Posted , 3 users are following.
An update i saw my consultant yesterday for my reoccurring back pain.
I am now on the waiting list for an MRI and a TENS machine.
Any advice for both these would be most helpful.
Thank you to all that have been very helpful and supportive on here, especially a couple of you. They know who they are 
Take Care
1 like, 7 replies
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amkoffee dawn57104
Posted
I'm going to try this again I tried posting once and it didn't post so let's try it again.
I have a TENS unit and I just want to say that you can reuse the sticky pads over and over
again so use them carefully and make sure to save the plastic thing that you stick them
to. I've noticed with my TENS unit my nine volt battery only lasts about 2 hours which is
very frustrating. However I've known other people with tens units that have batteries that
last a lot longer than that I hope yours does too
As for the MRI I am an extremely claustrophobic person. So I had to come up with a system
to get me through it. What I do is I have to have my husband with me or someone who I feel
comfortable could pull me out of the machine in a disaster. Then I asked the attendant to give
me a cloth for my eyes and I tell her to not tell me anything or talk to me at all until she's
almost done and then just tell me that she's almost done. The reason for this id because I'm
off in another world thinking about other things. and I don't want her talking to interrupt that.
Couple other things to remember if your overweight like I am there's not going to be a lot of
room and the tube will brush against your elbows which is likely to freak you out. And lastly it's loud.
Some MRI operators have headphones with music playing. I've only had that once and it was
awesome. I hope you get that with your MRI.
Good luck! hugs to you
dawn57104 amkoffee
Posted
take care
ihavenonickname dawn57104
Posted
In the USA we have some MRI machines which are called open...you can see out of them. Given a choice, I am happy to drive a distance to go with the open MRI.
With magnetic imaging comes a lot of noise. For this reason, I check with my physician to see if a Cat scan could be substituted.
TENS...I have the Meda One Step from the early nineties. I fibd the modulate mode to be most comforting. A new battery fully charged lasts about 5 hours. Ipurchase the batteries from the medical supplier because they last longer. Having an old machine, I have lines of various lengths and biforcates as wekl I do keep three batteries so I have one in the Meda, one in the charger, and one on hand for immediate use. I have even slept in mine.
Way back, I was a test patient for the first TENS at the University of Chicago!
I suggest you have your physician use black permanent marker to mark the positions for the electrodes. Our skin oils reject the permanent nature of the marker. Electrode placement can optimize the effectiveness of the TENS.
TENS is a fabulous alternative to narcotics Pain increases, increase the stimulation. I begin higher for a bit and then back off some. You only need enough stimulation to short circuit the pain message to the brain.
kind regards
judith
dawn57104 ihavenonickname
Posted
i am in the uk and dont have that option i dont think.
the tens is being supplied by the hospital so if i dont get on with it i will return it.
thanks for your help also
dawn
amkoffee ihavenonickname
Posted
I wad told by a doctor that a closed MRI is much better then an open MRI. My first MRI was on an open one. And I had no insurance so I had to pay for it. Then I went to the doctor with it and he said he wanted to get more detail and it would have to be with closed MRI. He also wanted contrast die. So I ended up having to pay for a second MRI because the open one was not good enough for the doctor. So from now on I demand a closed MRI even though it's very hard for me to do.
ihavenonickname amkoffee
Posted
So sorry...I can not take the contrast because I also have Myasthenia Gravis
I am going to remember thatvthe closed version gives greater detail...maybe the doc would allow me a valium...
hugs
judith
dawn57104 amkoffee
Posted