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Re: MRI Hell
Man, I can see why you're not looking forward to a repeat of that experience!
What is the MRI for? Is it a breast MRI?
I have several friends who swear by Ativan on scan day. It does help a little bit with the nausea, too. It's fairly short-acting so unless you're extremely sensitive to the sedation, it should leave you ready to enjoy the rest of your day.
For the IV, it helps to be well hydrated, and warm (overall warm is good, but in a pinch -- a warm blanket on the target arm for 10 minutes or so will do). Exercise can also help your veins be more visible (a few brisk laps around the facility right before they call you, for example). Relaxation (no anxiety) can also help (see Ativan, above). Do not hesitate to be pro-active in insisting that they have an expert on hand to access your veins. If you made it thru treatment without a port, the area of the veins above where they typically infused your chemo are most likely scarred. Point out to the tech that although they look tempting, those veins in your upper forearm and antecubital space (crook of elbow) don't cooperate. The most likely spots for success are a hand vein or one on the lower wrist area.
Debbie Laxague
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