Hi Dear,
Hope you are feeling a bit better by now.
I've been to doctors that just treat everything with drugs, others that won't prescribe me anything when I clearly need something, and everything in between. I think each doctors philosophy is a bit different.
BUT, bedside manner is so important. I had a rheumy, Dr. C, who forced Aleve on me. When I told him naproxen gave me edema and gastritis, he just told me to take prilosec. When I told him I was, he told me to just take more. When I told him that wouldn't help the edema, he just told me, "well, if you don't do this, I can't help you." so i went home, took it for a few days, then called to say it gave me edema and gastritis (even with the double dose of prilosec). and so he prescribed two more nsaids. and when they didn't work, he told me there was nothing else he could do for me. (of course there was tons more he could do for me; more there was nothing else he would do for me). But he basically bullied me into the nsaids, made me fear prednisone, and was always condescending.
But the next rheumy, Dr. B, was able to gently convince me to try 3 more nsaids, in different drug classes, simply by his demeanor. The way Dr C treated me, I didn't trust him. Yet Dr. B was asking me to do basically the same thing, but the way he asked instead of told, the way he explained, I felt totally safe doing as he requested.
Its all in how one asks, I believe.
If I were you, I'd call the doctor's office who is supposed to give you the nerve conductance test and ask them if its ok to take the nerve drug, or if you should wait, or if you should take it, but then stop it a certain amount of time before you see them. That's what i would do.
I didn't take that, but a second generation variation of that, Lyrica. It didn't help my pain, and it gave me migraines. But i did try it, but was desperate for anything to relieve the pain.
So, ignoring how he treated you, getting past that, consider if it might help. if you don't think so, then that's your decision, but try not to let his treatment of you cloud your decision about the drug (as I think I often did).
As for the MRI, call them, explain your anxiety, ask them what you can do. Do they have an open MRI that you could use? Or do they recommend a sedative? For me, I take my muscle relaxant, more for the pain of laying in there, but it kinda knocks me out, which is a nice side effect at times.
Then what I do, which is really important is to close my eyes and keep them closed. I accidentally opened them once, started to freak out, took some deep breaths with my eyes closed and was able to calm myself down again. that was the first time when I didn't know I was claustrophobic. Now they always give me a wash cloth or small towel to put over my eyes. If I accidentally open my eyes, its ok, its a really good solution. And oddly, even though they give me earplugs or cotton to put in my ears, I like the white noise of the machine; it along with my muscle relaxant lull me to sleep.
I've had my share of such appointments, so I know how you feel. Sorry you had one too.
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