Open MRI for 7 Year Old

MRI's can be a great diagnostic tool for some circumstances. I practice natural therapies and prefer MRI's over Xray as it is so perfectly safe. But, with the number of reasons for headaches, I would not expect there is a great chance the MRI will provide the information you need in order to identify a real solution.

I live in your area and I work with a chiropractor that is very, very good with children and one of the most educated and experienced doctors I've ever known. He is a radiologist as well as a chiropractor and is an expert nutritionist as well. I have seen him stop chronic conditions, from siezure disorders to headaches, for many children when medical doctors had failed to find a cure. His name is Dr. Duane Marquart and his office, Primary Care Chiropractic, is located near Hwy. 141 and Manchester Road.

Whatever the MRI indicates, you might want to discuss the results with Dr. Marquart. He is very good at helping you understand your options before settling on a plan for treatment.

Best of luck to you and your precious first-grader.

My youngest was 3 when he had one done. He laid perfectly stll for it. They did an MRI on his head and neck area, to get a better look at his adenoids and tonsils. A month later both were removed. The only thing we told him was he needed to lay still, there would be a loud noise and it wouldn't take long..... oh we also bribed him with a Happy Meal from Mcdonalds... it worked! Good luck

I wouldn't use medication. It's not that bad. At seven years old you should be able to tell him what to expect and ask him to lie still. He will lie on his back with his head in a special head rest to help him keep his head still. It's really loud. It sounds like someone banging on a pipe with a wrench. They will probably put earplugs in his ears. he will be in the room by himself but will be able to talk and be heard and have the technician talk to him during the exam. It does not hurt. Try practicing at home by having him lie perfectly still on the couch while the other kids make a loud racket. It will be fun and take the edge off. Give your son credit, he can do this. (I'm a mom but also a nurse who often monitors patients in MRI, adults)

Take books to read and keep him calm throughout the ordeal. It takes a while so be prepared.

D.

Hope you find an answer to the headaches. I wouldn't worry too much about the open MRI. My 8 yr old son had to have one on both feet which took about an hour or more. He had no sedation and did great. If you are not pregnant, they should allow you to sit by your son during the test and hold his hand and talk to him. I also spoke to my son about the MRI and holding still before having it done. Also, there is an intercom to speak to the techs anytime you need to. They also talk to you throughout and let you know how long each picture will be, like 2 minutes, 5 minutes, etc. He can also listen to his favorite music while lying there. Once again, don't be too anxious about the test yourself and I'm sure he will do great!

Open or closed this can be scary, I know I have had an open-the hardest part is not moving during the test. Here is what I tried and got thru it. To keep this shorter I will say "you". They will give you a pillow sort of at least it cushions your head a little and they will talk to you if you ask them and let them know how scared you are. There are times they don't talk as they are doing their job with the machines. That's ok-now here is what you do-but most important DON'T MOVE-you are listening to the BEAT of the loud music this machine makes! How many songs can you think of or is it telling you your favorite? Listen very carefully and you will find your sound-who knows maybe when this is done Mom and Dad will let you take drum lessons? The benydryl may help with this too. Be brave and remember listen to the beat but don't move-you can dance in the car all the way home!

Let me know how it goes. Praying for you. My son started getting crazy headaches when he was in 7th grade. We went through three prescriptions and found that Execedrin Migraine medication worked the best for him. It's just over the counter.

I have been in healthcare for several years, the last three of which I have spent in the pediatric hospital in fort worth. We always tell the kids that the machine is taking a "picture" to help the doctors see better. I have had an MRI myself and can say it is extremely loud! He will have hearing protection of some kind. At one place, they put headphones on that played music. I found all that noise too overwhelming. At the other place, they used those soft earplugs that you squish and then place in your ears. Much nicer.Staying still is the hardest part, that is why many young children get them with sedation. It will seem like all of forever. I have seen plenty of 7 year olds get them without sedation and they do just fine! You could try telling him it is like a game, like the quiet game. Letting him know that he will get a reward for staying still and cooperating is a good idea, you could even let him choose the reward. Make sure he wears something comfortable, like sweats or pajama pants. Good luck! I'm sure he will do great.

We had to have an MRI/CAT scan done on our 6 yr old. We did it at Children's Mercy South. We didn't know until we got there that they didn't want to sedate her - she had a little cough & they thought if they sedated her, then it would give her less of a chance to control her cough. If she coughted then we would have to sedate her and start all over. So we agreed to try it without. They had these goggle things that she could wear & watch a movie! They let me sit in there with her so I could put my hand on her leg just in case she got scared, plus she had earphones on so the techs could talk to her & let her know what was going on. She was so into the movie & did such a great job of controlling her cough! I would recommend going to Children's Mercy 1st...they are used to kids & know exactly how to deal with them. But if that's not an option, we explained to our daughter that it was like a rocket ship & it would shake a little & make some loud sounds, but she was going to be fine. The tech did a great job of explainin to her what was going on. It went WAY better than expected!! Good luck!

they can do concious sedation on a child. Where it helps them to sleep, but they are not under. or have you heard of melatonin? It is a natural sleep aid. I'm not sure where you are going, but most hospitals will try to help get the best study. If he were to take melatonin and be put in a darkened room. He just might fall asleep. I would call ahead and ask to speak to Mri. They will/should transfer you to that department. Explain what you want to do and if they have any suggestions or if they would have a dark room for him to lay down in. Just remember they want to do this right the first time. They will help. If not- Try St. lUke south. They are awsome with kids.

I don't know about children and the MRI; but I had one recently and they do play music to help and distract you while they are doing the test. They actually asked me what kind of music did I like. And they communicated with me while I was doing the test through the head phones that the music was being played. Maybe you could ask ahead of time to play some of his favorite music or people's voices to talk to him.