Medical Nightmare (human)

[wannahelp]

I dislocated and relocated my shoukder at the beginning of March. I have more mobility but still a lot of pain and discomfort. However, the amount and intensity is too great for simply having dislocated a shoulder.

I need an MRI to check for a rotator cuff tear. I have had many MRIs in the past. However, I have an inner ear problem that has been aggravated for a while, causing a lot of dizziness and vertigo. I tried getting the MRI but couldn’t because being pulled back into the machine made me dizzy(er) so I couldn’t get through it.

The stand up MRI is a misnomer. For a shoulder injury, you have to lie on the injured arm. I’m in too much pain for that. What I need, is to be manually pushed back into the machine very slowly, so the dizziness doesn’t get worse. As it is, lying flat exacerbates it. I have called multiple MRI facilities and NOBODY will help me.

I don’t know what to do. I need to find out what’s wrong with my shoulder. It’s my dominant side and I may mever be able to use it normally because nobody will help me get through this test.

 

[Willowy]

I once had a head MRI in which I stayed seated and the MRI machine moved around me. Is there a facility like that in the area? I'm not sure they can do a shoulder that way but the shoulder isn't very far from the head. . .

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

I once had a head MRI in which I stayed seated and the MRI machine moved around me. Is there a facility like that in the area? I'm not sure they can do a shoulder that way but the shoulder isn't very far from the head. . .

Specifically, that's an "Open Upright" MRI. wannahelp - Ask your physician for the location of the nearest OUMRI facility.
.

 

[Willowy]

Yes, thank you, that's the one. I looked it up and it says that an Open Upright machine is ideal for "patients who cannot lie down due to pain" so that sounds hopeful.

I found this site with a location service for providers, maybe this will help: Open Upright MRI | CDI & Insight Imaging

 

[wannahelp]

If you goggle uproght MRI for shoulder, you’ll see that it is not performed the same way as other uproght MRIs. I don’t know why but I called the upright center nearby and you do, in fact, lie on the affected side, so that won’t work.
Also, the doctor said that open often miss tears that closed pick up.

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ Can you be sedated/sleeping for this procedure ?

 

[Willowy]

This one shows an upright position for a shoulder scan. Doesn't look especially comfortable! But at least it's upright: MRI Exam Positioning

Can they give you something for the dizziness? I know they can give Xanax or conscious sedation but there must be something for dizziness too.

 

[wannahelp]

I take somehing but it doesn’t work well. There’s really not much out there for diziness, unfortunately.
I can take something thar will make me sleepy but I don’t know if I could be completely knocked out.

 

[DreamerRose]

Benadryl or its generic equivalent will relieve vertigo. It does make you sleepy, so try one pill at night before you go to bed and see if that doesn't help the dizziness and vertigo. It does the trick for me. If you can't or it doesn't work, your doctor can prescribe another medication to take care of the vertigo. But you may need to ask for it.

You need to get control of that before you have an MRI. Good luck to you. It's very hard to get doctors to realize you are in a lot of pain and something needs to be done about it.

 

[wannahelp]

I take Meclizine now and it doesn’t help enough. A lot of people seem to say that. I haven’t tried Benadryl. When you go for a medical test, the people working in tbese places seem to have no empathy and are completely oblivious to the fact that people are there because they don’t feel well.

 

[DreamerRose]

Do give it a try. When my vertigo was severe, it took a few days with the Benadryl before it was completely gone. You can even take two pills at once safely - that's 50 mg.