Clink, clank, clunk! (MRI Scan In General)

Member Name: salem_witch

Product:	MRI Scan In General
Date:	26/11/07 (287 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It takes images of your body to help diagnose medical problems.

Disadvantages: It's very noisy. Not good for claustrophobics.

Many people have heard of an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and more likely have seen it in a medical drama such as House. How many people actually understand what it does though? I'm guessing not many. Until I needed one a few years ago I had never really thought about it. Then when I found out I had to have one to help diagnose dizziness I panicked a little and started to research it. The main reason I was worried was because of what they may have found rather than having to go for an MRI in the first place though. After looking it up online I was put at ease as it is safe as long as you have no metal on you and is painless. So I wasn't worried about having the MRI after that, until I got to the hospital! I'm not normally the kind of person who would worry so I'm assuming that my fears were natural. So I'd hate to think how someone who suffers from claustrophobia would feel. I think the main thing that put me at ease was knowing a bit about it before hand. I didn't want to be an expert but I wanted to know what to expect.

*** So what is an MRI? ***

The basic idea of the MRI is to take images of a persons tissues and organs to build up a picture of what's going on inside a person. This is normally focused on a certain part of the body to help diagnose an ongoing medical problem or to help diagnose something in the first place. It can show muscles, nerves, joints and blood vessels so it can be useful for a variety of things. So if you've had your kneecap shattered an MRI would show that. As would a scan of your head show a detailed picture of your brain. So depending on what the problem is the MRI can be programmed depending on the area of the body and the nature of what they want to investigate.

Without boring you with too much detail I'll try and explain how it all works. The MRI uses magnets as well as radio waves to capture thousands of images. There is a horizontal tube running through the magnet, which is where the person having a scan ends up. A bed comes out and when a nurse has positioned them they are slowly moved into the scanner. Depending on which part of your body is being scanned depends on how far you have to go in. The part being scanned has to be in the centre of the scanner. So if your feet are being scanned then your feet will be inside and your head won't be inside the MRI, which would be nice. If you're having your head or upper body scanned then you'll be right inside it like I was.

Once you're ready the MRI scans the body bit by bit to build up a 2D or 3D picture of the tissue being examined. The magnet is very powerful and when a radio frequency pulse is applied it enables the computer to capture the images. Inside your body there are many hydrogen (water) atoms and they are pulled in line with the direction of the magnetic field. The radio waves change the direction of some of the atoms. Then when the radio wave is turned off they return to the same position. It's when this happens the computer gets the images, which are extremely clear.


*** So you need an MRI? ***

Once your doctor or consultant decides that you do need a scan they should explain the reasons behind it. They may explain what they are hoping to find or indeed trying to eliminate. My first MRI scan was to see if there was anything visibly wrong with my brains and ears, which was causing the dizziness (it came back clear). So then I was worried about a possible tumour showing up. For the last year and a half I've had pain, pins and needles and weakness in my left arm and hand. They've x-rayed me as they thought an extra bone in my neck was trapping it. That came back clear which is why they've decided it could be something tissue trapping it. So this time round I'm hoping that they find something so they can remove it. Otherwise I'm back to square one. So as you can see each time I was hoping for something different so someone might be more anxious about the findings than most. This time round I wasn't as worried, as I knew what to expect which probably put me more at ease than anything.

When I was told an MRI would be best I was given a leaflet explaining everything I needed to know and a number to call to make an appointment. When I did call for my appointment I got one in a month so I didn't think that was so bad as I was told it could take a while. Back in 2004 when I needed an MRI I got one in about the same time, as there was a cancellation as I remember there was an even longer wait then. Of course the amount of time you have to wait depends on your hospital. I'm also assuming anyone with something they suspect as serious would be seen a lot sooner. The leaflet tells you what you can do and can't do before the scan. It tells you it's best to wear loose clothing as you'll be more comfortable and if you can wear something without metal fastenings. Some of this is obvious but it also asks females not to wear eye make up as eye shadows can contain metallic parts. I wouldn't like to be put in an MRI with metal on my eyelids so I just went with no make up on at all.


*** Who can't have an MRI? ***

There are certain people who won't be able to have an MRI for various reasons. The most obvious one is anyone who has metal implants or anything like that such as clips in your head. If you have a pacemaker or have had surgery in the last 3 months then you can't have one either. If you're pregnant or it's possible you could be then you do need to tell them. There isn't enough research but it's thought that it could be dangerous to the foetus in the early stages of pregnancy. So they need to know, as it would possibly have to be delayed if you were. Anything you're unsure of it's best to check with them, as it's better to be safe than sorry! I can only imagine how painful it would be to have metal on me whilst in the scanner. Anyone who watches House would remember an episode featuring LL Cool J as a patient who had tattoos using metallic ink, ouch!


*** My MRI scan ***

When I arrived at the hospital I showed them my appointment letter and was asked to take a seat. With my confirmation letter I had questionnaire enclosed which I had to fill out and take with me. This is to check for any reasons why you shouldn't have the scan mostly. It asks if you've had surgery for example. All my answers were no apart from one asking if I had asthma. When I was asked about this I told them that it was only mild so lying down flat for the scan shouldn't be a problem. He was really friendly and helpful and started to explain what would happen until I told him I'd had one a few years ago. Once he realised I was comfortable with it he told me I'd need to remove my bra. Not many men would get away with that but I did have one with underwire in it! So I went into the cubicle and whipped if off. They do provide gowns if you don't have any suitable clothing so if you do have clothes that aren't suitable then it's not a worry. I left my handbag with my Mum so I didn't need a locker. When I was there before I had to take all my jewellery off and put it in a locker. To save the bother this time I didn't wear any and just went through as I was.

I was taken into the room where the scanner was and asked to lie down on the bed. At this point the bed is outside the scanner. Once I was ready (I even had a pillow) he attached supports either side of my head. I can only assume this was to try and keep me still or to at least make it easier for me to keep still. Then I had a heavy vest put over my chest. I never asked what this was for but it must have served some purpose. He then put ear defenders on me, which was surprisingly comfy, and given a button to press if I needed them to stop for whatever reason. Then he told me he was slowly moving me in and to stay very still and if I did need any help to press the button.

Once I was in the MRI I opened my eyes as I shut them as I went in. Although it is claustrophobic there is a few inches above you. So I didn't think it was too bad. Anyone who does have problems with confined spaces would be best chatting to the nurse beforehand as I'm sure they'd give you tips and do their best to put you at ease. It's all lit up inside so it's not like you're in the dark so for me that was a good thing as I'd wonder what it was like if it were dark. Before the scan started I found myself thinking what if I have metal on me and I forgot. So I was really tense until it started. When it did start I was relieved as nothing happened! Once the initial panic was over I knew all I had to do was lie there for however long it would take. Staying still like that isn't the easiest of things though and I found I was really tense trying not to make the slightest movement.

The noise that the MRI is hardly relaxing either. It starts off which clanking and just when I got used to that it went quiet for a few seconds and then buzzing started. There was also some vibration, which I found annoying but obviously it does that for a reason. The vibration wasn't that strong so maybe some people would like it! The noise is really the main issue though. Even with the ear defenders on it gave me a headache. That could have been a combination of the noise and feeling tense though. When I finished and went through to my Mum she commented on how noisy it was and the waiting room was reasonably far away and through two closed doors! They did play some music (classical stuff) but I could only hear that when the clanking and drill like noises stopped very briefly. So they needn't have bothered playing it at all really.

The length of the scan will depend on each case. When I had a scan in 2004 I seem to remember it lasted about 20 minutes. This time round I had to have two different scans. I had one on my back and shoulder and then another one on my neck. Once the first scan was over the nurse brought me out of the scanner so I thought it was over. Then he said he had to do another one so I had to do it all over again. Each one was around 15 minutes so I was glad when it was all over as my head was really pounding from the noise and I was glad to be able to move! I asked the nurse how long the results would take and he said he couldn't say but they would be sent to the doctor or consultant who sent them. I had the MRI in May and the results were ready within a couple of weeks so in the end I didn't have to wait long. Again the circumstances of each patient will influence how long the results will take. Mine is for a trapped nerve so hardly life threatening although it is a pain (it came back clear). Anyone being scanned for something more serious I'd expect them to get there results within days and not weeks.

Summary: What to expect if you have an MRI...