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Her early onset dementia, impatience and previous 2 failed attempts due to cold lab and ultrasound machine default has caused her distrust to spike. This is a very well known hospital that just doesn't have the dots connected. Help!

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Is she having both an MrI and ultrasound? Of what? Her DOCTOR should be prescibing, not the lab.
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I understand your concern. I don't know much about the ultrasound machine, but I do the MRI. Make sure you tell them she has issues with claustrophobia. They treat you differently if you have that problem. Make that clear so she gets the special treatment AND make it clear that she has dementia. They should know how to address that.

I was very anxious when my cousin, who has dementia, had hers. She did wonderfully. I was shocked! The doctor prescribed her 10 ml of valium to take just before she left AL for the hospital. I filled out a short amount of paperwork at the hospital, including a request for music type. She loves Contemporary Country, so that's what we picked. Once she's in the machine, they will play that music for her.

I explained to her that there would be a loud knocking noise, but to ignore it and listen to the music. I was afraid she would forget to do that though. They will talk to her during the procedure and continually comfort her and make sure she's okay.

The staff was great. They were so helpful, kind, and reassuring. She felt comfortable with them and she had no issues at all.

She went through this with an MRI of her brain and then a CT scan of her belly. I would try to stay calm and perhaps she will pick up on that. Also, the staff told me that if a person cannot tolerate the test on their own, they can sedate them with mild sedation, so I would discuss that option in advance.

ALSO, there are OPEN MRI machines that are supposedly easier to tolerate, but even though I was told this one hospital had one, it really wasn't. lol i'm not sure why they misinformed me. However, you might try to locate one if you mom has a problem with claustrophobia.
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You might see if there are other MRI/Ultrasound facilities in your area and speak with them prior to the appointment to discuss your concerns and her needs. If there is no other facility in the area, try contacting the patient ombudsman at the hospital (or patient social worker) to discuss your dissatisfaction with previous experiences. If gel is used in the ultrasound, ask them if it is possible to warm it first (this can be done for some ultrasounds but not all).
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Check around to see if there are any separate imaging centers that offer MRI's and ultrasounds. Sometimes those smaller centers offer more personal attention. Oh, it doesn't matter how warm one dresses, one would usually need to undress and put on a gown. Knee socks are ok to wear if legs aren't being scanned :)

When I went in recently for a MRI it wasn't the old fashioned tube type machine where your whole body is placed in the machine...... but a very small donut shaped machine that was place in the area of the body that needed the imaging. It took only minutes but had to hold my breath for quite some time several times over [don't know if someone really elderly could do that].

The room was cold, which is normal, the tech automatically placed a nice warm blanket over the part of my body that wasn't been scanned, before the scanning started.
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My mom had an MRI very early on in her dementia diagnosis. She had never had one, doctor said she didn't need to be medicated. She was a mess when she came out. Would never put her thru thst again
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I guess it depends on the person and the stage of dementia they are in. For some reason, my cousin's state of mind was fine with the MRI. I over thunk it. In fact, she was intrigued with it. When she came out she talked about how she didn't know what this and that was. She had questions and found it interesting. I was so surprised.

A lot depends on the staff and the day too. While my cousin did well one day for the calm and comforting MRI staff, she burst into tears trying to get onto the examination table months later at her primary care office. You never know what the day will hold. I hope it does work out for you, because they really can tell alot with the MRI. It reassured me that she didn't have a brain tumor or fluid, etc. It answered some questions and we were at peace with that.
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