MRI Scan

Sliver said:
If you think my psychiatrist is my doctor, then crack on Billy Bob !
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hi there, i am a final year radiography student, the year i spent 2 weeks in mri on rotational andin two weeks of scanning from 8 am till 5 pm i only witnessed one person panic, just chill its not that bad but it is noisy:p. with the contrast used in mri scans it is very rare to have a reaction if you google gadolinium contrast reaction you can find out-its really rare and usually mild if it does happen, it could well be they dont use it anyway-a lot of scans dont need it. As far as metal in your body is concerned, basically big lumps, like rods and screws in bone are ok, but can warm up, but the real problem is bits of metal in your eyes, fromwelding, grinding etc.
sorry mate but all psychiatrist's are doctors (its a protected title) but psychologists do not legally have to be medically trained.
 
niko said:
hi there, i am a final year radiography student, the year i spent 2 weeks in mri on rotational andin two weeks of scanning from 8 am till 5 pm i only witnessed one person panic, just chill its not that bad but it is noisy:p. with the contrast used in mri scans it is very rare to have a reaction if you google gadolinium contrast reaction you can find out-its really rare and usually mild if it does happen, it could well be they dont use it anyway-a lot of scans dont need it. As far as metal in your body is concerned, basically big lumps, like rods and screws in bone are ok, but can warm up, but the real problem is bits of metal in your eyes, fromwelding, grinding etc.
sorry mate but all psychiatrist's are doctors (its a protected title) but psychologists do not legally have to be medically trained.
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Thanks. I know psychiatrists are doctors, I'm not stupid. The thing I'm saying is my GP had nothing to do with my referral, but the odd person seems to have picked up on that for some reason. Very boring.
 
Had one yesterday - have had 3 in total.

They are fine if you don't need the contrast dye - if you need this, they have to put a needle in your arm for the whole thing. Not my idea of fun.
 
Sliver said:
My psychiatrist referred me. I understand that he will get the results but I was wondering if I would be told on the day by the MRI staff.
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The results would usually be passed to whoever referred you, not directly to you at all. I doubt if the MRI staff are authorised to give you their interpretation of the results.

The MRI itself is cramped and noisy and might take half an hour, but it's not horrible. You'll have headphones and can listen to music for parts of it. You're also in communication with the MRI staff (they'll tell you to do things like hold your breath for a little while, stuff that's needed for the scanning) and you'll have a panic button. I was suprised by the amount of noise - you actually need the headphones for ear protection. If you hear loud banging, don't worry. It might sound like the machinery is broken, but it's normal. I also found it quite cold by the end of the scan. There was a slight draft running through the machine, which made it feel less enclosed but was a little chilly. There was probably some cooling effect from the superconductors, since they have to be very cold. Not something I'd do for fun, but not horrible.
 
Been in for 2 on my knee a few years ago when i tore my ACL, they never gave me headphones and set my knee up awfully and i was clenching my whole body in pain by the end, so make sure you are comfrotable before they set you away.
I just focused on the timer on the machine above my head and listened to the noises and zoned out really...
 
Narj said:
I've had several, the last one being about 40 mins with contrast dye.
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Ewww I hated that, the contrast dye. It was an MRI scan for my eyes (one of them dead). The dye went in via an injection, but instead of the needle going into my vein, it ran ALONG the vein, about 2 inches worth of needle. It stayed in there for the entire MRI scan, all 90 minutes of it. You had to keep really still. This was back in 1990 though, so is it still like that now? I would never want to do that again.
 
Same as a few here I've had loads. Always nod off, which is a nightmare for the breathing / holding breath ones.

It's no stress. 30 minutes in and out, but some can take up to an hour.

Results are usually a few days.

EDIT : Contrast dye makes me super, super nauseous and feel absolutely awful. Can happen to some, but it's not common.

Double EDIT : The 'needle' everyone is referring to is just a cannula, and it's really no stress at all. Bit of a scratch going in and after that you don't really notice. Contrast dye / saline just feels a little cold.

Triple EDIT :
adolf hamster said:
Depends on where your getting scanned and how much, took me grandad up for a brain scan a few months back took literally 5 minutes.
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Pretty sure that was a CT scan, not an MRI.
 
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Sliver said:
What sort of instances is this contrast dye used for. Sounds bad. :(
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It's really no stress, at all. Even though it makes me feel sick I don't worry about it, and I've had plenty.

It's just a little cannula in the arm, and a cold sensation. Reactions (as stated by someone in the industry above!) are super rare and even then not bad.

MRI is probably one of the easiest and most chilled things you can have done :)
 
I have had two MRI's on my back previously.

Like others have mentioned, no big deal, just some loud banging. Although don't wear too many layers cause you might starting feeling warm from the inside out when you are in there. I got quite sweaty, but thankfully there was cool air wafting onto my head.

Also, as someone else mentioned, well worth paying the £20 to get the images on cd. I have both of mine and it is very interesting to see.

As for the other thing, it is quite odd for a psychiatrist to order a scan, but either way, it is highly unlikely you will get any results on the day. If it is being done privately, then I would expect you will be given the images for you to get examined elsewhere. If done on the NHS, then they should be able to send the results directly to whoever referred you, and they would also usually send a copy to your GP.
 
OCPete said:
Definitely claustrophobic!

Its rather unpleasant being stuck head first in a small tube with so little room in front of your face and no easy way to get out. :(

My advice is just keep your eye's closed throughout and listen to the music they provide.
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Had that this week 2 minutes in got moved to the larger people sized one much better :D
 
i've had so many MRI scans, you'll get some headphones sometimes get to choose your music depends what they have ofc. but it's pretty simple and straight forward. lie there and chill out! nothing to worry about.
 
Gustov said:
Had one yesterday - have had 3 in total.

They are fine if you don't need the contrast dye - if you need this, they have to put a needle in your arm for the whole thing. Not my idea of fun.
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It's a non event. I hate needles but it's painless and you don't really have to keep your arm dead still (so relax!) as the tiny tube in your vein is flexible. It's the psychological part that feels a bit icky more than the thing itself. I've had it twice.

I just look away and think of something else while they are putting it in. They do this all the time so are generally very good at it. Just a sharp scratch and you're done.
 
Had a fair few on head, neck & spine with a couple of knee scans many moons ago.
Gotten used to going head first into the scanner. Its a lot easier on head scans if they fit the mirror to the cage(right word?) that surrounds your head. Means you can see your feet/outside etc.
Only had 1 contrast scan, didn't feel any side effects from it.
 
WantoN said:
It's really no stress, at all. Even though it makes me feel sick I don't worry about it, and I've had plenty.

It's just a little cannula in the arm, and a cold sensation. Reactions (as stated by someone in the industry above!) are super rare and even then not bad.

MRI is probably one of the easiest and most chilled things you can have done :)
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Thanks. I'm feeling ok about the whole thing after talking with people who've had it done. I'll post back here after it's all over and tell you all how it went.
 
Skull said:
I've had a couple of MRIs. Both times I fell asleep!
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I've had 3 PET scans, tried to keep still as possible on the first and nodded off during the other 2. The machine was in a trailer and all you could hear were fans and air moving quickly, quite relaxing like being driven!
 
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