Wrong Appointment!

Edgey_75

Hi 👋,

I’m just having a moan (again), but I’m so frustrated and in limbo, I can’t help how I’m feeling!

So I had a letter through at the end of July to say I had an appointment for an MRI scan on 7th September. Now, I’d been for an MRI a few weeks prior but I couldn’t lie still because I was in a lot of pain 🙈 so I pressed the button for them to release me.

As you can imagine, my scan pictures were blurred because of my movement and so the consultant couldn’t get a clear picture.

He said they would book another MRI for me, but only after I’d had a pain relief and cortisone injection, so I’d feel a lot more comfortable and not be in as much pain whilst lying there.

When I received this letter, it said I would have a contrast agent injected into the affected area and then I would be taken for an MRI scan. Nothing on the letter mentioned anything about having a pain relief or a cortisone injection beforehand, so I rang the MRI department for more information, the lady on the phone said

“Yes I think it would be a pain relief and cortisone injection”, but she didn’t fill me with confidence. So I rang the consultants secretary to ask her, she said she’d talk to the consultant and get back to me.

The following day she rang me back and said it would “Probably” be the cortisone injection first (again, not really filling me with confidence).

So I organised to have a day off work, have my son picked up from school etc

Two days before my appointment, the MRI department rang me and asked me to confirm I would attend the appointment, I replied “Yes”, but I asked the lady on the phone if she could tell me it was a cortisone shot I was going to have.

”No love, it’s a dye that will be injected to give a clearer picture on the MRI” 🤦‍♀️

So I had to cancel the appointment!!! 🙄 Now I’ve got to wait again for the cortisone injection!!! Sooooooo annoyed!!!! X

stickywicket

I think you need to talk to whoever ordered your scan. In my experience cortisone shots don't work so quickly. Usually hours if not days. Maybe you were meant to have one some time before the scan. Or maybe it was some sort of sedative that was intended. Give your doc a ring.

frogmorton

I agree (twice in one day!) with stickwicket @Edgey_75 the cortisone jab needs a good 24 hours to work maybe longer and needs doing well ahead of the test. Your GP might just might be able to help. Sometimes they can prescribe something to relax us ahead (I have a friend who has diazepam) but equally it could be something they give you by IV to relax you if so that can be done not long before the MRI like maybe 1/4 an hour something like that.

Time to ring the secretary again in my opinion this is all taking too long 🙄

Take care

Toni xx

Edgey_75

Hi 👋 yes the consultant had told me that I’d have the cortisone a few days/weeks before the MRI, that’s why I kept on questioning it all.

The contrast agent is just a dye they inject to the area being xrayed so the picture is clearer. This is what I was finally told 2 days before my appointment!! 🙄

I think somewhere along the line someone has got confused 😐

stickywicket

You could ask your GP to sort out a cortisone shot before another MRI appt. but I hope it wouldn't be on the day as I doubt it'd work in time. The radiology dept. where you are having your scan might do an injection of some other pain relief on the day but I guess that's up to their protocols. Assume nothing😉 but don't accept another appt. until something has been sorted. Clearly the receptionist wasn't very clued up so I'd be checking with the consultant who ordered the scan or at least my GP as to who and when would do the pain relief.

Here's what the NHS says about MRIs and contrast agents https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/mri-scan/what-happens/