My mom has moderate dementia. She had an MRI of her brain done about 4 years ago. She is living with me now, in another state, and her doctor here has asked for a new MRI. Any medical procedure causes her great anxiety and I wonder whether what we could learn is worth her distress. She has enough trouble day to day without adding to it unnecessarily. Any thoughts? Thank you.
Is there a VALID reason the doctor is asking that this be done?
To do an MRI she would probably have to be sedated and that can cause problems for days, weeks after if not forever. And the immediate problem for you and her is that she would be more of a fall risk.
If the doctor is trying to rule out a new condition what would your course of treatment be? If you would pursue no treatment...why test for something you will not have treated.
Have you spoken with the doctor? Can you tell us what reason the MRI is requested, what he/she is looking for, and what he or she plans to do for treatment if something is found?
Medical procedures cause anxiety for many, myself included (I am putting of an ordered upper end endoscopy for fear they will find something and that is stupid on my part) but in this case what is tehre to be gained to balance the anxiety it will cause her?
An MRI is a horrible, deafening test that sounds like a relentless sledgehammer going off next to your skull. I have to have a Valium prescribed to get through an MRI or I have a panic attack, and it's the ONLY thing that has ever given me one.
What is this doctor thinking??
What is his reasoning for this? An MRI isn't going to diagnose anything you don't already know.