New here and terrified

[Tbanis2463]

I know the pain, especially the tinnitus.  You don't have to learn to live with that.  Someone who says that has no idea how difficult that is.  I am a newbie as well I find that talking to different people helps out.  It's therapeutic. After I have my gamma knife on Monday I have an appointment shortly after with a tinnitus specialist at a hearing doctor.  They are going to see if I'm a candidate for a tinnitus masking device.  Hopefully it works.  In the mean time I pushed my bed to the computer and hooked up headphones and I sleep while listening to nature sounds like rain and thunder to mask it while I wait.  To me "Learn to live with it" is not the correct answer and I will not settle for something like that.  There is no cure, but there is treatment.  Don't give up - keep trying until you find something that works.  Good luck to you

[millie]

Let's pray for courage and insight. 

[ChipsFL]

Hi everyone

  he ordered an MRI with and without contrast.  The appointment was yesterday but I bailed    I have 

You should have had them do the first part without contrast. I've been getting MRI's for about 5 yrs now and only the last one before CK 5 months ago, did I let them do the contrast, which was the only time both my Dr's insisted on it, however there was no contrast with the one CT before CK. Although the AN will probably show up better with contrast, the little bugger I have showed up just fine withought it, just like all the radiologists said it would.

[yaya]

I have had two MRI test before and the first time I was so nervous when the Dr. told me I had to get one done. For me, it help that I googled videos on how a MRI was done, you can find them in youtube as well. Make sure they have videos for MRI of the brain. I think it helped me because when I went to the appointment I already knew what to expect and so it was not so mysterious of what they would do. The first time I went in, one of the technician gave me a thing to hold, sort of a pump, and if anything was wrong then I could press it. There is also communication in there, the technician will talk to you and tell you when the next set of pictures will be taken and to not move, etc. and they constantly ask you if you are doing ok, well at least the technicians I got did constantly, even to the point that it was getting annoying. I found that trying to put a pattern to the noises helped the time go faster. Remember the less you move the faster they can finish. My procedure only took 25 min. and I had with and without contrast.

Wish you the best!

[thisisajourney]

Hello Kat.  Two years ago I was diagnosed with a A.N.  it was surreal. It is hard when people in the medical profession are braise. Maybe she was having a bad day, and you being worried makes for a bad day.  Bing sedated may work better for you.  I think that they have open M.R.I.s maybe check into it? Finding out now instead of later is better. Being terrified is normal. There is a lot of good information on here, as there is knowledgeable people. Please email me at time. I m still learning I m 30 months post op.
My tumor was 4 X 2.9. 97% removed.

[MDemisay]

PJB,

What you are suggesting is good as I also have weak veins in my arms. Lab techs should have special training but most don't so it is up to us to express to them that "no I don't want you to try and go in through my arms try a butterfly through my hand the back of my hand, please". I don't know about you but this tends to irritate me, especially when they don't listen. I had a long discussion with the nurse at NY Presbyterian on this subject after which she apologized to me and tried it the way I had suggested. At this point I just wanted to begin the GK radiation.

By the way, they do bill you for the equipment they use, so if you think it is a waste of money, that it will not work, you best are in control of your cost before they begin an inefficient process which will probably lead to the same conclusion.

Mike