MRI tomorrow and worried

[Anonymous]

Noah is scheduled for a head MRI tomorrow. The doc wanted to do this test to rule out any abnormalities of the brain that could be contributing to his lack of appetite/eating. I know that he will have to be sedated so he will be still for the test. I’m worried that he will be strapped down so he cant move and that his head will be immobile for the 1/2 hour it takes to do the test. What if he vomits or spits up and cant move or turn his head and he chokes? He’ll be inside of the extremely loud tube and no one will know if he’s having any problems. Does anyone have any experience with your child having an MRI and what I should expect? I’m thinking about cancelling.

[Anonymous]

My friend’s baby just had this done and is a refluxer too. She said it went so smoothly and he didn’t even seem to know what was going on b/c he was sedated. I think her baby is around 11 months old. I will be praying for Noah to have an easy MRI!

[Anonymous]

We had this done and we stayed with Dylan till the meds helped him fall asleep. He was still asleep in recovery so I was there when he woke up. I didn’t go in for the test as I was pregnant at the time, but I could have gone in with him if I chose into the room.

it was very smooth, and it will give you answers. It is not an invasive test at all, and the baby is on the monitor (if I remember correctly) so they will know if he is choking, etc…

I would go and get it done…..

[Anonymous]

Good luck Lisa. I understand your fears as I am going through the same hesitations about Hailey’s EEG next Friday. I too was thinking about cancelling, but know that I probably shouldn’t. I think that Noah will be fine in the tube because they watch him, and I would think that he’s not likely to reflux while under sedation (can they?). My concern for Hailey was about them trying to sedate her using oral meds because I know there’s no way that she’ll take them and I don’t want to have to see the struggle (not to give you more to worry about…they told me they’ll give her an IM injection due to her oral aversion).

Good luck again. Please keep us posted on your decision.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone. I feel a little better now, especially since I just talked to the nurse that will be assisting tomorrow during the test. She said Noah would be given a suppository for sedation and he would be closely monitored.

Lori – Is the EEG being done to rule out seizures for her “sandifer” type behavior? I know about your older dd having had seizures, but I thought Hailey was ok?

[Anonymous]

Hi Lisa,

Wishing you & Noah well tomorrow! Emma had an MRI at 6 months & she did great. Actually, since it was probably her only non-invasive procedure (w/ anesthesia), it was pretty easy. She came out of the anesthesia (they used oral) quickly too. I was able to be in the room with her during the procedure, & a nurse stayed right next to her, monitoring her vitals the whole time. Let us know how things go!

(((HUGS)))

[Anonymous]

Yes, Lisa. The EEG is being done to rule out seizures. Not necessarily even because of the Sandifer’s but because our doc is grasping at straws I think to make sure there’s nothing wrong. He just can’t figure Hailey out and wants to be sure. He mentioned seizures many times and I always said I don’t think so, but then she started with the eye rolling, and I wasn’t 100 percent sure. I really don’t want to do it, but I know I have to. Just to be sure. I really don’t want them pushing her with oral sedation because I know they won’t be able to successfully get it in and I hate worsening her oral aversion. So that means a shot, which scares me too. Good luck tomorrow. Let us know how it goes.

[Anonymous]

Good luck today – I hope it goes well – keep us posted.

[Anonymous]

Hi Lori,

I am curious about Hailey’s EEG. Emma has had 3 & has never been sedated. In fact, sedation would kind of throw off the EEG results. They want the brain functioning as normal as possible–anesthesia in any form could alter that. At some point, Emma will most likely need a video EEG in which she’d be in the hospital for about a week so they could monitor her brain activity the whole time, throughout the day & night. It is SO important to have the brain functioning at its norm (i.e. no drugs!).

Emma’s have all been “sleep-deprived” EEG’s. This means we keep Emma up later the night before & wake her up EARLY that morning. Someone always come with me to keep her awake in the car for the drive to the hospital.

There, they place the leads on her head (she usually is not thrilled with this!!) & put some TV on for her. Then they turn the TV off & dim the lights. Because she is so tired, she usually falls asleep. Sometimes it does take a little longer to get her to drift off, but I am laying in the bed with her, so she is nice & relaxed. It usually lasts anywhere from 20-40 minutes & then we’re done. They wake up her up toward the end (if she falls asleep quickly in the beginning) to do some eye-open tests (with a strobe light too).

If anyone is mentioning sedation, I would question it further. You’d hate to have an EEG come back abnormal only to find out it was because of the anesthesia. Honestly, the only EEG results I would trust would be ones that Emma was awake & sleeping without the use of any medications.

Keep us posted!

[Anonymous]

Lauren, thank you for the information. (Unfortunately) I am quite knowledgeable about EEGs as my older daughter has seizures and has had one done as well. Hers were found to be febrile with a normal EEG though for one seizure, it is questionable if she had a fever (she was at daycare and so we don’t know). I agree that sleep-deprived EEGs are the best for two reasons: one you don’t need sedation, and two for some children, seizures are actually triggered by sleep deprivation (or any stress on the body’s natural rhythmn). But often it’s not possible to do them without sedation. My older daughter (2.5 year old) would never fall asleep in a hospital, and could not manage the 1.5 hour car ride without falling asleep, so we had no choice. She had chloral hydrate, which is an oral sedation. It puts them into a state called “conscious sedation”, and provides very minimal or no impact on the background (beta) activity on an EEG. Deep sedation or anaesthesia does cause more variation in the background waves making it more difficult to interpret a normal EEG.

Hailey hardly sleeps and when she does she is up every hour and very restless due to her reflux. She also is very anxious and would certainly not fall asleep to allow the correct lead placement. Due to her oral aversion, they will NEVER get oral sedation into her, and we might have to do an IM injection. There are types of sedation that can be used that do not interfere with brain waves such as to affect the EEG, as I mentioned by placing them in “conscious sedation”. We go to a VERY reputable children’s hospital- the hospital for sick children in Toronto, which is one of the biggest and best in the world- and while they prefer a sleep-deprived non-sedated EEG, they will do whichever is best for the particular child. Because Hailey will need an IM injection, I am waiting for the doctor to get back to me on whether or not the sedation will be heavier such that the results will be affected. If so, then I may hold off on the EEG for a later time, or discuss other options. Thanks for the concern.

[Anonymous]

Just got back from Noah’s appt. All went pretty well. He was given a suppository and within 10 minutes he fell asleep. He was put on the table, taped down and pushed into the machine. Within 10 minutes he started to wake up. They couldnt believe how well he was able to move his head condidering they had immobilized it pretty well. They pulled him out of the machine, gave him a second suppository and waited for him to fall back asleep. Within 10 minutes he was out again. All went well after that. We wont be getting any results until early next week. I dont expect anything to be found. I dont think Noah’s eating issues are “brain” related. But the doc wanted to rule it out just in case.

[Anonymous]

Glad that everything well Lisa. You must have been so worried when he woke up! Let us know when you hear something.

[Anonymous]

I’m glad it went well. Keep us posted.

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