HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Support Forums
>
Prostate Cancer
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 9/14/2015 8:51 AM (GMT -5)
Hi Folks

So, I have my 3T MRI at Hopkins early on Friday 18th...

Just wondering if there is any consistent wisdom concerning preparation for this? Hopkins notes say light diet day before, no food day of, Fleet enema the night before for morning appointments. A quick Google turns up total randomness from: no preparations/guidance whatsoever, to the JH protocol to "no sex, no food, no caffeine for 24 hours..."

Any wise words for me? Any idea how long it typically takes them to read these things e.g. results?

Frankly, it's the coffee that's worrying me smilewinkgrin

Paul
Posted 9/14/2015 10:29 AM (GMT -5)
I do not recall having to fast or enema prior to my mp MRI. It was a 3T MRI and they used the endorectal coil. I do remember it was a miserable 75 minutes. Good luck. Maybe you won't have the coil. Most don't use it for 3T any more.
Posted 9/14/2015 10:30 AM (GMT -5)
Paul...do you know if they're using an endorectal coil for it? They did for mine, but a lot of guys here didn't have that. (Also, my brother had one a couple of weeks ago that didn't use it.) I can't recall the exact prep I did anymore, but I did have to use an enema since I had the coil.

My brother had his results back in a week, which I would assume is typical but others will likely chime in here.
Posted 9/14/2015 10:42 AM (GMT -5)
Yeah that's kinda why I'm a bit baffled... the prep says enema et al but when I asked about the coil they said "oh we don't need that now we use the 3T..."

So conflicting messages - about par for the course for PCa it seems.

Shame I was looking forward to seeing if I could tune in to PBS through my ass...
yeah
Posted 9/14/2015 10:55 AM (GMT -5)
I have a 3T MRI scheduled for Thursday, just got off the phone with hospital.

No prep.

Am scheduled for regular and enhanced, but is not 3D. No biopsy scheduled.

It seems they enhance the MRI with " bolus injection of gadopentetate dimeglumine."

Basically, I am getting PHI, PCA3, 3T MRI to see if biopsy necessary.

That hospital system has no 3D (MP) MRI machine. Will likely go elsewhere for MP, targeted MRI for biopsy if needed.
Posted 9/14/2015 11:18 AM (GMT -5)
As far as how long it takes for the results...Service from heath care providers isn't much different from service on a car. It all depends on who the customer is 5 and the time situation of a given customer.

My dr. Had the results of my 3t mri in 3 hrs. And he was sharing the results with me then. But I was from out of town and he didn't want me having to stay any longer than necessary.

Same thing with my brother in law at JH.
Posted 9/14/2015 11:21 AM (GMT -5)
I don't remember any prep...so if there was any...it couldn't have been too rigorous.
Posted 9/14/2015 3:40 PM (GMT -5)
Hi,
I had my MRI at Rolling Oaks Radiology in CA. Besides reminding you to tell the operator if you have any metal in your body, here's their instruction: Before an MRI exam, eat normally and continue to take your usual medications, unless otherwise instructed. You will be asked to change into a gown and to remove jewelry, hairpins, eyeglasses, watches, wigs, dentures, and hearing aids. If an IV contrast is required for your radiology exam please start to well hydrate the day before the procedure.
Jim
Posted 9/14/2015 6:24 PM (GMT -5)
Steve's instructions for his MRI were exactly the same as JimBear's. He had a heavy "apron" placed from chest to knees instead of the coil. Procedure was done at 6 pm & the report was dictated the following morning. We had results in about a day.

You might want to double-check with JH radiology on the instructions you got. They sound more like the prep for a coil procedure. Sometimes paperwork does not get updated as often as it should.
Posted 9/14/2015 6:34 PM (GMT -5)
I had no prep either; none instructed, none performed. In retrospect, I would have done a Fleet's even if not required. There's nothing wrong with having a really empty colon/small intestine.

The 3T MRI didn't need any coil, either. I had contrast too, something of a bother. They told me to lay on my back, arms above my head, and I had the IV in the whole time. At about 1 hour into the deal a tech came in and pushed the contrast in. My total time was about an hour and a half, which left my shoulders aching for a day or so. Very uncomfortable position, but that's just me. My wife sleeps like that!

My images were generally good (amazing detail, really), but late in the series a hunk of poo began to work down into the arena and to my eye the resulting black void kind of distorted things. Apparently those reading the MRIs aren't much affected by that. Mine was more affected by residual bleeding effects from the biopsy just a couple of weeks earlier.
Posted 9/18/2015 10:10 AM (GMT -5)
Well that was easy...

For people treading this path in future, 3T MRI is certainly no biggie; at least at Johns Hopkins.

0. Light meals yesterday, fleet enema before (starting to enjoy those, does that make me a bad person?), wayyyyy easier than a colonoscopy!

1. NO rectal coil, just a cage-like coil over my abdomen. I was cold and they gave me a nice warm comfy blanket and tucked me in like my mom used to.
2. Their Siemens 3T has a large bore apparently, didn't produce any panic in me, just close your eyes and think about your wife/lover, dog, horse, motorcycle, thimble collection whatever.
3. Two needle sticks, one for the peripheral venous catheter to deliver contrast, second was an IM drug to slow peristalsis apparently, that stung briefly but they distracted me by shoving ear plugs in at the same time.
4. Took just under an hour in the bore, 90 minutes from walking in the door to out.
5. Contrast going in feels slightly cold for a few seconds but no nausea or urge to pee like with CT contrast.
6. Yeah there is some banging and whirring and clunking... if you want a good idea of what it's like, listen to a Daft-Punk album pretty loud.
7. They asked me what I wanted to listen to and I said the soundtrack to 'Debbie Does Dallas'. Alas they said their tape wore out so we settled on classic rock and they talked to me off and on about how long the next "1-6 minute' sequence would be.
8. Didn't sleep much last night and maybe that helped... if they'd left me in there to cook another 5 minutes I'd have been pushing out Zzzzzz's.
9. Breathe shallow, don't move and they now have an x-rated movie of my beautiful prostate.

Now... just have to wait on the results... EVERYONE cross your fingers for me!

Paul yeah
Posted 9/18/2015 10:58 AM (GMT -5)
Glad it went well. Throwing good karma your way in terms of your results!
Posted 9/18/2015 11:01 AM (GMT -5)
LOL @ Debbie Does Dallas.
I got my results in about an hour, you should get it pretty quick, i would think, if your Dr is at JH and the scan was done at JH. A preliminary report would be sent digitally.

Good luck, and glad you got it over with, and more glad you didnt get the stick up your butt.
Posted 9/18/2015 11:27 AM (GMT -5)
I had an MRI with and without rectal coil. for the coil you need to fast and have an enema, not necessary if no coil.
A helpful hint is to take a valium or a hyracodone before the MRI as it will relax you especialy with a coil as you have to remain still for about an hour or more.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply