• Anxiety During CT Scans or MRI’s

    Posted by Colleen on August 19, 2019 at 11:55 am

    As my son’s PH progressed tests such as CT scans and MRI’s became more difficult of him to get through. When at home he had to prop himself up with many pillows because otherwise he would experience chest pains and an increase in difficulty breathing. During the tests you have to lay flat and still and by the end he would be in tears because it felt like he was suffocating.

    Do you experience this as well when having a CT scan or MRI. If so, how do you manage through them?

    brittany-foster replied 4 years, 7 months ago 2 Members · 3 Replies
  • 3 Replies
  • brittany-foster

    Member
    August 19, 2019 at 12:26 pm

    I get like this especially when I am having a difficult time breathing. It helps to have my legs propped up a little to return some blood flow and keep things circulating (if this is allowed during the particular scan) . I also make sure to request things like music and sometimes the children’s hospitals have head phones that the kids can use or a movie they can watch. Perks of being treated in a children’s hospital. Before larger MRI scans and ones that are going to take a longer time, I take a medication for my anxiety that helps makes me sleepy and doesn’t make me obsess too much over my breathing. The more I think about it, the worse it gets, especially because in those machines sometimes that ALL you can think about !

    • Colleen

      Member
      August 19, 2019 at 1:33 pm

      The headphones do help and I think at one hospital he was able to watch a movie…yes, he did because I remember him wanting to rent it afterward because he didn’t get to see the ending. LOL. They would try to “encourage” him reminding him that if they have to stop the scan then they will have to start from the beginning. I’m pretty sure this came off more as a threat. Usually he managed through but near the end of his PH days it got so much harder. I can remember very emotional moments when they had to stop so he could catch his breath, knowing that they would start all over again.

      • brittany-foster

        Member
        August 19, 2019 at 4:41 pm

        Colleen,
        That is awful that he had to endure that. I’m sure that must have been terrible for you to see that happening too especially because they had to start it all over again! Yes, that certainly sounds pretty threatening to me. My mom has notes of when I was in the hospital when I was younger and I was really just constantly either crying or getting mad at everyone (I was around 6) and I can recall heading to the playroom with tears in my eyes so worried about who was going to “hurt me” when I went out of my room and one of the nurses said to me “you need to stop crying Brittany you’re going to scare the other kids” . UGHHHH The NERVE!!! some people think they are helping but they just aren’t

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