Newbie without diagnosis...yet

[DRMFFEB26#]

I have tried to search existing messages but have not seen any previous answers so here goes. Mid-January 2024, after swimming, right ear would not unplug, white noise started, and reduced hearing. ENT hearing test confirmed reduction of hearing. I underwent right inner ear steroid perfusion #1 & #2 within the same week. This caused me to become very hyper - which I warned ENT about since I am bipolar. I delayed 3rd shot for another 3 weeks. Since there has been no improvement in hearing since the shots, ENT suggested contrast MRI to rule out acoustic neuroma. I told ENT I had a very bad reaction to Prohance contrast dye 16 hours after a 2023 contrast MRI  - hives on face and neck and red rash over whole body that took a week to recover from with anti-itch meds. Because of this, the contrast MRI must be done at the hospital (not outpatient) with the following pre-treatment: 50 MG Prednisone 13 hours before MRI, another 50 MG Prednisone 7 hours before, and another 50 MG Prednisone 1 hour before, plus 50 MG Benadryl 1 hour before MRI. I told ENT this would send me into a Bipolar episode. I did talk to my psychiatrist who prescribed 2 drugs to counteract the Prednisone high that I would need to take daily a week before and a week after and another drug 3 hours before MRI. I decided to wait for 3 months before deciding to have contrast MRI to see if my hearing improves. So, my questions are: 1) has anyone required the same pretreatment with prednisone to prevent reaction from Prohance?  and 2) where is the contrast dye Prohance injected? in the ear? how long does it take to recover from MRI before they let you get up and go? I can't get any answers. Thank you and very glad to find this group.

[Greece Lover]

They put the contrast dye into your arm, sort of like drawing blood. 
there's no recovery from the MRI. you're just done and leave. (at least that was my experience.)

[Angela330]

 I just had my 7th MRI.  They last about an hour without & with contrast. They will put an IV in your arm.  First part will be without contrast & 1/2 way thru they will pull you out & put the contrast in your IV.   They will put headphone on & let you listen to music.  The machine will bang around a lot.  After it's done they will remove the IV & you are free to go.  I usually have the MRI that same day as I see my Dr.  I think the hardest part is the not knowing the results  I wish you the best.  I understand how scary all this can be. 

[DanFouratt]

I cannot speak about your issues.  For me the MRI is done, hour at most, with contrast.  I then get in the car and drive 5 miles down to road to the doctor's office and we review them.  I am not affected at all from the MRI.

[stevehernes]

Let us know please if something changed.

[4givvvn]

I haven’t had the exact same experience, but I’ve had a few MRIs with contrast and can share that the dye is typically injected into an IV, not into the ear. The recovery after the MRI is usually pretty quick—you can get up right away, but they’ll sometimes have you wait a bit for the results. I can see why you’d be cautious with the Prednisone given your bipolar and past reaction to the contrast, and it sounds like your team is being really careful in managing that. It’s a good idea to wait and see if your hearing improves before committing to the MRI, though.

[pleadtrounce]

In mid-January 2024, after swimming, I experienced a blockage in my right ear that wouldn't clear. Along with this, I began hearing white noise and noticed a reduction in hearing. An ENT hearing test confirmed the hearing loss. I then received two steroid perfusions for my right inner ear, both within the same week. However, the steroids made me feel extremely hyper, which I had warned my ENT about, considering I have bipolar disorder. Due to this reaction, I delayed the third shot by three weeks. Unfortunately, there has been no improvement in my hearing since the injections, so my ENT recommended a contrast MRI to rule out an acoustic neuroma. I informed my ENT that I had a severe reaction to Prohance contrast dye during a 2023 MRI—16 hours later, I developed hives on my face and neck, along with a red rash across my body, which took a week to recover from with anti-itch medications. As a "chillguy-clicker", I prefer to proceed cautiously with any further treatments.