[NP-Clinical] Re:MRI stories

Tue Mar 13 22:45:18 PDT 2007

I, too, fell asleep during both of my MRIs (one for herniated disk and neuro
deficit and the other for a cardiac research study, the latter taking 90
minutes due to constant ectopy). I never considered myself
claustrophobic
until they rolled me into the tube. Both times, I managed to
talk myself down, closed my eyes and started imaging I was on the beach in
Hawaii. Next thing I knew, they were asking if I was okay and telling me it
was over. It was actually very relaxing after the first minute or so.

Somehow I imagine the positioning for the breast MRI to be quite
uncomfortable. All of you who are fighting or who have fought breast cancer
have my thoughts and prayers with you, as well as my utmost admiration for
your willingness to share your stories with the rest of us.

Diane Dito

  _____  

From: np-clinical-bounces at nurse.net [mailto:np-clinical-bounces at nurse.net]
On Behalf Of Dena
Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2007 11:09 PM
To: 'NP Clinical'
Subject: RE: [NP-Clinical] Re: NP-Clinical Digest, Vol 12, Issue 25

I was once in a MRI for 3 ½ hours (head, cervical and thoracic spine with
and without contrast)—I never thought I’d be able to hold still long enough
to get it done. I totally surprised myself by doing hypnosis and falling
asleep soon after we started and only waking up when the tech said we were
done. I was floored to find out that I had been in there 2 hr 27
minutes—never felt discomfort from laying there that long, nor did I
apparently hear any of the clanging from it. Guess it just goes to show that
I’ll take advantage of any excuse to lay down and take a nap! <G>

Dena Galler
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2007 11:07:13 -0700 (PDT)
From: Julie Orfirer 
Subject: [NP-Clinical] Re: Breast MRIs
To: np-clinical at nurse.net
Message-ID: <367546.7924.qm at web55309.mail.re4.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

First, Chris, I'm so sorry to hear that you have to go through this again.
Every day I remind myself that the cancer is gone gone gone never to return.
For whatever it's worth it's my power-of-positive-thinking message. I am
taking my Tamoxifen....

I have my first MRI a week from today. Can't wait.... What's really a bummer
is you can't take an ipod into an MRI! It sounds like much more torture than
the mammo - which I never found that bad. (Mammos go so much faster when
there's only one breast to xray!)

Julie
Don't know 
which is worse - the torture of the mammogram, or the MRI. I do know that
the 
'cradle' you rest in, motionless, for 1/2 hour was not designed by a woman
who 
ever had to go through it!

Chris Forward, FNP,C

“To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of the arts.” – Henry
David Thoreau
http://sculpturefest.org/pages/artists2006/markey.html

---------------------------------
Bored stiff? Loosen up...
Download and play hundreds of games for free on Yahoo! Games.
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Message: 2
Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2007 20:14:22 -0500
From: Shelby Havens 
Subject: Re: [NP-Clinical] Re: Breast MRIs
To: NP Clinical , 
Message-ID:
<20070313011422.ZRXO1536.ibm59aec.bellsouth.net at mail.bellsouth.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

We have an open MRI in my town. People flock to it like crazy. It's better
than the tube.

Regards,

Shelby Havens, ARNP

> 
> From: Julie Orfirer 
> Date: 2007/03/12 Mon PM 01:07:13 EST
> To: np-clinical at nurse.net
> Subject: [NP-Clinical] Re: Breast MRIs
> 
> First, Chris, I'm so sorry to hear that you have to go through this again.
Every day I remind myself that the cancer is gone gone gone never to return.
For whatever it's worth it's my power-of-positive-thinking message. I am
taking my Tamoxifen....
> 
> I have my first MRI a week from today. Can't wait.... What's really a
bummer is you can't take an ipod into an MRI! It sounds like much more
torture than the mammo - which I never found that bad. (Mammos go so much
faster when there's only one breast to xray!)
> 
> Julie
> Don't know 
> which is worse - the torture of the mammogram, or the MRI. I do know that
the 
> 'cradle' you rest in, motionless, for 1/2 hour was not designed by a woman
who 
> ever had to go through it!
> 
> Chris Forward, FNP,C
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> “To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of the arts.” –
Henry David Thoreau
> http://sculpturefest.org/pages/artists2006/markey.html
> 
> ---------------------------------
> Bored stiff? Loosen up...
> Download and play hundreds of games for free on Yahoo! Games.
> 

------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2007 22:38:31 EDT
From: Ccfrn1 at aol.com
Subject: [NP-Clinical] Re: Breast MRI
To: NP-Clinical at nurse.net
Message-ID: 
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

We had a lengthy discussion about this (me, surgeon, & oncologist). They 
felt that since the tumor was only 6mm, ER positive and PR negative, and the

margins were all clear and sentinel nodes were negative, it would be safe to

procede with Femara and frequent follow-up. Statistically, there was only 
about a 3-4% likelihood of recurrence with a situation like that. We
discussed 
onco-typing - they felt it would have been justified had any of the 
characteristics of the tumor been less than optimal (stage, size, receptors,
margins, 
nodes) but they were all good. In this case there was no equivocation about 
the prognosis, in their opinion. They also pointed out that insurance 
companies won't tell you whether or not they'll pay for it until after
you've had it 
done :-( and it ain't cheap! Had there been any doubt, I would have been 
willing to shell out the $.

As for tamoxifen vs. the aromidase inhibitors, they feel that preventing the

secretion of estrogen with Femara (or Arimidex) is a step ahead of just 
blocking it with Tamoxifen. Of course, I'll be taking Actonel and calcium 
forever as well, but you gotta do it. 

Glad you dodged the bullet again - stay healthy!

Chris

Chris,
Why did you opt not to have chemo? Did you have the onco-type dx 
testing? The first time I did not have chemo, but my cancer recurred in the 
same breast, so the second time I had to have a mastectomy and chemo.

Was your tumor ER/PR positive? If so, please take your tamoxifen. I 
didn't the first time around and 4 yrs later my cancer recurred. I kick 
myself for not taking the tamoxifen (against medical advice I might add).

I am now on arimidex and will never ever miss a dose.

Denise

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