MRI...what to expect? [Archive] - HP Deals, Computer Coupons And Bargains

faither

03-16-2004, 08:11 PM

Most are enclosed and make a rapid succession of loud noises. A bit disconcerting but NOTHING to be afraid of. Usually, they'll give you some headphones and music to try and keep you calm and distracted from the noise. Could last anywhere from 20-40 minutes, depending what they're shooting.

Honest, don't sweat it. No pain, no radiation.

kimchicowboy

03-16-2004, 08:41 PM

from the sounds of it, i'd rather get an MRI than get a huge needle of novacaine stuck in my gums. hehe. good luck!

Burzhui

03-16-2004, 09:05 PM

dude you're in for it, it's like 30 mnutes of lying still, in a white room, with nothing to do, except listen to clicking of the machine. I had to do something so i started counting the number of pinholes in the tiles of the ceilieng.. until they moved my head into the machine too :(

g222leav

03-16-2004, 09:29 PM

take off all your metal!!!

Pinkgirl36

03-16-2004, 09:39 PM

i just got my nose piecred this past weekend...it ain't coming out!!

But yeah it's my brain and neck. I've been getting really bad headaches, with a few other symptoms, really bad dizziness, drowsiness for no reason, my arm going numb, messed up speech, and really bad vision occasionally ( sometimes when I'm driving ) and my left half of my body reacts slower then my right apparently. So I went to a neurologist today and he said he wouldn't be worried if it was just the headaches, but since it's other stuff as well, he wants to get it all checked out.
I'm honestly really scared. On the way home I pulled my car over to the side of the road and just cried. I'm 21 I'm too young for anything major to be wrong with me.

eSDee

03-16-2004, 10:16 PM

Pink, you're right you're too young to have anything major wrong with you. Although an MRI is a bit scary it's the safest and fastest way to diagnose any major problems with you. It's good that you are getting it done just to be safe. My moms has had a bunch of them recently because of her ailment, and at first she was really nervous because she didn't like the feeling of being in there without her glasses. However after the first time she had LASIK done, and now whenever she goes in there it's no sweat. I don't think that you'll have any problem with it once you get in there.

That said, it sounds like you could have a hormone imbalance. One of your glands might not be working the way it should which is throwing your system out of whack. If this turns out to be case then you can take hormones to make up for it. Because of your age I would say most likely that's what it is.

I know it's tough and it's gotta be scary. But just try to be positive. Most likely everything will be fine.

Houdini

03-16-2004, 11:42 PM

Everything people have said about the MRI scan is true. It's really just a noisy inconvenience. They will usually give you earplugs if you ask for them, and because you're having a nuro scan, they may inject a little bit of a contrast solution (VERY small needle...don't worry) into a vein in your hand or arm during the scan. Most modern MRI scanners have a mirror angled right above your head so you can see your feet and the people in the control room. They'll usually give you a locker in which to put your belongings (especially all metals). Chances are you WILL have to remove your nosering for the scan, though.

I know it's tough, but don't worry too much about what MIGHT be wrong until you have good answers. It sounds like you've been through a lot recently and are very worried. I'm sure the neurologist ordered the scan as a precaution. Many benign conditions can cause similar symptoms. Hopefully, the imaging results can put your mind at ease.

Good luck, and take care,

ufcrusher

03-16-2004, 11:48 PM

I have only had 6 MRIs done....it really isnt a big deal, although you probably will HAVE to take out your piercing. Depending on the type of MRI, traditional or open room, you will either be in a tube which is where people get claustrophobic or passing through an arch type device. Either way, its just noisy and cold, but not painful on its own.

It honestly is just like an X-ray just with a different machine. Nothing to fear.

ShawnLee

03-17-2004, 12:48 AM

I was 21 when my back went out. It's better now, but I had to get an MRI. Expect a lot of mechanical noises. Don't get claustrophobic if you're in the tube, but do expect to be a little chilly, and to hear a whole lot of whoosh-whoosh-woong-woong-brawh-brawh-weh-weh-tick-tick-toop-toop, or something like that.

g222leav

03-17-2004, 04:33 AM

Originally posted by ShawnLee105
but do expect to be a little chilly, and to hear a whole lot of whoosh-whoosh-woong-woong-brawh-brawh-weh-weh-tick-tick-toop-toop, or something like that.

i'd expect that's teh noise dopey would make in bed...so that should be nothing new to her...:heh:

Jeffbx

03-17-2004, 05:26 AM

Yeah, the nose ring will have to come out before the exam. The machine produces a VERY powerful magnetic field, and if you leave it in not only will it distort the image, it may rip the ring right out of your nose.

Check out how powerful the magnetic field is - that's a belt & the buckle is being pulled in:

http://www.cis.rit.edu/htbooks/mri/chap-13/images/belt.gif

On the plus side, like everyone else says the hardest part is lying still for the duration of the test. Nothing to worry about.

gear02

03-17-2004, 06:32 AM

can you fall asleep?

mcs328

03-17-2004, 06:35 AM

Maybe you're suffering from migraines? MRI are not as bad as you think. Like everyone said it's just the clicking. Hope all goes well.

Nija

03-17-2004, 07:05 AM

If you can find some plastic jewelery you should be able to have that in.

And I slept through my only MRI. :)

caribiner23

03-17-2004, 07:11 AM

Originally posted by gear02
can you fall asleep?
When I had my MRI last year for my knee, I did fall asleep.

The place I went gave me headphones with some nondescript Yanni-like stuff playing, and the room was actually warm and nicely decorated with lots of indirect lighting.

Grubbie

03-17-2004, 08:19 AM

Man all this talk about getting MRI's is making me want one. I would love to just get to lay down and relax for 30mins. It sounds like fun to me, I always enjoyed getting xrays done cause I would just get to lay down and relax :)

RoniMan

03-17-2004, 09:32 AM

Originally posted by Grubbie
Man all this talk about getting MRI's is making me want one.

ummm...sure...

it's really not something you would "WANT". the claustrophobic feeling is probably the worst part of it...at least for me. even though i'm not claustrophobic, it just was very uncomfortable.

Burzhui

03-17-2004, 09:48 AM

Originally posted by Pinkgirl36
i just got my nose piecred this past weekend...it ain't coming out!!

he he girly girl, yes it is, either forcefully or you can save yourself the pain and take it out yourself

Showtime

03-17-2004, 10:00 AM

The MRI is alright. I dozed off. It's those probes that suck.

:P

-jel:halo:

LegendKiller

03-17-2004, 10:24 AM

I have had 3 myself, two on my knee and one on my shoulder. They aren't a big deal. They give you headphones to listen to music. As said before its pretty loud.

LK

Showtime

03-17-2004, 10:49 AM

I've had one on the head (they found nothin ;) )and one on the left shoulder (untreatable) and I need to have one done on the right shoulder. *sigh* Getting old.

-jel:halo:

Kim

03-17-2004, 12:52 PM

How did it go, pink?

caribiner23

03-17-2004, 12:57 PM

They wouldn't give me headphones... as they said it would interfere with the scan on my shoulder (and my left arm was right above my head.)
That's funny, mine's attached to my left shoulder. :P

RoniMan

03-17-2004, 01:10 PM

pink, check your pm

whitak24

03-17-2004, 06:40 PM

as others have said, get the metal out of your nose. the magnetic field from those things can practically rip stuff out from across the room (one time, my mom was having an mri. she had a single key deep in her pocket. as she was walking toward the machine, the key was pulled from her pocket and sucked into the machine).

as for the experience, i thought it was fun. i had it done voluntarily (as part of a friend's psych research). it's loud, but then you get to see pics of your brain when they're done :D

cheapie

03-17-2004, 06:58 PM

Originally posted by DarkFury
They wouldn't give me headphones... as they said it would interfere with the scan on my shoulder (and my left arm was right above my head.)

naw...that's what they told you. truth is, you're a pimp. and pimps CAN'T hold still when listening to their music!:P

i almost said brotha instead of pimp. would that have been racist?

cheapie

03-17-2004, 07:10 PM

lol. after i posted it i remember that "what offends you thread" where you said intent matters more than just the content. and since you know i'm not a racist....i shoulda busted it out!

actually, i'm amazed that you were able to fit in there w/your shorties hangin' onto you. everybody knows, a pimp aint NEVER seperated from them.

Pinkgirl36

03-17-2004, 07:10 PM

well, i didn't go today, the place they wanted me to go wasn't covered by my insurance, so they are looking in to another place for me. Fun. I also need to get a bunch of blood work done as well.

Kevster

03-17-2004, 07:25 PM

Originally posted by DarkFury

Dayuuum straight... get that worked out beforehand, cause for 45 minutes worth of scanning, the bill came out to like $1,800. I was like :eek:

(Of course they scared me by sending the bill to my house and NOT my insurance company... and I sure as hell called them FIRST THING the next morning to clarify the mistake.)

Yep. MRIs are not cheap because of the initial cost and continnued maintenance of the equipment, and the cost of the trained personnel operating the MRI. I have had to get 2 of them so far - one in the tube, the other open. During both of them I fell asleep.

oblongmelon

03-17-2004, 08:05 PM

Originally posted by eSDeeLoco
Pink, you're right you're too young to have anything major wrong with you. Although an MRI is a bit scary it's the safest and fastest way to diagnose any major problems with you. It's good that you are getting it done just to be safe. My moms has had a bunch of them recently because of her ailment, and at first she was really nervous because she didn't like the feeling of being in there without her glasses. However after the first time she had LASIK done, and now whenever she goes in there it's no sweat. I don't think that you'll have any problem with it once you get in there.

That said, it sounds like you could have a hormone imbalance. One of your glands might not be working the way it should which is throwing your system out of whack. If this turns out to be case then you can take hormones to make up for it. Because of your age I would say most likely that's what it is.

I know it's tough and it's gotta be scary. But just try to be positive. Most likely everything will be fine.

OMG where the hell do you get your information? Hormones? comeon-Hormone malfunction can cause major problems but it doesnt cause loss of speech, and arm numbness-or at least it never manefested itself like that in all the years of nursing that I've had..it sounds more like a disk problem than a case of bad hormones. And to say that she's too young to have anything major go wrong is just silly- not to upset you pink or EsDee but there is no age requirement or justification for medical emergencies..they can happen any time-anywhere..blame genetics, environment, and all those other factors (lifestyle etc) all rolled into one....

eSDee

03-18-2004, 12:29 AM

Originally posted by oblongmelon

OMG where the hell do you get your information? Hormones? comeon-Hormone malfunction can cause major problems but it doesnt cause loss of speech, and arm numbness-or at least it never manefested itself like that in all the years of nursing that I've had..it sounds more like a disk problem than a case of bad hormones. And to say that she's too young to have anything major go wrong is just silly- not to upset you pink or EsDee but there is no age requirement or justification for medical emergencies..they can happen any time-anywhere..blame genetics, environment, and all those other factors (lifestyle etc) all rolled into one....

Come one obby I know what I'm talking about. Saying she's too young to have something wrong with her is being optimistic, and I'm trying to throw her positive vibe here. I don't know why you're trying to call my hand but please stop. If you have something to say then send it to me via PM. Don't destroy the hope that I am trying to give her :rolleyes: :2far:

oblongmelon

03-18-2004, 04:26 AM

Originally posted by eSDeeLoco

Come one obby I know what I'm talking about. Saying she's too young to have something wrong with her is being optimistic, and I'm trying to throw her positive vibe here. I don't know why you're trying to call my hand but please stop. If you have something to say then send it to me via PM. Don't destroy the hope that I am trying to give her :rolleyes: :2far:

? trying to call your hand? not my intention. Just the nurse in me coming out. Sorry if you felt that way EsDee, but I speak the truth-no need to pm you about hormones, and their malfunctions. Of course we'd all love to think we're all too young to have anything wrong with us..(even me and I"m WAYYY older than you but still not old enough to be called elderly)..but the fact of the matter is-IT DOES HAPPEN. And stop being bitchy-you sound like you have pms. :hmm:

Houdini

03-18-2004, 06:26 AM

Well, allow the doctor in me to come out for a second. Her symptoms can be caused by relatively benign conditions as well. That's why I advised her not to worry until there's something to worry about. Wait until the results of the imaging come back.

Grubbie

03-18-2004, 07:07 AM

Originally posted by RoniMan

ummm...sure...

it's really not something you would "WANT". the claustrophobic feeling is probably the worst part of it...at least for me. even though i'm not claustrophobic, it just was very uncomfortable.

I wouldn't get claustrophobic at all :) Ya it would suck if they put you in a uncomfy position. Mostly it was just people talking about laying down in there and just counting clicks, something about that sounds relaxing to me...

eSDee

03-18-2004, 08:21 AM

Originally posted by oblongmelon

? trying to call your hand? not my intention. Just the nurse in me coming out. Sorry if you felt that way EsDee, but I speak the truth-no need to pm you about hormones, and their malfunctions. Of course we'd all love to think we're all too young to have anything wrong with us..(even me and I"m WAYYY older than you but still not old enough to be called elderly)..but the fact of the matter is-IT DOES HAPPEN. And stop being bitchy-you sound like you have pms. :hmm:

Whatever. I'm gonna guess that they used to call you Nurse Ratchet :hihi:

Pinkgirl36

03-18-2004, 11:57 AM

Well, I have to go at 2:30 pm tomorrow. Still not looking forward to it. And in the AM I have to go get blood work done.
Not looking forward to it. The upside will be tomorrow night I get to go to a ducks game....

ray

03-18-2004, 12:02 PM

Originally posted by Pinkgirl36
Well, I have to go at 2:30 pm tomorrow. Still not looking forward to it. And in the AM I have to go get blood work done.
Not looking forward to it. The upside will be tomorrow night I get to go to a ducks game....

Ducks! It's too bad Paul Kariya (my favorite hockey player) had to leave the Ducks. I really wanted to see him play :-/

Good luck tomorrow! Everything will be fine :)

See ya real soon ;)

DankNstickY

03-18-2004, 03:35 PM

Originally posted by oblongmelon

? trying to call your hand? not my intention. Just the nurse in me coming out. Sorry if you felt that way EsDee, but I speak the truth-no need to pm you about hormones, and their malfunctions. Of course we'd all love to think we're all too young to have anything wrong with us..(even me and I"m WAYYY older than you but still not old enough to be called elderly)..but the fact of the matter is-IT DOES HAPPEN. And stop being bitchy-you sound like you have pms. :hmm:

HE'S the on that sounds PMS-ish? ...

well i guess i can see how he's going off, and you're so calm.

Kevster

03-18-2004, 03:44 PM

Originally posted by eSDeeLoco

Whatever. I'm gonna guess that they used to call you Nurse Ratchet :hihi:

Or "Hotlips" from M.A.S.H.? :heh:

LPMiller

03-18-2004, 03:59 PM

Originally posted by DankNstickY

HE'S the on that sounds PMS-ish? ...

well i guess i can see how he's going off, and you're so calm.

Ok, the thread is about Pink. Really no point in it being about anything else.

***good vibes, Pinkgirl***

Pinkgirl36

03-18-2004, 05:40 PM

Originally posted by ray

Ducks! It's too bad Paul Kariya (my favorite hockey player) had to leave the Ducks. I really wanted to see him play :-/

Good luck tomorrow! Everything will be fine :)

See ya real soon ;) Petr Sykora is my favorite and whenever they say Niedermayer I think of animal house and laugh...

But anyways, I talked to one of the guys at work who did MRI stuff in the Army and is taking classes now, he tried to convince me not to worry. Still cried. Still nervous. Just want tomorrow to be over and the ducks to win.

molecularfire

03-18-2004, 06:54 PM

I know it's easier said than done but try to relax. There is no point in worrying about the results of the MRI until you get them back. Heck, most likely they're just running the MRI to rule out a bunch of stuff that they don't think you have anyways. If you're worried about the MRI itself, yeah it's annoying. You have to lie perfectly still for a while but come on... you're a girl. You should be used to that. :P Seriously though, unless you're claustrophobic, MRI's aren't as bad as people think they are. It's annoying, but very tolerable. If you are claustrophobic, just tell them to give you something to relax you a little (ex: ativan). The important thing is just don't psyche yourself out and make it worse than it has to be. Here's what helps me when I have to face something that I'm worried about. I think that there are thousands or tens of thousands of people who get MRI's every year. If those weak idiots can get through it, why the heck can't I. :) Good luck tomorrow.

03-18-2004, 07:13 PM

Take it easy pinky. No need to worry until you have something real to worry about. There's lots of reasons for what's going on - most of them nothing more than annoyances that'll go away.

We're all sending good vibes your way. Keep us posted.

-OC

Pinkgirl36

03-19-2004, 04:00 PM

Well, I went and got it done, didn't have to take out my nose piercing.
I cried when they first put me in so they brought me back out for a bit.
Then I just closed my eyes for the hour plus I was in there...

I think I may have fell asleep a little bit, who knows...
But let me tell you this I would rather go on this....

http://www-scf.usc.edu/~piracha/Pictures/X-treme.jpg

Then EVER have to go in this again

http://www.aiic-pr.com/images/mri.jpg

Grubbie

03-19-2004, 06:01 PM

How was it that bad pinky? You just had to lie down and relax for an hour? Im not trying to be mean, but why was it so bad?

The Happy Squirrel

03-19-2004, 09:23 PM

well i have had several in my time

this was years ago thougeveryone is pretty dead on
very noisy
lay still

<except for me who is very claustrophobic, and allergic to the dye they used for contrast> but other then that everything worked out great.>

i do have a brain after all and the tumors are not getting any bigger.

Jcranmer

03-20-2004, 12:09 PM

Originally posted by Pinkgirl36
[B]Well, I went and got it done, didn't have to take out my nose piercing.

Wow I can't imagine they let you anywhere near the room with the MRI machine with your nose piercing in place. I have just recently done some pierceing and am considering picking up some "emergency" acrilic <sp?> jewerly just in case.

Pinkgirl36

03-23-2004, 09:19 PM

And I have a brain!!!!

WOO HOO! Sometimes just forget how to use it!!

But other then that I'm good. Nothing too abnormal about me!

SO my dr just thinks it's really bad migraines and he gave me some stuff to take don't like it. Made the head stop hurting but really tightened the muscles in my neck and face and hurt.

And I need to re-take my blood tests tomorrow cuz the place lost my stuff....

So other then that I'm good and thanks everyone for all the well wishes and such and yay! I have a brain!!