Follow-up MRI?

Updated on March 09, 2012
B.C. asks from Arlington, TX
4 answers

I had an mri done almost 2 weeks ago. They left a message for me to schedule a follow-up mri. I called them but they said they'd have to call me back. I'm waiting for that call. I am FREAKING out! I've been having pain in my back and mostly my neck but now I'm thinking they must have found cancer or something terrible.Lol. I have a huge amount of anxiety issues and this isn't helping. Is it normal to have to have a 2nd one done? Am I freaking out for no reason?
No, I haven't recieved any info on the 1st one yet.

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So What Happened?

They had to call me back b/c they didn't know who/why said that I needed another one. Turns out the receptionist just worded it wrong saying "for a follow-up mri" instead of "follow-up to discuss mri results". lol. They appologized for freaking me out and I have my follow-up on Tuesday. :)

More Answers

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V.T.

answers from Dallas on

The smallest movement in a MRI machine can alter the pictures. If you breath to hard, it can alter the pictures. Try not to freak out. I know it's easier said than done. But it's not abnormal to have to have a second MRI done. Remember, most MRI's are conducted by techs and then read by doctors. Maybe the tech didn't get all the images the doctor wanted, or maybe the tech thought the picture was okay and the doctor did not.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.B.

answers from Redding on

Your "so what happened" is exactly the reason why I always tell people not to get upset or freak out over things until they've received some clarification. These things can be scary, but we don't need to go straight to "It must be something I could die from".
A mom on here posted about her friend being very nervous about getting a second mammogram on her left side.
I had a friend who went through this.
She was scheduled for a mammo on the same day that a friend in common had a new baby at the same hospital. I went with her to get the mammo and visit the new baby.

Well, the radiologist said that the films weren't clear and it could be something as simple as where she was in her mentstrual cycle, but he wanted her to come back two weeks later. He wasn't satisfied with the clarity of the views.
We weren't even out in the hallway before she was on the phone to her husband and told him that she had cancer. By the time we got to the maternity ward, she was bawling uncontrollably and I told her maybe she should visit the mom and baby another time. Heck no. She went in, crying, and the first thing she started talking about was just finding out she had cancer. I was absolutely mortified because the doctor never said anything even remotely close to that. She just went there.
She had a gathering that had been pre-planned at her house that weekend. She proceeded to make the announcement about cancer and that this might be the last time she could have everyone over as she would be starting chemo soon. She had everybody so upset and I told her husband that I was there....not one single word of any of this was even mentioned.

Two weeks later, her husband took a day off to go with her and she cried and shook and was hysterical for the second mammo.
The results? No abnormalities found.

She put everybody, including herself, through all of that for nothing.
My point is that it's fine to get nervous, but we shouldn't let our minds play tricks on us before we even have results. Tests are often repeated to account for false positives or false negatives.
And, even something as simple as the wrong wording can send a person into a tailspin without even having a diagnosis.
It's needless worry that our bodies don't really need.

I'm glad for you that this was a case of miscommunication.
Best of luck when you go to discuss your MRI results.
Having had MRI's myself, I know that they don't like discussing results over the phone. It's better if they can show you what the see, or DON'T see so that you can understand things clearly.

Best wishes.

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B.R.

answers from Madison on

have they not given you any info since the first....I had to have a repeat once because they didn't get a clear picture of the area they needed. I would ask for any info about the first if they have any...

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L.M.

answers from Chicago on

First of all, call them back now so you can get your answers. It is ligitimate to ask why you need another one. It's probably just that they didn't get a clear image - I can't tell you how many times I've had to have them take another picture of my breast, or of my tooth or whatever, because they didn't get everything they needed with the first picture - it's just easier with those b/c you are right there when they see the picture. Maybe you moved during the MRI and it's blurry or something.

Call them again now so you can get your answer - if they tell you they still have to call you back, let the person know you are concerned about the results and want to know more information now. And don't worry - it's probably nothing.

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