Hi I’ve got my mri tomorrow…finally after a lengthy 2 week wait. Just wondering what to expect? I am not usually a nervous person but this diagnosis has got my nerves shot. Is it really noisy? Shall I take my own earphones or are they provided ? Is it very uncomfortable as my breast is still really sore and tender 3 weeks on from the biopsies… I can’t bare anything touching it…can I take painkillers beforehand to stop any pain in my breast. Any advice welcome x
Hi I had my MRI on Friday. It really wasn’t that bad. I thought it was much easier than the stereotactic biopsy because I had to sit up for it and obviously was lying down for the MRI. I was provided with earplugs and the noise didn’t bother me. It is a bit uncomfortable lying still and I did panic a little from time to time but I kept on reminding myself that it would soon be over. Just a tip… I had great difficulty hearing the radiographer and didn’t like to press the button so I would make sure you can hear her/him properly before it starts. Try not to worry. You will be fine.
hi Melia,
It will be ok, I take it you will have the breast & contrast dye MRI.
What happens is a cannula will be put in your arm/hand for injection of the dye to help see any problem
areas in the breast. You will then lie face down with your boobs hanging down through 2 holes in the bed. So it shouldn’t be painful as, unlike a mammo, there’s no squashing involved. But it might be an idea to take mild analgesia beforehand if you’re feeling sore. It is noisy, but you should be given headphones with a choice of music. I think I had radio 2!
It was better than I expected & I even found it quite interesting.
ann x
Hi Melia, the MRI machine is quite noisy but they will provide headphones, I was given a choice of music to listen to, they will talk to you through them. They give you a panic button for just in case it all gets too much, to be honest if it hadn’t had been so noisy I would probably have gone to sleep!
You aren’t allowed to take metal anywhere near the machine so will have to remove all jewellery, watches false legs ? etc so probably best not to wear more than is necessary so that you aren’t panicking about what to do with it.
I didn’t find it uncomfortable, you lay face down on something similar to a massage table so your face is in a hole & not squished on the bed, there are also 2 holes in the bed for your boobs to dangle through so I shouldn’t think you’ll have a problem from the biopsy site.
They also connected me to a drip type thing so that they could inject a contrast dye remotely during the scan.
im sure that by this time tomorrow you’ll wonder what you were worried about.
take care x
Mine was exactly as explained below. I asked to be told via headphones when contrast was being pushed through but didn’t hear them. I felt a cold feeling in my arm as the tube was touching it so know it was going in.
I had a bad headache afterwards so took paracetamol when I got home. I drank loads of water to flush the contrast through but was sick in the evening. Think I didn’t drink enough but felt much better afterwards.
Don’t be worried about the Mri, it gives the doctors a better idea on cancer for size and if any in lymph nodes.
Good luck.
Heather
Thanks for all your replies probably nothing to worry about but as I said I’m a nervous wreck these last few weeks. It’s the canula I’ll be dreading the most as they usually struggle getting them in. Also panicking incase they do find it in my lymph nodes consultant did say the u/sound is best for picking this up and they were clear on there. How long did everyone wait for results after mri ? X
It actually sounds quite comfy… I’ll look forward to having my boobs hanging free I bet that’s a sight mind haha xx
I waited 2 weeks as they only do results on a Monday, the Mri had to be reviewed and then discussed in the weekly multi disiplinary team (MDT) meeting which is on Friday morning.
My u/sound showed clear lymph nodes and also clear on Mri too. My sentinel node biopsies during surgery were also clear.
Only thing i can add (from experience) is they told me to close my eyes and imagine i was on a caribbean beach… so i closed my eyes and actually imagined i was underground buried alive! ? Screamed get me out get me out so they had to calm me down again (i am claustrophobic). So… my advice would be to open your eyes because once i opened my eyes i could see the light and tunnel exit so felt ok x
Hi Melia, I was very worried about having an mri as I am a little claustrophobic, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected. The machine is actually bigger than I expected so I didn’t feel too enclosed. I took an Ed Sheerin cd with me so could listen to something I enjoyed. I was also given a choice of arms above my head or by my side so I was pretty comfortable. The dye felt cold when it went in but I didn’t have any side effects at all. The machine was noisy and it did vibrate a bit but it only took 30/40 minutes so it was very doable. Hope it goes ok for you. Michelle xx
Wasn’t half as bad as I expected and a lot more comfy too. I thought I was going to be sick when the dye first went in and I was sneezing lots too (very random) but other than that I could have had a nap if it wasn’t so noisy xx
See, we said you would be ok! Onwards and upwards, keep moving on, before you know it you will be on the otherside of surgery.
I am sat in the garden in the beautiful sunshine thinking usually I would be at work. Sunshine is the best medicine 
I know thanks everyone this site is so supportive and helpful x