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What to Expect if You Have an MRI
By Deb Bloom of Gimme One of Each
There are many reasons a person may have to have an MRI. You may have been experiencing dizziness or headaches, poor balance, loss of memory, back pain, abdominal or pelvic pain, or you may have experienced a recent spine or joint injury, had a stroke, have tingling in your feet or hands or have metastatic disease. Many times an MRI can rule out or diagnose certain disease processes that other tests cannot. Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI, is a noninvasive radiological exam that allows your physician to view your organs, blood vessels, muscles, joints, and other areas without the use of x-ray. An MRI is very safe and has no harmful side effects as there is no exposure to radiation. The MRI machine creates a magnetic field which sends radio waves through your body. The response is then measured with a computer. This creates an image of the inside of your body. There is no special preparation. You may eat normally and go about your daily routine the day of the exam. You can take any medication prescribed by your doctor unless otherwise directed. Your exam will last be between 30–60 minutes, during which time you will be asked to lie completely relaxed while the images are collected. Look at the pictures below of the head and neck of a patient. The first one is a typical x-ray. The x-ray clearly shows the contrast between soft tissue and bone density. The second image is an MRI image that shows a much better contrast between different kinds of soft issue. That is why it produces such detailed images of the brain and other tissues. Prior to the imaging, you will be asked a variety of questions related to your health, the problems you are having, any surgeries you have had and what implants you may have in your body such as pacemakers, IUD, surgical staples, shrapnel, bullets, etc. Make sure you are comfortable because you will need to remain still for the duration of the examination. Once the examination has begun, you will hear a knocking sound that represents changes in the magnetic field that are a normal part of the imaging process. Many people are apprehensive about having the MRI exam for many reasons. If you're in pain, it could be difficult to lay on the table for the required time. If you think you may be in pain, take some medication prior to your test. Noise produced by the strong magnets being turned on and off can bother some patients during the test. You can use ear plugs specially designed for the MRI's and some facilities allow music to be played and you can even bring your favorite CD. Claustrophobiacan sometimes be a problem for many patients during MRI. A mild tranquilizer is very effective in alleviating the anxiety of the test. There is no preparation for the exam, as mentioned before, but you have to make sure you tell the technologist doing the exam if you have ANY metal in your body, in your pockets or on your clothing. Patients with pacemakers or other implanted electronic devices cannot be examined. Remember, this is a MAGNETIC imaging exam and anything metal WILL be pulled inside the cylinder, possibly causing injury to the patient, tech staff. Please make sure you are honest with any and all metal objects in and on your body before having the exam. What a lot of people don't know, patients AND health care workers, is that the magnets in the MRI scanner are always on, so these precautions pertain to before, during and after the exam.
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Contributor's Note
Since I am an RN, I thought I would share some different simple procedures with everyone, let them know what it's all about and what to expect. It may relieve some of their anxiety.
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Typical x-ray image
MRI image
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Great intel, thank you for this. I had always assumed that it's a big scary machine and there is a risk like with X-rays.
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This intel was contributed by Morganna
Morganna
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May, 2012
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