Has Anyone Ever Done an MRI?

[roadman65]

I had an MRI scheduled that I walked out on. If anyone ever had one, it is a long tunnel you lay down on a conveyor that slides you in and out. According to the radiologist you're in there for twenty minutes and if the part examined is your lower body, you still go in head first as the machine isn't designed for going in feet first.

Then they scare you by giving you headphones and a cloth to cover your eyes and the fact that you're exposed to radiation for twenty minutes doesn't help either.

Has anyone here done the MRI thing?  Does anyone want to share that experience.?

[kalvado]

I actually fell asleep in the machine.
And there is no radiation.

[JayhawkCO]

Then they scare you by giving you headphones and a cloth to cover your eyes and the fact that you're exposed to radiation for twenty minutes doesn't help either.

There is no ionized radiation in an MRI; it's magnets and radio waves.

[kalvado]

Then they scare you by giving you headphones and a cloth to cover your eyes and the fact that you're exposed to radiation for twenty minutes doesn't help either.

There is no ionized radiation in an MRI; it's magnets and radio waves.

ionIZING radiation
But MRI may kill an iPhone in the other room regardless 

[CtrlAltDel]

I've had a couple of MRI scans, each lasting about twenty minutes. For one, I had to drink something called contrast beforehand, and for the other, I didn't. The experience itself is pretty boring which is not helped by the need to lie still. There's a number of different sounds the machine makes, and I spent most of the time wondering what they are.

you're exposed to radiation for twenty minutes doesn't help either

It's possible you've confused an MRI with an x-ray. X-rays, though, don't last twenty minutes!

[wanderer2575]

I've had two MRIs in the past couple years.  The first one was not pleasant to me.  They just put me on the table, and in I went.  I kept my eyes closed and tried my best to relax and breathe slowly, but after 10-15 minutes I started to panic from the claustrophobia.  Fortunately it finished shortly after that.

Then they scare you by giving you headphones and a cloth to cover your eyes ...

On the contrary, those helped me a lot with my second one.  Some light jazz and not having to consciously keep my eyes closed.  The two Valium tablets this doctor prescribed also helped -- took one when I left the house and the other when I pulled into the parking lot.  I didn't notice any effect from them, but my wife said I definitely was under the influence (she was doing the driving).

[oscar]

I've been MRI'd twice, first in 2022 and second in 2023. The latter was two separate scans of different parts of my body, done at the same appointment. I also had a contrast agent, administered by an IV.

No issues for me, except for the first one there was concern about the metal implants from my ankle surgery in 2006. Back then, "MRI-safe" implants weren't SOP. So I was subjected to some preliminary tests, to make sure the metal in my leg wouldn't heat up while in the MRI machine. That was also a "squeeze in" no-appointment procedure, which meant I had to stay overnight in a recovery bed to wait for a 5:30am time slot on the machine.

All the noises from the machine were kinda freaky, but not bothersome.

[mgk920]

I was MRIed a couple of years ago, head first and had no troubles.  My only recollection was that it was LOUD.   The CAT scan that I had twice about that time was nearly totally silent.

Mike

[1995hoo]

I've never had one, but my brother and my wife both have, and they both said the same things that are common comments in this thread—the machine is loud and it gets very claustrophobic. Neither of them suffers from claustrophobia normally, but they said the enclosed tube, coupled with the need to lie still, made it very difficult.

I've heard radio commercials for something called an "open MRI" that is supposed to help with the claustrophobia, but I don't know anyone who's undergone that procedure.

[fhmiii]

I had an MRI when I was about 30.  A pinched nerve in my leg was manifesting as pain in my foot, so the did an MRI on my leg.  I had no issues with the machine, but it was an "open" MRI machine, so I wasn't inside a tube but rather between a table and a low-hanging magnet. The odd angle I had to keep my foot at, combined with the pinched nerve, meant all my images were blurry.

I later got a CT scan, which isn't too different from an MRI in that you're inside a tube, but it doesn't use the super-powerful magnets.  I honestly don't know if I can get an MRI anymore.  Titanium is not magnetic, but not all implants are pure titanium.

[kalvado]

I had an MRI when I was about 30.  A pinched nerve in my leg was manifesting as pain in my foot, so the did an MRI on my leg.  I had no issues with the machine, but it was an "open" MRI machine, so I wasn't inside a tube but rather between a table and a low-hanging magnet. The odd angle I had to keep my foot at, combined with the pinched nerve, meant all my images were blurry.

I later got a CT scan, which isn't too different from an MRI in that you're inside a tube, but it doesn't use the super-powerful magnets.  I honestly don't know if I can get an MRI anymore.  Titanium is not magnetic, but not all implants are pure titanium.

Not sure about implants, but I believe titanium staples used in laparoscopy surgery have a 2 week waiting period before they are allowed in MRI. probably for nearby tissue to heal?

[Max Rockatansky]

I've had several.  I don't have anything notable to say other than laying around not doing anything is boring.

[SectorZ]

I've had three in my life. All went in head first and way in. Almost fell asleep during the last one I had (a few months ago). I love the dissonant cacophony of the thing to boot.

[tmoore952]

I had one done in 1989. Used to confirm an ACL tear (in knee).

It was noisy. I think I fell asleep, or came close to doing so.

[GaryV]

At least one provider in my area advertises "Open MRI" for those with claustrophobia.

[Rothman]

Had a couple of them.  Love them.  Very cozy and comfortable.  Want one for my bedroom for better sleep than my own bed.

[CtrlAltDel]

Had a couple of them.  Love them.  Very cozy and comfortable.  Want one for my bedroom for better sleep than my own bed.

I don't know. I'm a side sleeper.

[Rothman]

Had a couple of them.  Love them.  Very cozy and comfortable.  Want one for my bedroom for better sleep than my own bed.

I don't know. I'm a side sleeper.

So am I

[kkt]

I've had a couple in the past year.  It's kinda boring and the noise is mildly unpleasant, but it wasn't scary to me.  It's magnetic, not radiation.  And they're so paranoid about lawsuits now that I don't believe they'd do anything with even a remote possibility of damaging the patient when used as directed.

Did you read the story a month or two ago about a patient who carried a small pistol in her clothing when she was getting an MRI?  Walked right past the "no firearms" sign on the hospital door, the warnings in advance not to be carrying any metal and the same warnings by the tech immediately before.  The magnet pulled the pistol towards it and it got enough friction to pull the trigger.  She got the bullet in the butt and the injury was not serious.

So, listen when they tell you to take off anything metal in your pockets or on your clothes, leave your guns at home, and you'll be fine.

[kphoger]

For the record, your jacket rubbing up against your tee shirt subjects you to radiation.  It's non-ionizing, of course.

[US 89]

For the record, simply existing exposes you to radiation. Everything above absolute zero emits black body radiation.

There is a lot of ugly math behind this, but basically the energy of that emitted radiation depends on the temperature: hotter objects emit higher energy radiation (and more radiation overall). This is why things glow if you get them hot enough - things at room temperature emit mostly infrared radiation, but get something hot enough and the peak radiation will start to shift into the visible range. Lightbulb filaments are hot enough to emit a lot of visible light, but their peak emissions are still in the infrared range. The sun is hot enough that its primary emission is in the visible spectrum.

Ionizing radiation has a wavelength of less than 100 nm, which is well into the ultraviolet range. Luckily, even the sun is not hot enough to emit much of this, otherwise we probably would not exist as a species today.

[Rothman]

I've had a couple in the past year.  It's kinda boring and the noise is mildly unpleasant, but it wasn't scary to me.  It's magnetic, not radiation.  And they're so paranoid about lawsuits now that I don't believe they'd do anything with even a remote possibility of damaging the patient when used as directed.

Did you read the story a month or two ago about a patient who carried a small pistol in her clothing when she was getting an MRI?  Walked right past the "no firearms" sign on the hospital door, the warnings in advance not to be carrying any metal and the same warnings by the tech immediately before.  The magnet pulled the pistol towards it and it got enough friction to pull the trigger.  She got the bullet in the butt and the injury was not serious.

So, listen when they tell you to take off anything metal in your pockets or on your clothes, leave your guns at home, and you'll be fine.

The MRIs around here are behind "zones" of safety divided by metal detectors that would be set off if someone tried that stunt.

Still, have to wonder what she was thinking...but then again, there's a possibility she lacked that capacity.

[SSOWorld]

I went feet first into an MRI machine in 2020.

[jeffandnicole]

I've had 2 MRIs. Wore headphones both times, both to have music and for the person administering the MRI could tell me what was happening next.

During the 2nd MRI, I did fall asleep.

[kphoger]

So, if you twitch right as you're falling asleep, I suppose they have to start over?