how long for MRI results

[Berta]

They think that we are little kids, you don't need the report because you couldn't possibly understand it. after all you have no medical training. If by some miracle you couild read it, then you would be worrying your pretty little head about things. The medical profession seems to struggle with the fact that not knowing is the worst thing.

I've been walking, well walking, limping and hopping, for ages without really knowing what was wrong. I saw a new doc this week who actually spent time and explained what's wrong with my knee, and now I'm a lot happier, still have to wait as long to see the OS and get confirmation, but now I have some answers I'm OK to wait.

[Leentje]

They think that we are little kids, you don't need the report because you couldn't possibly understand it. after all you have no medical training. If by some miracle you couild read it, then you would be worrying your pretty little head about things. The medical profession seems to struggle with the fact that not knowing is the worst thing.

  You have no idea what radiologists can put in reports that can be misinterpretated... or don't read films right even if they spent years studying!
I personally think it's better not to give reports to patients, my own honest opinion... Not that patients are little kids as you state, but sometimes they know better than the doctors.
i am a nurse, if a patient knows it better then me, I tend to keep my mouth shout these days, let them go on the way they think is right, I don't care anymore, I say it once, then I am gone.

I had an MRI once and it showed I have a Bakers cyst but no problems regarding that, never had treatment for it and won't untill it gives me problems, if I would have read the films and know not much about knees I could have thought that was the problem, but it wasn't!

No offend, just my opinion, being a health care worker is hard, even when you have a resuscitation family tells you what to do!! You HAVE to defibrillate him, they always do that on TV and it always works... whooohoooo like you can defibrillate every rythm...

Helena

[Berta]

No offence taken, and I understand what you are saying.

My rant is part of a purely personal feeling on how my life is going at present. I have been living with a bad knee for nearly 10 months and still have no answer, so gettng info is very important to me.

Contrast though the experience of trying to get any info about the ultra sound that I had, the technician was unable to tell me anything, I can understand it, but still annoying. My physio eventually phoned and got the results for me, it was 2 weeks after the event and I was going mad to get any clues to the problem.

Contrast that to my local, small town hospital, where I have been 3 times now for x rays. The first time I was given the films there abd then to take back to the doctor to get a diagnosis, the last 2 times have been for my knee and my back. Both times the x rays had to go away and be read, but the radiolligist was happy for me to look at the films.............not that they mean that much to me, but mor importantly to give some brief comments, heavily qualified with the fact that they need to be read properly. Two weeks later I'm still waiting to hear officially about my back x-ray, but am happy to wait as I know that the area we were worried about looks, on first impression, to be OK.

[Leentje]

I understand the fact you don't want to wait too long for your results, I want them rightaway too! Because of my position in my hospital, I get them, in other hospitals, i have to wait too. Xray, CTscan and echo results can be in within 10', if the department is busy it can take a bit longer, MRI results are usually in the next day, but most of the time you have to wait up to a week before you get results.
The bigger the hospital, the longer you have to wait, that's just the rule.
I cannot even tell a patient if his/her hip or something is broken f.e., I always have to guess and tell people the Dr will tell them their results, because it doesn't ly in my competences. Some patients get frustrated by that and yell at us, it's just the way it is

Hope you get some answers soon

Helena

[jdwheels]

In my case, I went to the hospital for my CAT scan and MRI, and before I left, they gave me 2 CD roms with my scans. I took them home and looked at them on my PC, was only able to figure out a couple of pics, and then the next day, took them with me to give to my surgeon. I was impressed!

[Discochikn]

I have had 3 MRI's in little over a year. With my first 2 MRI's my OS had the results later the same day. My doctor fast tracked me for surgery too. With my last MRI, I went to a different doctor and he sent me to a place where he could view the MRI results online immediately and via email. They actually sent the copies of the films with me before I left the Hospital to take to him also. If your OS is wanting to schedule surgery ASAP, they will probably call you with the results the first part of the week. I would call Monday morning and expalin you are still in pain and that you want to know exactly what is wrong.

Good Luck