI done while I'm completely sedated, similar to how those new-age dentists sedate people who are afraid of drills? Is there an injection that she or my GP can give me prior to my next attempt? If so where? In the leg? Above or below the knee? How far ahead of time?

If my ortho doc won’t help or just doesn’t understand, can I bypass her and ask my GP to inject me on the way to the next MRI attempt? I won't even schedule another attempt unless I can be reasonably sure it won't be another waste of everyone's time.
Posted 8/2/2013 6:13 AM (GMT 0)
Welcome FM to HW. The MRI can actually take up to about 40 minutes so if your not making 20 your certainly not making 40.

As for "numbing " your leg I'm not sure you're going to convince any of your Drs to do that. Generally light sedation works along with pain meds but possibly getting them to give you a shot for pain before may be enough. With the meds and immobilizing your leg? They sometimes have to do this for small children.

That's the only things I can think of really as they generally work.
Posted 8/2/2013 11:30 AM (GMT 0)
I had the same issue with my MRI. I talked to the MRI tech before hand and let him know that I couldn't lay still for that long because of my back and the position. So he would take a set then let me squirm shift ect then he would take another short set then do it again. I was still in super amounts of pain because I couldn't get out of the tube but I could move up and down to get some relief. If little bits of movement help I would try that. I was still shaking and twitching involuntarily by the end of it though. I know it sucks but to get the help we need we have to do it. We're hear for you and I wish that there was something that I could do to help. *hugs*

Morgan
Posted 8/2/2013 1:31 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, similar problem when I had a full body PET/CT scan in February. The entire process on the table took nearly an hour, and within 5 minutes, my back was hurting so bad. I was already on a fresh fentanyl patch, and timed it to take 2 Lortabs just prior, but it still hurt.

I had no choice but to tough it out, closed my eyes and "zoned" out daydreaming, trying ever so hard not to even twitch. Not sure how I made it through it, but I did.

I would think it would be hard to find a doctor that would agree to more than the normal sedation they will offer an anxious patient. Hope you find something that will work.

David
Posted 8/2/2013 1:34 PM (GMT 0)
I fell asleep during my MRI. Granted, they gave me the wedge thingy and I did get to shift once because my arms were in an awkward position, but that vibration of the machine pretty much knocked me out. I did however, take a pain pill about a half hour before hand and Of course, when I got up I was real shaky. But I guess I'm kind of weird that way.

Hopefully they'll figure something out for you to get your done.
Posted 8/2/2013 2:47 PM (GMT 0)
I think most people here can relate to your problem. MRI's just aren't comfortable. I usually do what David mentioned-time my pain meds so hopefully they kick in during the procedure.

You're probably not going to find a dr to numb the leg. There are always risks with injections-even if they are small. Talk to you GP if you think it will make a difference-none of us know just how severe your pain is.

I hope you can find a way to get through the procedure.
Posted 8/2/2013 10:50 PM (GMT 0)
When I had to have an MRI of my hand and forearm I did not know to ask for pain meds. The awkward position made my entire arm, hand and back spasm the moment they put the weights on my hand. I told the tech and she said I could either tough it out or cancel and have to do it all over again on another day.
I spent half an hour with tears running down my face feeling like I had live coals in my back and shoulder.
I don't recommend that method.
That was what finally convinced me to ask for some PRN pain meds-before that I had never asked and only took an occasional Tylenol.
I would attempt another conversation with your doc.
Posted 7/22/2019 1:11 PM (GMT 0)
I have the same issue as reported by others! I can't lay flat on my back for an MRI, due to severe back and leg pain! The Anesthesiologist gave me MAC (monitored anesthesia care) sedation! OMG! It was the worst! She never explained it! She implied incubation was a remote possibility during the MRI! I don't remember a thing except for the terrific headache after-wards, sore throat and severe pain in my jaw from her 'overstressing' my jaw by forcibly holding my mouth open for the duration of the MRI to ensure an open airway, and that's when 'temporomandibular stress' occurs, how could it not!? And no one tells you about it before or after! I had to research myself to figure out why my mandible hurt so much? I had two MRI's for the same session, one with and one without contrast. It took an hour and a half! Why so long, I asked afterward? Because you kept moving during the MRI, even under the MAC sedation? And they had to start over, each time! Seriously? They induce pain because you can't stand the pain you were prescribed the pain med for, which causes more pain!? WHAT? I knew I'd be in pain after the MRI before I discovered the pain from the MAC sedation. Luckily I asked my primary guy for a few days of some narco to get through that a few days before the MRI! Am I glad I had the foresight to do that, he sure didn't! I'm still looking for that Anesthesiologist, what an ******! Why wouldn't a cortisone shot with a fluoroscope guide, have been an option? There's no less pain-inducing sedative besides this torture?
Posted 7/22/2019 5:49 PM (GMT 0)
Hi & welcome to the forum. Sorry to read about your experience. A cortisone injection with fluoroscope imaging would not have been appropriate for your situation.

I was prescribed valium when I had my MRI's done. I was also instructed to take my pain medication & muscle relaxer 45 minutes before the appointment time.

Take care.
Posted 7/22/2019 6:20 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks, Susie, So what else besides the 'MAC' sedation with no or less post-procedure pain effects are an option? Isn't there an injectable sedative that leaves you awake but you fell no pain at all like I had done when they did a colonoscopy a few years ago! The side-effects I had from the MAC were unexpected and severe, I know they're temporary, 1-2 days, but shouldn't the 'DOCTOR' - Anesthesiologist have explained that 'BEFORE' the MRI if for no other reason than a courtesy to the patient? She did a cursory exam, never touched me, looked in my mouth and had me bend my neck back and made it sound like incubation was a remote possibility!? But never explained 'JACK"! Then she over-stressed my mandible, forcibly keeping my airway open for an hour and a half with a tube down my throat! That's the last I saw if her! Who wouldn't be pissed after that? I had to go online to find out why my jaw was so painfully sore from an MRI, and SUR-PRISE, SUR-PRISE! Not to worry, I have a special set of skills! I will find her!
Posted 7/25/2019 3:14 AM (GMT 0)
Are nerve blocks still done?
Posted 7/25/2019 2:03 PM (GMT 0)
By 'nerve blocks', do you mean 'epidural' shots? The neurosurgeon who did my spinal fusion twelve years ago just reviewed my latest MRI and said, let's try 'epidurals' for this new stenosis/arthritis pain, and if that doesn't work there's a less invasive, thirty-minute, out-patient surgery he can do! Sounds like a plan, Doc!
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