Updated in OP: Experiences with sedated MRI?

[Gena]

DS had his sedated MRI on Wednesday morning and it went really well. They gave him some Versed by nasal spray to keep him calm and make him sleepy before doing the IV (Versed and Propofol). Even so, he protested getting the IV in, but we were able to keep him still for it.

He stayed asleep for quite a while afterward the MRI and it was difficult to wake him up. But his vital signs were all very good, so the staff wasn't concerned. He just seemed to metabolize the medication more slowly than average. He was like a grumpy drunk coming out of the sedation, but thankfully he was not combative or aggressive. He had to eat some crackers and drink some water before he could be discharged and that took a while because he kept wanting to go back to sleep. He perked up a little in the car and by the time we got home he was acting pretty usual and was wanted a full meal.

The only side effect from the sedation was that DS had the hiccups for several hours, which apparently isn't common, but not unheard of. Also he was a little moody, which we expected. He was a little confused, because he doesn't remember anything from the time they gave him the nasal dose until the car ride home.

The worst part of the day was before we even went to the hospital, because he was not able to eat or drink anything. This upset his whole morning routine and he had a major meltdown. He eventually calmed down, and kept asking if he could eat "after the brain pictures".

Our appointment with neurology is in a couple of weeks, so we will get the results then.

I want to thank everyone for sharing their experiences. It really helped us know what to ask the doctors and nurses and helped us feel more prepared.


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DS will be having a sedated MRI later this month. I knew we would have to do this eventually and have been been putting it off for a couple of years. His Developmental Ped, neurologist, and geneticist all agree that it should be done for several reasons.

I'm really nervous about this test. Not about the results, but about the procedure itself. I know that staff at Children's Hospital is top-notch and have all kinds of experience with special needs kids. But I'm still nervous as all heck.

I would love to hear about other parents experiences with sedated MRI. How did it go? How did your child handle it? What did you do to make it easier?

I don't even know how to prepare DS for this or how much to tell him or how much he will even understand.

The test is scheduled for Dec 26. Which sucks, because it's like "Merry Christmas, DS - you're getting an MRI!" But we wanted to schedule it over winter break so he wouldn't miss school and DH and I would both be able to be there.

[o_mom]

Our experience was not bad at all. We were at a children's hospital. DS3 was almost 5 yrs old at the time. I didn't really tell him too much ahead, just that we were going to the hospital to take pictures of his brain. The eating/drinking restrictions were the toughest part because we were an afternoon appointment (first available and we were in a emergent situation, not scheduling ahead). We had a private 'room' to wait - not a full hospital room, but walled off with a door, TV, phone, etc. that opened to the nurses station. They did all the pre-stuff there. We talked with the anesthesiologist and radiologist before he went back. I had some entertainment stuff for that, but mostly he wanted to watch TV.

Ours did a gas induction with a mask so they did not put in the IV, etc. until he was out. Because it is not a sterile environment, I was allowed to stay with him until he was out. DS fought it a little, but he is probably smaller than your DS. If they will do that, you may want to practice with your DS on the mask on the face part. It only lasted about 20 sec, and I think the hospital was more upset over him fighting than I was (I have to restrain him to brush teeth half the time, so no biggie to me). It's also possible that they may offer you an IV induction or oral meds if you think those may go better. I would call ahead and ask them what their normal procedure is and what other options they have.

Coming out was more difficult because he was a bit combative about the IV that was still in. They ended up dosing him with anti-nausea meds and pulling it sooner than normal because we were having trouble restraining him. Once the IV was out he was much better. Some of that, too, was that he was more than willing to just snooze off the anesthesia, but they wanted him to wake up. They wanted him to eat and drink before we left as well.

He was not willing to walk out afterwards, so we used one of the hospital wagons. Not sure what your hospital has, but he will probably still be pretty loopy/unsteady when they discharge you. DS just slept on the way home and then was pretty mellow the rest of the day. Overall, it was not too bad on the scale of medical procedures. We've had much more traumatic procedures. You could also call the hospital's child life specialists ahead of time if you think that would be helpful - they came in and did things like bubbles and had cool toys if we needed them along with stickers, and balloons when we left. That may or may not be helpful for your DS, though.

Waiting for the results was 1000x worse than the actual procedure, BTW. Ours were back in 24 hrs so we had them at the neurology appointment the next day.

ETA: Feel free to PM me for more details.

[justlearning]

I can't recall the exact number but I believe that DS had general anesthesia 25-30 times over the course of his cancer treatment (for surgeries, radiation on his brain and for lots of scans).

I understand how scary it can be the first times (I cried lots then), but after experiencing it so many times it became routine for us and I realized that he would come out just fine each time. So, I share that to hopefully calm your nerves. Also, the sedation a child receives for a scan is much less than what they get for a surgery, so hopefully you won't worry. I hope everything goes great for him. Maybe you can extend his Christmas by giving him another gift on the 26th after the MRI.

Your son is much older than mine was (he was 2), so some of this may not be relevant but I found a previous post I had made in response to someone talking about her young son having a procedure done under GA. Here's what I wrote then:

I'm sending prayers and PT that everything will go well for your son's procedure. I will say that worrying about it will not change anything about the outcome but it might make your son's experience worse if he senses your anxiety. So if you're able to do so, I'd try to make it like it's a fun thing he's getting to do tomorrow. He's getting to have lots of people focusing on him, you're going to let him open a special present (or whatever) when he's done, etc. Out of all the times that DS had to be put under--including his surgeries--I always went to the hospital myself while DH was at work and I would go to the cafeteria or lounge, eat some food, read a book, and try to relax.

I would recommend that you take your stroller tomorrow because they can still be wobbly afterwards when they come out of general anesthesia. (We would joke that he walked like he was drunk.)

Oh, here's a MAJOR tip--be sure that no one in the house tomorrow morning talks about food or eats food or drinks water (after the time that your son can't drink) anywhere around your son. It's hard for a young child to be NPO so be sure that he doesn't see food or drink anywhere around him (if possible). For example, if you're used to grabbing a morning coffee, make sure that you don't do that around him.

I always packed us food to eat and drinks in a zippered tote bag (not a lunch box so he couldn't see the food or assume I had food) so I could eat and drink something once he was under anesthesia. Then I could also give him food and drink once he came out of it and the nurses said that it would be OK.

[mytwosons]

No experience with MRI, but DS did have general anesthesia several years ago.

A friend told me to call and ask about the "magic juice". It seemed pretty standard at our hospital. It looked like grape koolaid, but was a slight sedative, so they didn't fight the mask, could separate from parents, etc. Before they gave it to him, they played with a mask, etc.

Honestly, I wish I had thought to ask for something for ME! That was honestly the most stressful thing I've been through, and it would have been beneficial to have something to take the edge off.

FWIW, my son did great, but was not happy when coming out of it.

[Gena]

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

The scheduling nurse was able to answer a lot of my questions and told me that a nurse from medical imaging would call a week or so beforehand to go over the details and everything. But it's always good to hear from other parents. It helps me come up with questions to ask the nurse when she calls.



Ours did a gas induction with a mask so they did not put in the IV, etc. until he was out. Because it is not a sterile environment, I was allowed to stay with him until he was out. DS fought it a little, but he is probably smaller than your DS. If they will do that, you may want to practice with your DS on the mask on the face part. It only lasted about 20 sec, and I think the hospital was more upset over him fighting than I was (I have to restrain him to brush teeth half the time, so no biggie to me). It's also possible that they may offer you an IV induction or oral meds if you think those may go better. I would call ahead and ask them what their normal procedure is and what other options they have.


The scheduling nurse told me they will be using IV sedation. I'll have to ask if they can give him gas first. Years of asthma treatments have made him comfortable with the mask, so that wouldn't be a problem. (Hey - finally an upside to asthma!)



I understand how scary it can be the first times (I cried lots then), but after experiencing it so many times it became routine for us and I realized that he would come out just fine each time. So, I share that to hopefully calm your nerves. Also, the sedation a child receives for a scan is much less than what they get for a surgery, so hopefully you won't worry. I hope everything goes great for him. Maybe you can extend his Christmas by giving him another gift on the 26th after the MRI.


Yeah, we're going to have to hold one of his Christmas back and give it to him afterwards.

I'm more worried about the whole process of the sedation than the actual medication or really even the test procedure. It took 3 of us to hold him down for his flu shot a couple of weeks ago. His most recent blood draw was traumatic for both of us (and for the young phlebotomist who found DS to be more than she could handle). I'm really really really dreading the IV.

The tip of not eating or drinking around DS (or even mentioning it) the morning of the test is good advice. I'll keep that in mind.


No experience with MRI, but DS did have general anesthesia several years ago.

A friend told me to call and ask about the "magic juice". It seemed pretty standard at our hospital. It looked like grape koolaid, but was a slight sedative, so they didn't fight the mask, could separate from parents, etc. Before they gave it to him, they played with a mask, etc.

Honestly, I wish I had thought to ask for something for ME! That was honestly the most stressful thing I've been through, and it would have been beneficial to have something to take the edge off.


After years of us putting meds and supplements in his juices, DS has learned to be highly suspicious of any liquid other than water or white milk. So, no "magic juice" for him.

I totally get what you mean about wanting some for yourself though. When I told the scheduling nurse my concerns about how difficult the IV could be for all of us, she kindly offered, "Well, I can order some IV therapy for you, if you think that will help." I completely misunderstood this and asked, "For me? Does that mean I can get drugs too?" She laughed and explained that it means that specially trained therapists would be present to help DS (and us) get through the process. So we are going to try that.

[o_mom]

The scheduling nurse told me they will be using IV sedation. I'll have to ask if they can give him gas first. Years of asthma treatments have made him comfortable with the mask, so that wouldn't be a problem. (Hey - finally an upside to asthma!)

I'm more worried about the whole process of the sedation than the actual medication or really even the test procedure. It took 3 of us to hold him down for his flu shot a couple of weeks ago. His most recent blood draw was traumatic for both of us (and for the young phlebotomist who found DS to be more than she could handle). I'm really really really dreading the IV.

I would really push them for a mask induction. Even though DS fought it, it was over quickly and he had no memory of the IV at all (even though he fought it waking, AFAIK, he doesn't remember that) and we had no issues with his next blood draw.




The tip of not eating or drinking around DS (or even mentioning it) the morning of the test is good advice. I'll keep that in mind.



Ours was in the afternoon, so we were able to have him eat breakfast really early, but he of course was not very hungry at that point. I spent the morning taking him to swim lessons (he was allowed clear liquids up to like 2-3 hours before, lol) and then I arranged for a friend to walk him around the library while I scarfed down a sandwich. I didn't feel much like eating, but kind of forced myself to. Since your DH will be there, you can take shifts if you need to eat (my DH was working).

We spent 'lunch hour' at the library and then went to the hospital. I grabbed a snack while he was under (they gave us a pager) and then they called me back to recovery when he started to stir so I would be there when he woke up.

[niccig]

No advice, but I hope it goes well.

[JTsMom]

Hey Gena,
It's good to see you around here again! We have several sedated MRIs/other procedures under our belts. I know how stressful it can be. :hug:

I see a lot of overlap between our circumstances (as usual ;) ), and I have several thoughts I want to share.

First, I want to say that while not a fun day, all of our sedated procedures have gone ok. Some have been better than others, and that mainly depended on the staff. I've learned from the less than stellar experiences though, and can do a better job advocating for Jason at this point.

-The first big issue is the type of sedation and induction that they use. Your facility sounds like ours. They want to do an IV for both parts. I had a major issue with that b/c Jason is terrified of medical procedures in general, and trying to get an IV in him would be a total nightmare. I had a thread about it here, and several BBB medical pros and their spouses weighed in. It's worth a read if you can find the time:
http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=365615&highlight=sedated

The Cliffs Notes version is that a lot of places will do a gas induction, our hospital would not b/c they did not have the set up, I went back and forth with them, and finally we ended up using GA, gas induction. We've done subsequent ones the same way. It's something I had to push for just a little, but I think it was worth it.

-Another issue was whether or not to use Versed. We'd had a bad experience with it in the past, they pushed us to use it again, we had another bad experience, and there is no way I will consent for it to be used again. He's done fine without it since then.

-Recently, we had a new eval with a new neuropsych. She gave Jason a medical phobia diagnosis, and wrote me an awesome letter to give to providers that explains what not to do b/c it will make the phobia worse. I've only used it twice, but I call it my magic bullet. Because when I tell people, I'm just "that mom". With the letter, all my concerns magically become valid. ;) If you can get something like that, I think it would be totally worthwhile. If you want more info, let me know. I'd be happy to email you a copy if that would help.

-One other thing that may help is contacting Child Life ahead of time.

Gotta run, but let me know if I can fill in any gaps. Wishing you both lots of luck!

ETA: Check with all of your docs to see if anyone is going to want any bloodwork done in the near future. You can usually get them to draw blood while he's sedated. Kill as many birds as you can with that one stone!

[Gena]

Update in OP.

[justlearning]

So glad that everything went OK with the anesthesia, even if the time before/after was somewhat rocky.