Hello, I have an MRI tomorrow to follow up on an inconclusive mammo and u/s a few weeks ago. (A "vague area of distortion" showed on one view, other mammo views showed nothing, u/s showed nothing. But I can still "feel" what I think is a lump or lumps.) I'm 31, no history of breast cancer, but I guess my drs. want to be extra careful.
I am VERY nervous, feeling like tomorrow is THE day - what should I expect? Will the procedure be scary? Can my husband sit in the room with me? And above all, will I be able to get answers - or at least initial impressions - from a radiologist right away?
Obviously I'm hoping for some finality tomorrow, and I'm just wondering how likely that is to happen. Or should I prepare for more waiting?
Thanks again for all the helpful advice.
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chelev Joined: Feb 2009 Posts: 917 |
Nov 5, 2009 09:12 am
chelev wrote:
Mead - hello. Yes, you can make yourself crazy when you don't know what is going on - try to stay as calm as possible (I know, it is hard!!!). Do you know if you are having an MRI where you lay on your stomach and the breast hangs down? Or did they tell you? Basically, what will happen is you will probably recieve an IV with some contrast dye (does not hurt, feels warm and wierd as it makes its way through your system). You lay down either face down or face up, depending on which type of machine it is. Then the table moves into the MRI machine. It doesn't take very long, maybe 10-15 minutes, again, depending on the type of machine. Your husband cannot go into the MRI room with you, nobody is in the room while the machine is running. Usually the radiology techs are not permitted to give you any indication one way or the other - they must leave that to the radiologist, who will relay results to your doctor - so I would advise to prepare for more waiting, but hopefully your doctor will get back to you quickly - stay on that! Good luck and hope you do not have to "join the club." chelev - Life is what you make of it - keep what works and get rid of what doesn't. TC - 2 rounds, Radiation - 33 rounds. Oncotype score - 27 (18%). Tamoxifen. BRCA Negative. "What that does not kill you will make you stronger."
Diagnosis: 2/14/2009, IDC, 3cm, Stage II, Grade 2, 0/4 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2- |
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ivorymom Joined: Apr 2009 Posts: 764 |
Nov 5, 2009 10:36 am
ivorymom wrote:
Hi Mead. The MRI can be a bit daunting because it's a big machine in a big room, and it's easy to feel small and vulnerable. Different facilities will have different procedures, but here's how mine go: You change into hospital gowns. You need to take off anything metal. You'll get an IV for contrast dye. The MRI takes one set of scans "as is." Then the dye gets released into your blood stream, and you do another set of scans. The two sets of scans are compared against each other. The contrast dye can cause cancer to 'light up" on an MRI image - but so can other things. One thing to remember about MRIs is that they cause a lot of false positives, so if you need further testing after the MRI, don't assume it's cancer. All of the breast MRIs I've heard of have you lying on a table face down, with your breasts hanging through an opening in the table. Some places have you put your arms up above your head, others have your arms down at your sides. My facility gives me ear plugs. Others give you headsets with bad music. You'll be slid into the MRI "tube" for your scan. I can be claustrophobic, but I've never had a problem with breast MRIs because I'm face down. I think if I were face up, it'd be a lot harder. The techs will be in a separate room but watching through a window. They'll give you instructions (like "HOLD REAL STILL") and let you know what's coming next. And then it's over. If you think you're going to be frantic out of your mind, ask your doc in advance to get an anti-anxiety med like Xanax or Ativan. They act pretty quickly and can ease the anxiety. But you may well be fine. It takes a trained radiologist to read your scans, so don't ask the MRI techs to interpret for you. Find out from your doc when you can expect to hear the results. Some breast centers can have them read almost immediately, which is great. Just find out so you can set your expectations accordingly. You CAN do this! Good luck. meg
Diagnosis: 2/8/2009, IDC, <1cm, Stage Ib, Grade 3, 0/2 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2- |
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Mead31 Joined: Oct 2009 Posts: 27 |
Nov 5, 2009 11:17 am
Mead31 wrote:
Thanks, ivorymom and chelev - I really appreciate the time you've taken to walk me through this. You are so generous! It is great to hear about the details of the procedure in advance by women who have been through it. (I should apologize, though, for reposting a question that I realized later has been addressed in many earlier posts - lots of MRI questions to look through! I should have checked before I posted.) I'm sort of at the point where I'm more scared of NOT knowing than actually knowing a result. Although, I'm obviously scared of the results, too. The waiting is truly awful, as I know everyone knows. All those what-ifs... I'm having my MRI done at a hospital that has a women's imaging center with a least a couple of breast radiologists who are dedicated exclusively to breast imaging. So at least I know I will be in good hands. Thank you very much for the words of wisdom, it really means a lot to me. |
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Mead31 Joined: Oct 2009 Posts: 27 |
Nov 5, 2009 11:56 am
Mead31 wrote:
P.S. Is it REALLY as loud as some are saying? I have a heart arrythmia (bouts of rapid heart beat) and sometimes loud vibrations from rock concerts and things (you know, like when you can feel the noise vibrating in your chest) can set it off. Is this something I should be worried about? |
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hrf Joined: Nov 2004 Posts: 887 |
Nov 5, 2009 12:01 pm
hrf wrote:
It's loud ... like a rapid "rat-a-tat-tat" - that's the reason for the earplugs or headphones .... you should let the techs know about your issue so they can help BRCA2+ first dx in Oct. 2004 2nd dx Feb. 2009 a new primary
Diagnosis: 2/6/2009, ILC, 2cm, Stage II, Grade 1, 4/6 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2- |
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OneBadBoob Joined: Oct 2007 Posts: 882 |
Nov 5, 2009 12:05 pm, edited Nov 5, 2009 12:11 PM
by OneBadBoob
OneBadBoob wrote:
Mead, you can ask for earplugs to help with the sound. I join the others in suggesting you ask your doctor for some Xanax or Ativan to keep you calm. Some places will allow your spouse in the room with you, as long as they have removed any metal items, jewelrly, cuff links, etc. I think it is different in every place. I would ask ahead of time if that is important to you. DO NOT DO DEEP YOGA BREATHING TO RELAX WHEN YOU ARE IN THE MACHINE! Since it will product too much motion--you must lie still, which is why a mild transquilizer helps so much. I have found that very few places will have you meet with the radiologist for the results on the same day, but some do. They usually send them to your doctor, who will discuss them with you a few days later. Call and find out what their protocol is so you will know what to expect. You will do fine. The fears before hand are much worse than the actual test itself!! Jane - Dance as if no one is watching!!
Diagnosis: 7/7/2007, IDC, <1cm, Stage I, Grade 1, 0/2 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2- |
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momoftwo71 Joined: Sep 2009 Posts: 44 |
Nov 5, 2009 12:37 pm
momoftwo71 wrote:
My doctor gave me something to relax me before hand so it wasnt bad. It took about 45 minutes in the machine, noisy but not unbearable. I had earplugs to help but also made it where I couldnt hear when they spoke to me. I was cold from a fan blowing through the machine but still not unbearable. Wear pants with no metal that way you can keep them on. I did feel the contrast going in it was cold and she had said I may smell and taste alcohol, I didnt. Definitely ask your Dcotor for something if enclosed spaces bother you, mine did not have a mirror to look out I was looking at the plastic right below me so I just shut my eyes and daydreamed. The piece they used to elevate my chest dug into my ribs that was probably the only part that really bothered me. My husband wasnt allowed in with me, but they put him in a little room beside the MRI room. I wasnt told anything that day about results. To me the noise at times was like BAH BAH BAH, and then it changed every so often, different sounding. She would do a scan for like 2 minutes then nothing for a couple of minutes then the next one might be about 8 minutes. Mine wasnt constant noise the entire time. Hope this helps Kim
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lovetosail Joined: Oct 2009 Posts: 33 |
Nov 5, 2009 12:53 pm
lovetosail wrote:
I thought it was mildly uncomfortable to stay in one position for so long, but it wasn't that big a deal. Noisy, yes, but it's doable with the earplugs. I didn't even notice when the IV engaged and the contrast solution flowed in. I wish I hadn't worn jeans as I had to take them off and put on giant hospital scrubs - wear pants with no metal and you can keep them on. I had mine done on a Friday and my doc phone with results on Monday. The techs will not be able to interpret anything for you, they can just verify that the image is clean and clear. I didn't even see a radiologist while I was there, so while your case might be different I don't think you'll get any immediate answers. As said above MRI's DO produce a lot of false positives, but the good side of that is that they won't miss some things that other imaging techinques like mammo might. try to relax, and let us know how it went! Diagnosis: 10/19/2009, IDC, Grade 3 |
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Mead31 Joined: Oct 2009 Posts: 27 |
Nov 6, 2009 04:04 pm
Mead31 wrote:
I did the MRI today, and it went pretty well. Thanks to all for the helpful advice; I really felt prepared for the procedure thanks to you. It was a little unnerving and loud, and my tech was pretty matter-of-fact, but I did ok. I was sort of hoping I'd get some sense of the results today, but I left without anyone really saying anything and I think it will be a couple of days before they get the results to my dr. I'm going to try to have a relaxing weekend; I know I've done everything I can so far. What happens after you get the MRI results? I'm assuming if they don't find anything, I'll need to follow up in 6 mo. or so - if they do find something abnormal, how is that described? I'd assume biopsy is recommended? Just trying to anticipate what I'll hear from my dr in both cases. Thanks again for the support. Liz Mead |
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