Can I be sedated before having an MRI scan? Ask the GP DR MARTIN SCURR

By Liam On Jun 26, 2023

Ask: I have an MRI on my liver and I’m scared because I had a bad experience last time. There must have been something wrong with the speaker system, because the radiography team couldn’t hear me, even though I called out because my arthritic shoulders hurt (I had to raise my arms above my head). I almost panic from the claustrophobia. Would it be possible to get some form of anesthesia this time?

Kathryn Smith, Sidcup, Kent.

Answer: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been known to cause anxiety in some who find they feel claustrophobic when trapped inside the machine.

The procedure itself is also noisy – because the scanner is essentially a giant electromagnet and makes loud clicking noises – and a scan takes time.

There are steps that can help.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been known to cause anxiety in some who find they feel claustrophobic when trapped in the machine (file photo)

For shoulder pain, I recommend taking ibuprofen or paracetamol, as well as codeine (available over the counter) two hours before the booked time of your scan – check with your GP first to make sure you can take those medications.

I would also ask your doctor about sedation, which is effective in calming down a feeling of panic. One option is a low dose sedative (diazepam 5mg or lorazepam 1mg) – some GPs prefer to talk to the hospital and arrange for patients to be given this when they arrive for their appointment.

I would also insist on talking to the radiologist before your scan so you can explain the issues you had with the previous MRI.

It is essential that they do not start scanning until you are sure that they can hear you and that you can hear them when you are inside the machine.

In my opinion: why we should eat more meat

Losing 4kg of weight – largely muscle – as I did in the six weeks following complicated eye surgery has reminded me how important our muscles are as we age.

After about 40 years, we lose about 3 percent of our muscle mass each year because our motor nerve cells gradually die.

This is important because we need muscles for strength, balance and endurance.

While exercise is important for muscle building, so is nutrition – especially protein.

But older people often don’t get nearly enough.

A study conducted in Yorkshire a few years ago found that less than half of 65 to 89 year olds consume the recommended amount, which is 0.75 g per kilogram of body weight.

And you actually need more to rebuild muscle mass.

In my case, I calculated that that is 30 grams of extra protein per day.

Since an average egg contains 6g, I’ve got some food to eat – and I have the uneasy feeling that I also have to hit the dreaded gym and push weights.

Getting older isn’t easy!

I can’t imagine that your position can be changed during the scan: the liver occupies much of the upper part of your lower abdomen on the right side, and lying with your arms at your sides would interfere with the clarity of the images – which is why your arms should be extended above your head.

But taking a pain reliever before the scan should minimize the discomfort of undergoing this important exam.

Ask: I got floaters in my left eye two years ago, and they appeared in my right eye a year ago. It’s like looking through dirty windows with dead fly splatters and it makes me feel down. My specialist has said they should go away with time, but what about surgery?

Yvonne Day, Falmouth, Cornwall.

Answer: When I was studying medicine in the 1970s, we called floaters muscae volitantes – the Latin word for flying flies.

Essentially, they’re bits of debris, formed from collagen fibers, in the vitreous — this is the gel that fills the eye behind the lens and gives it its shape.

These spots “appear” in your vision as they move across the lens. Most of us see floaters at some point, especially when looking at a clear surface.

The vitreous is clear when we are born, but as we age these imperfections can develop and become intrusive, often causing spider web-like images.

While most people can learn to ignore them, in others they can get worse as the vitreous pulls away from the retina — the light-sensitive area at the back of the eye. When this happens it can also cause random flashes.

Your ophthalmologist will have advised you to relax and not read too much into these experiences, but I understand how you feel about these persistent floaters. The only possible treatment is surgery, a vitrectomy.

This essentially involves suctioning out the vitreous and replacing it with saline, which is naturally replaced with aqueous humor over time. This is the fluid that sits in front of the lens and does the work of the vitreous – without the floaters.

It’s unlikely you’d get this procedure on the NHS just for floaters – but if the vitreous detaches from the retina, there’s a real but small risk of the retina detaching from the back wall of the eye, something that requires immediate surgical treatment. .

The symptoms of detachment are a rapid increase in floaters, flashes of light, and a dark curtain that forms over parts of the visual field. If you experience this, you should consult a specialist quickly.

But over time, hopefully your awkward experience with floaters will just diminish.

WRITE to Dr. Scurr at Good Health, Daily Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY or email: drmartin@dailymail.co.uk — add contact details. Dr. Scurr cannot respond to personal correspondence. Answers should be taken in a general context. In case of health problems, consult your own doctor.