United Brachial Plexus Network

Hi all we just found out this past monday that Jam9ie is going to have to have an MRI done in March at Boston Childrens because Dr. Bae and Dr. Waters feel that Jamie's sholdur joint is unstable and they are also saying depending on what the MRI show's they might decide to do surgery. I was wondering what the MRI was like with a 2 year old. I'm wicked nervous because they are going to be sedating her for it.

Amanda (mom to JamieMarie, 18 months, ROBPI)

Hi Amanda.

Sarah had an MRI when she was about two, and they sedated her for that. It really wasn't too bad!

They gave her the sedation rectally, and within about 30 seconds, she was completely out. They did the MRI (took about 45 minutes), and by the time she made it to the recovery room, she was already awake. She was a little 'drunk', but as soon as she was able to drink some juice, we carried her to the car, and she was fine.

Good luck to you!
Cherie

My daughter had a somewhat psychotic reaction to the medication going into it and out of it. I had to hold her down and she seemed to be as strong as the HULK!! But it was over fast and she didn't remember a thing. It seemed to me that she was traumatized and was very upset but she really wasn't. It was just a chemical reaction. When it left her system, it was gone with no memory. Hope that helps.

Each child's experience to the medication that is used for the MRI sedation can be quite different. My daughter's reaction each time she has had an MRI is that she is quite combative when she wakes up (as she was when she woke up after surgery as well). For her, it was not a pleasant experience as well as for me. My son had a very minor surgery with sedation when he was 4 years old and woke up smiling. When he returned to his hospital room he was happy as a clam, but the little boy who had had the same procedure done was a wild child. This is because each child's reaction can be vastly different.

Be prepared that your child probably will have an IV. Ask if she needs to stop eating and/or drinking for a certain length of time prior to the MRI. Prepare for her to be groggy for the afternoon (some kids are not, but just don't plan on running a bunch of errands after the test). Bring her favorite sippy cup with you with her favorite clear liquid in it (apple juice, cranberry juice, grape juice, things of that nature). She will be able to drink once she is awake enough and they will only have a regular cup probably, so bring your own. Her favorite juice versus whatever juice they may have available will make her happier.

Be prepared to cuddle. She may get a bit nauseas if she tries to drink the juice too quickly, so don't wear your best outfit to the appointment if you know what I mean.

Best wishes that the MRI goes well and that the results are in your daughter's favor.

Tanya in NY
Amber's Mom, ROBPI, almost 4 years old

Our son Sam underwent his first of many MRI's at Boston when he was 23 mos. The hardest part was holding him down to put his IV in. I've only seen them give Nebutol IV at Children's unless there was a previous reaction to that med. He has always woken well from them but usually walks around like a drunken soldier afterwards. Definitely bring your stroller with you. Sam also has a problem with nausea after sedation. He could tolerate a little juice and a cracker, but that is it. If you will be staying to meet with Dr. Waters later, don't go down to the cafeteria for a lunch, no matter how hungary your child says they are.

We are actually going in on October 19th for another MRI before he undergoes an osteotomy in February. He had a muscle/tendon transfer done 2 years ago when he was 3, by Dr Waters.

Good luck,
Jen

Omar have an MRI when he was 5 months before his primary , i was so scared from the sedation but it went well , they prevent him from any food 3 hours befor the MRI and it tooks around 30 mins ,i remmber it was difficult to find his vein for sedation and also i think they put something in his leg in case they need to put urgent medecine(i dont know its name in English)

My daughter had an MRI at age 3 for the same thing, to see what her shoulder joint was like and whether surgery was an option ( I think they called it a muscle rebalance). It turned out her the ball in her shoulder socket was not round enough for this kind of surgery so our next option is to wait until she is about 8 for bone surgery to help. It was not the outcome we were hoping for but needless to say the MRI was a must. She handled it very well, they used a mask which sedated her. I was the mess, she was fine! She came out of it okay too but was a little sick first up which is something to expect also.
I believe the shoulder joint can become damaged as a result of how they develop and their bones grow from over compensating with the use of their arm in particular ways. It was hurtful when friends would say oh the shoulder must have been a deformity she was born with then. I know my child was fine until she was delivered. If she had full use of her arm and all the muscles her shoulder would have been fine. All the research I have found indicates this, that is why PT and OT is so important but in our case she should have seen a surgeon much sooner which we didnt know about. You learn alot of things along the way.

Hi Amanda,

We were told by Dr Waters that Ella would need an MRI for the same reasons. When it was time for the MRI we had some instructions prior to going in. Some were, child can have liquids up to three hours before the time of the MRI (ginger ale, water, broth, etc) and NO solid foods or full liquids 4 hrs before the MRI (milk, orange juice, etc). Between the eval when you first get there, sedation, scan and recovery you should plan on being in that area of the hospital for a good 3 hours or so. I understand you are nervous for this. I was very afraid for Ella before and during her MRI. She was almost 2 at the time I believe. The nurses were trying to put her IV in for sedation medicine, BUT it was a nightmare for us. Myself, my husband and two or three nurses had to hold her down while she fought this and screamed, "help me mommy, help me daddy" over and over. It broke my heart. Once the medicine was going in her she started to get more quiet, but even with her eyes shut and falling asleep she was still asking mommy and daddy to help her. The nurses warned us that since she went to sleep this way, she may wake up this way too. Boy, I did not want to hear those words. So they did the scan. I was hoping for a better experience in the recovery room when she woke up. We went in to the recovery room and she was sleeping. When she started to wake up (they let them sleep it off for a while) she was in a terrible mood. She would try to move and sit up, but she was "drunk" from the meds she could barely hold her own head up. She was fed some ginger ale and crackers. She calmed down a bit. Cride out loud as a way to complain every now and then, but we left the recovery room. We put her in a carriage b/c she was dead weight since she was still drugged up on the sedation meds. Bring a carriage for sure. YOU WILL NEED IT! Once Ella was in the carriage and we were walking down the hallway on our way to Dr Waters office she once again began to scream and throw fits. I think it was b/c she couldn't get up and b/c she felt the meds affecting her. It was so bad that we left the hospital and I cancelled with Dr Waters. Once we got in the car she feel asleep and didn't wake up for good until we returned home 3 hours away. On the ride home she would wake up and look around for a bit, but she wasn't fully awake until we took her out of the car at home. At this point she was still groggy and walked a little funny, but the afternoon and evening went on okay with no problems. It was a hard experience, but it had to be done. The second MRI (after her secondary surgery) was a litle better. She was cranky whens he woke up in recovery, but nothing like the first experience. I think age played a big part in both MRIs. Every child is different. I just wanted to share my experience with you, not to get you nervous, but keep in the back of your head that if something like this shall occur, it is okay and it will end. Good luck. I hope Jamie has a better first experience than we did.
~Krista~

If your child has to have an IV, EMLA works wonders. It is a numbing cream. You have to apply it one hour before the IV. It REALLY works well. You need to tell them about EMLA in advance so that they have it and also so that they give you enough time for your appointment to accomodate it. Another thing that helps them put an IV in when it's hard to find a good vein,is a warm compress.

Just an FYI about the EMLA cream, you can get it from your local pharmacist with a prescription from your own doctor. You can apply it yourself (preferably while wearing a glove) to multiple spots about one hour prior to getting the IV started. Good spots to apply it are the entire back of the hand, the wrist area that runs straight up along above the thumb area (not the thumb, but above it and just above the wrist area), the lower forearm, and the bend in the elbow (called the antecubital space). There are spots on the foot that are used as well, but usually a well trained nurse or anesthesiologist can get an IV in a child in any of those areas I've listed above. It is a white cream that is applied. When I apply it I put a bio-occlusive dressing over top of it so the child does not wipe it off or eat it for that matter at the hospital that I work at. You can get those from your doctor or pharmacist as well. It is just a clear dressing cover.

Also, when Amber had her MRI's, she had some versed intranasally prior to starting her IV so she was a bit lethargic before attempting the IV. She hated the versed in her nose because it burns a bit and nobody likes anything in their nose, but I believe it made a big difference. I would ask about that as well.

Good luck.

Tanya in NY
Amber's Mom, ROBPI, almost 4 years old