Hi everyone
I wanted to ask (because frankly it has been worrying the life out of me) - has anyone had to wait nearly a month for MRI results - and then been given bad news?
Or will you always get bad news quickly?
Thanks!
Hey Writerchick,
To answer your question, no. I’m in Australia and some time ago there was a lady who had scans. Her pcp thought the surgeon would follow up, the surgeon thought the pcp would follow up. So neither followed up and the lady died. There was a big government enquiry about it all and my understanding now is that results of concern must, by law, be reported. With my last scans, they were on the Monday and the dr’s office called me for an appointment that coming Friday.
When radiologists take scans they also write a report. This report will list the findings as per the images. If there is something of concern, it’s highlighted/BOLD in the report. Often if there is little to no change or nothing of significance to report the Dr’s will wait until the next regular appointment. But from my experience, if there is an issue, they try to get it under control to reduce any adverse effects.
Bad news always travels fastest.
Merl from the Modsupport Team
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Thank you!
I’ve had a lot of MRI’s in my life. I’ve always been told within a few days the results. When I got bad news (meaning I had a brain bleed) my doctor asked me to see her personally. I knew it was not good. I would contact your doctor and ask to be on the safe side.
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Personal experience, no. It doesn’t seem to matter how urgent the scan is, it can take ages.
When I first saw a doc about my AVM, I happened to see an ENT consultant (because my GP thought “tinnitus” rather than “pulsatile tinnitus”). He diagnosed my AVM by listening to it with a stethoscope. “Mr D, you’re my last patient of the day but my most interesting patient of the day. You have what we call an arteriovenous malformation.” Other than telling him I didn’t particularly want to be his most interesting patient of the day, he added, “I’ll send you for an urgent MRI”.
That was something like 24 August 2016. I got my MRI scan on about 19 September and the report didn’t get written and sent back to the ENT man before 20 October.
All the while, I was in panic mode.
So, no. It can take far, far too long.
My experience with these sort of things? You need to chase it, at least if it is outstanding for as long as this. The only reason the report got written and sent back was me raising a formal complaint.
Good luck!
Richard
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It usually takes weeks to get the results back.
Honestly, we have a private radiologist who we go to to read our daughter’s scans when needed.
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Thank you, everyone!
After a call, I was told that initially, it had been scheduled for the 7th Sept to speak to the clinical nurse. They have now moved it to the 31st Aug to speak to the consultant.
They won’t give me any more info than that - but at least the appointment will happen quicker now.
I am frankly still worried about it - but I am going to keep my fingers crossed. I am working under the theory that my consultant wouldn’t have sent out a letter to the GP about the silmilious (can’t spell it for the life of me) trial if there was any reason that I wouldn’t be able to do it. That is what I am hoping, anyway.
When I find out, I will let everyone know.
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Hi!
Honestly, here in UK, my experience is if it is serious you’ll hear quickly, if not, it takes weeks.
Of course, there are exceptions with reports forgotten/ lost but I don’t think it’s the rule.
One things I do now, I always ask the radiologist straight after the MRI, scan or whatever tests they do : “How long is it going to be?” If I get a vague 4 -6 weeks I know I am fine. If they say fairly quickly and / or 2 weeks, then there is something. That’s what they said when they found my AVM. Same with a kidney scan: they found a lump and CT scan follow up was scheduled within 2 weeks.
During one of my cardiology check up, I once had a technician said that if they found something extremely serious / urgent you wouldn’t even leave the hospital without seeing a consultant. Of course, there are degrees of serious and urgent.
I have had multiple scans and MRI from the waist up and it’s always been true, so that’s my general rule now: no news = good news. You still need to chase though, because of those horrendous waiting list.
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Thank you!
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I usually can see my results on my medical portal later that day. It takes a few days to get a Doctor to explain the medical gobbledygook.
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The key difference is that @Writerchick is in the UK with free healthcare (but as slow as we’ve described) and you have paid healthcare in the US. I’m guessing that if providers in the US were as slow as the UK, you’d vote with your feet and see a different doctor. Since it is all centralised in the UK, the payment isn’t linked to the speed.
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I’ve never heard an MRI result taking this long but they do say no news is good news in these circumstances… in Australia we get results the same day or a couple of days later but it appears each country differs… praying all works out… God bless!
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Thank you everyone!
I hadn’t actually thought to check the patient portal. Annoyingly it is only showing my appointment letters - but thanks for the suggestion!
I did manage to chase and the appointment was move to the 31st (at least it is a little closer).
I am still very worried - but keeping all fingers crossed that, as everyone says, bad news would travel fast.
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