When it comes to comfort and preparation before an MRI scan, whether or not you can pee and
empty your bladder is a common concern, especially when you learn about the long hours of an
MRI scan. Well, in most cases, it’s a yes, and in fact, encouraged. Sometimes, it’s even
necessary to pee before an MRI. However, there are exceptions too, where you are
recommended to not pee before an MRI scan. Let’s unfold them all!
Why Is Preparation Important for an MRI?
Although an MRI scan is one of the safest diagnostic modalities existing today, you need to
understand the importance of proper preparation before the process takes you to a semi-
enclosed tube with a loud creaking noise, and you, staying still on a flat surface for no minutes
but hours. Here, proper preparation helps you stay relaxed during the scan, thereby allowing the
duo of powerful magnetic fields and radio waves to fetch accurate images! Also, it keeps you
safe from any health hazards.
Can I Pee Before An MRI?
While there’s no health hazard involved in the question of peeing before an MRI scan, the
accuracy of the test result is a factor of determination, indeed! Mostly, emptying your bladder
can make you feel more comfortable during the prolonged span of the scan. This is more crucial
for those having an overactive bladder and feels like peeing every 30 minutes. Besides, if you
are an anxious kind of person, it’s better to pee before an MRI and avoid the anxiety that
accompanies the urgency to pee during the scan.
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When Is Peeing Before An MRI Necessary?
Peeing before an MRI stands crucial for scans of the abdominal and pelvic areas; those looking
for the tissues of your pelvis, urinary tract, intestines, and other parts of the lower abdomen. As
per medical practitioners, this is because having a full bladder tends to intervene with the
imaging, making it difficult to derive a clear picture. Peeing before the scan can help give
optimal imaging results, subsequently paving for a faster initiation of the treatment.
In Which Scenarios Shouldn’t You Pee Before An MRI?
When your MRI imaging revolves around certain pelvic structures, the uterus, or the prostate,
particularly in case of tumour pathologies, your doctor may ask you to not pee before an MRI,
and keep your bladder partially full. This is because fluids in your bladder hereby can act as
better contrast agents, prompting detailed visuals in the images.
So, if your doctor or MRI technologist asks you to not empty your stomach before the scan,
make sure you follow the instructions. The clearer the image, the faster you get free from the
scan room!
General MRI Comfort Tips
In addition to peeing before an MRI, here are some other prep tips for you to stay more
comfortable during your scan.
- Use The Bathroom Right Before
Even if you were asked to avoid eating or drinking before the MRI scan, you can go to the
bathroom immediately before entering the scan room, as this would ensure a complete empty
bladder which stands significant to derive clear imaging in most MRIs. Sometimes, the medical
caregivers in the MRI centers would themselves instruct you to use the washroom right before
the scan and empty your bladder. You can also wash your face and hands and get more
relaxed for the scan.
- Wear Comfortable Clothes
Make sure you wear loose-fitting clothes of comfortable fabrics like cotton to your MRI scan
appointment. In some MRI centers, they do provide gowns, however, you wouldn’t want to get
skin irritation and discomfort during the scan due to some synthetic or velvet fabrics and the
tightness of the cloth. You must also avoid wearing clothes with metal buttons or zippers as
metallic objects tend to move, heat up, or start malfunctioning in the presence of powerful
magnetic fields, as it would be there in the MRI scan, and that may cause health hazards.
- Inquire About Relaxation Options
If you have claustrophobic or anxiety tendencies, you must let the medical caregivers at the MRI
center know about it. Many MRI centers offer relaxation assistance like eye masks, pillows and
blankets, earplugs, and sometimes, even mild sedatives if prescribed by the doctor. Although
you won’t be allowed to carry your phone or earpodes in the scan room, the caregivers
sometimes even arrange for music to keep you relaxed during the scan. Moreover, you can
yourself practice some breathing exercises and visualization techniques to stay calm during the
scan.
What to Do If You Need to Pee During an MRI?
The need to pee during the scan can be eliminated by peeing beforehand, no doubt! However,
during an MRI, if you really feel the urgency to pee and empty your bladder, after controlling for
too long, feel free to communicate it to the MRI technologist. While it’s not ideal to interrupt the
scan procedure, the technologist can pause the procedure and let you use the washroom if
that’s an absolute necessity at that time.
This is more because, if you are unable to lie down still because of your urgency to empty the
bladder and get restless, the imaging quality is likely to be hampered, so it’s certainly better to
stall the process and resume it than redoing the whole scan all over again.
Final Thoughts:
Peeing before an MRI is usually considered a smart move. You stay comfortable and focused
when lying down for hours, devoid of stress despite the loud noise! Making the necessary
preparations from before can help bring the smoothest MRI experience alongside an accurate
scan report. Always follow the specific instructions your healthcare providers give, as they know
what’s best for you!
If your doctor prescribes you an MRI scan in Chandigarh and you look for a hassle-free MRI
experience, properly guided, relaxation options available, and so are state-of-the-art
infrastructure, simply navigate to www.mrichandigarh.com and get your scan scheduled at your
convenience. Here, you are going to find service offers from the top NABL-accredited MRI labs
in the city.
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