This is a short information film about what it is like to have an MRI of your breasts at Southmead Hospital. You will be met at reception by your Radiographer and escorted to the MRI scanner suite. The scanner is very noisy and you are likely to hear it as you enter the MRI suite.
Having a Breast MRI - Text alternative
Commentary – Normal text Conversation – Bold italics This is a short information film about what it is like to have an MRI of your breasts at Southmead Hospital. You will be met at reception by your Radiographer and escorted to the MRI scanner suite. The scanner is very noisy and you are likely to hear it as you enter the MRI suite. ‘Hi I’m Jo, one of the Radiographers and I will be doing your scan today. Can you just confirm your date of birth please?’ The Radiographer will ask you a number of questions to make sure it is safe for you to have the scan and you will be asked to sign a consent form. Kinlay has kindly agreed to share her experience for the purposes of this film and I took the opportunity to ask her how she was feeling before the scan. (Kinlay )– ‘Fine, I have had them before. I’ve had two previously so I do know what to expect. The first one I had was a bit…..when I first went into the room and the position that you have to be in, but it was fine.’. (Anna Mankelow, Programme Manager, Avon Breast Screening) – ‘So is there anything in particular that you are worried about or not looking forward to this morning?’ (Kinlay) ‐ ‘ No I don’t think so…it gets a little tiny bit uncomfortable because it’s sort of 20 minutes you are laying there but um…. it fine’ (Anna Mankelow, Programme Manager, Avon Breast Screening) – ‘Lastly, how do you feel about having that injection first?’ (Kinlay) – ‘ Im fine with needles. My veins aren’t brilliant so they might have to poke around a bit but that’s fine!’ You will need a needle placed in a vein in your arm so that the Radiographers can inject contrast medium during the scan. This makes cancer show up clearly on the MRI and is an essential part of this type of Breast MRI scan. If you know that your veins are difficult to cannulate then it may be a doctor that puts the needle in your arm. (Lyn Jones, Consultant Radiologist) ‘Sterile salted water just to keep it open. You might feel a little bit of cold going up your am, I would like you to tell me if it’s sore in any way, is that going in ok?’ (Kinlay) – ‘Yep’ (Lyn Jones, Consultant Radiologist) – ‘Good.’ (Scanner noise) The MRI scanner is a large magnet in the form of a tunnel. You will be asked to lie face down on a table that has holes in for your breasts and the radiographers will take time to ensure you are in the correct position and are relatively comfortable. (Jo Robson, Superintendent Radiographer) ‘Bring your arms up to the side. Now we will adjust your position just once we get everything into place’. You will also be given a call button that you can press if there is a problem and you wish to be taken out of the scanner immediately and terminate your scan. Once you are positioned correctly, the table will slide into the tunnel. You will then have the cannula in your arm connected to an injector pump which you can see the Radiographers preparing here. You will be given headphones to protect your ears from the loud noise of the scanner. You can choose whether or not to have music played through the headphones but the music will not completely drown out the noise of the scanner as it is very loud. The Radiographers will be able to see you throughout your scan and they will also be able to hear you if you call them. (Jo Robson, Superintendent MRI Radiographer) – ‘Ok Kinlay, the banging noise is going to start in a moment, would you like some music to pass the time?’ (Kinlay) – ‘Yes please’ (Jo Robson, Superintendent MRI Radiographer) – ‘Ok we will get that started for you.’ During your time inside the scanner the Radiographers are acquiring a series of different types of information called sequences. Each sequence makes a different strange noise. (Scanner noise) (Jo Robson, Superintendent MRI Radiographer) ‐ ‘Ok you are doing really well, on the next scan the dye is going to come into your arm.’ (Scanner noise) After her scan I asked Kinlay some questions about her experience. (Anna Mankelow, Programme Manager, Avon Breast Screening) – ‘ So how are you feeling now you’ve had the scan?’ (Kinlay) – ‘Fine’ (Anna Mankelow, Programme Manager, Avon Breast Screening) – ‘Is there anything you want to say about it?’ (Kinlay) – ‘Just that it’s a little uncomfortable towards the end, just being in that position for a long time but it’s not painful in anyway, like a mammogram for example, it’s just that little bit uncomfortable and you think yeah I’m ready to get out when it comes to the end, but fine yeah.’ (Anna Mankelow, Programme Manager, Avon Breast Screening) – ‘How did you feel while you were in the machine, was there anything you did to take your mind off it?’ (Kinlay) – ‘Yeah, it’s really noisy but you stop hearing that eventually I think? With the headphones on your mind starts to wander and it’s there but it’s not all encompassing. ‘ (Anna Mankelow, Programme Manager, Avon Breast Screening) – ‘So how would you describe having an MRI scan to someone who has not had one before in a short sentence?’ (Kinlay)‐ ‘It’s just lying on a bed really! It really is just lying on a bed face down. Not painful, just lying on a bed!’ (Anna Mankelow, Programme Manager, Avon Breast Screening) – ‘Thank you very much’ (Kinlay) – ‘No problem’ (Anna Mankelow, Programme Manager, Avon Breast Screening) – ‘Thank you’ We hope you have found this short film helpful and look forward to welcoming you for your MRI in the near future.