MRI number one this morning

[cjsmith]

Los Gatos MRI is a very organized place. I never felt forgotten or lost. They told me what I needed to know just before I needed to know it. They even knew almost to the minute how long I'd be at the facility.

The MRI machine is a big smooth supermodern-looking thing. It belongs in a 1970s science fiction movie.

The medical technicians (is that the right title?) did a great job propping my leg in exactly the position they wanted. This would keep my foot not only at the desired angle, but allow me to relax completely enough that it would stay still. I was told they were taking 2-mm slices and I had to be very good at holding still. There were foam wedges, cushions, towel rolls, little pillows, and even a Velcro strap helping support my leg.

It's very hard to remain perfectly relaxed. It's even more difficult when the magnetic pounding begins and all the nerves respond. Anyone else who's had an MRI: have you experienced this? I can FEEL IT. It's very, very, very weird. Once I even got some surprisingly strong tingles from some of the nerves that we suspect are damaged.

mactavish, you asked about different sound after the contrast. I can't say, because every one they did sounded different. There was the WAAAA, WAAAAA, WAAAA, WAAAAA one, and the JIJIJIJI DADADADADA JIJIJIJI BOBOBOBOBO DADADADADA one, and the ONK ONK ONK ONK ONK one, and the MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM one (MMMMM was very nice, felt like a massage of every cell in my legs). Plus of course I was in major-senses-shutdown mode from having needle stuff done.

All in all they did maybe eight spurts ranging from thirty seconds to five minutes. I was in the machine about forty minutes. I was told I held still well. Good.

The doctor should have the results in three business days. By then I will have gone in for the other foot, which'll be Friday morning.

Comments

[lesliepear.livejournal.com]

Hope the MRI shows something useful. I had an MRI on my ankle. I don't remember the different noises but I remember thinking why is this machine so slow, shouldn't they get a faster processor - but they'd also given me headphones and a walkman to pass the time.

[hnybny.livejournal.com]

The virbrations from the machine will definitely evoke a response on sensitive nerves. The actual magnetic force generated by the machine is not felt of course but it makes you wonder.


Glad it went well!

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

Remote neural stimulation as in your MRI is an interesting topic. Dare we hope for an Orgasmotron soon? It would be so handy... some preliminary reports: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Living/story?id=235788&page=1. Note they were trying to relieve chronic pain!

[jb98.livejournal.com]

You did an excellent job describing the sounds. They are so weird! I have had 2 MRI's of my brain and I don't remember feeling anything except panic the first time and tranquilizer induced bliss the 2nd. The 2nd one kinda felt like I was lying inside a steel drum while it was being played.

[palecur.livejournal.com]

I had an MRI done on my lower back earlier this year, and I didn't feel anything from the scanning.

[sharya.livejournal.com]

Very interesting!

I hope the results show something helpful.

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

There was the WAAAA, WAAAAA, WAAAA, WAAAAA one, and the JIJIJIJI DADADADADA JIJIJIJI BOBOBOBOBO DADADADADA one, and the ONK ONK ONK ONK ONK one, and the MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM one

You should look for a job doing sound effects. ;-)

[just-cyd.livejournal.com]

i love your descriptions of the sounds and feel of the MRI. based on that alone, i can say i've never had one of these. CAT scans, yes, contrast, yes. those mostly whir.

i hope that good things come from these!

[hnybny.livejournal.com]

Oh the breathing LOL. During my MRI this month (all abdominal) I held my breath repeatedly. The tech would say "take in a breath and hold it...." and then "Okay, breathe." On one long episode the tech forgot to tell me I could breathe again. I can't imagine how long I held that one in but it was way longer than 48 seconds.

OK, so now I KNOW I'm not totally insane.

[allanh.livejournal.com]

THANK you for publishing this.

I was driving myself to distraction a few months ago when I got an MRI done on my sinuses, because I could swear I felt a tingling or tickling sensation as my head passed through the machine ... and the operator and doctors told me I could not possibly have felt anything.

But I felt it, goddammit. I KNOW I felt it.

And they insisted equally as forcefully that I couldn't have felt an MRI.

Argh.

But now I feel better knowing that someone else felt their MRI, too.

Thank you, and [gentle] hugs!

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

So I should have been more specific, but I didn't want to put the idea in your head, first.

For my first MRI, I was concentrating on the different sounds just to amuse myself during the long scan. After awhile, I realized I was hearing what sounded like hundreds of different cathedral bells, big ones, but distant, all a jingle, no melody, as part of the overall mechanical noise of the machine. I didn't know whether it was the earplugs filtering out all but that frequency, or what. During this scan, the radiologist said things like, "This one will be four minutes," or "this one will last three minutes, then be quiet for a moment, then there will be two minutes."

The next time, I listened for it intently, again just to entertain myself. But I heard nothing. This radiologist didn't give times, but asked, "You okay?" or announce, "The tray will move a little," or "We're about half done." At one point, he said, "Okay, we're injecting the contrast medium now," then a moment later, jingle jangle, there went the church bells, and they lasted through the rest of the scan.