anyone had an mri scan?

Art_2

code-a-holic wrote:

Wow thats a quick appointment! Im still waiting, 3 years and 4 mths so far!!!

That's ridiculous length of time to have to wait!

I think appointments are quicker if ordered by a consultant than by a GP. I once had an MRI ordered by my GP and it took 8 months. I eventually complained to the chief exec of my Primary Care Trust with a copy to my MP and that got things happening. maybe you should try this.

Regards,
Art.

Need_More_Money_2

code-a-holic wrote:

Wow thats a quick appointment! Im still waiting, 3 years and 4 mths so far!!!

Have you checked that you are definitely on the waiting list?

whistler-alison

I cut my thumb on a tin of corn beef many years ago. After my MRI last year the scar was quite sore and sensitive - I must have a minute piece of metal in there which had moved around. When I filled out the questionnaire prior to the MRI it didn't occur to me to mention the corn beef tin incident and after it took me a day or so to fall in about why my thumb was sore (at least this is my theory - it is the only thing I could think of which happened at the same time it got sore). So if that can be sore then I would hate to think what it could do for piercings :eek: However, saying that, I also forgot to take my necklace off. I removed it and the nurse waived it around the outside of scanner and said it would have been OK - if it had been magnetic it would have been caught up in the magnetic field. But obviously they cannot wave you around the scanner!

coolio_2

You will have to take the piercings out. They won't even allow you to wear an underwired bra

beechescomposter

Hi Pumpa and readers,

You will be asked about metal splinters, piercings, surgical clips and implants and other bits of metal for several reasons. Metal splinters matter if they are in the eye or other vital area where movement in the strong magnet might cause damage. This is only true for ferromagnetic structures but it is difficult to know whether a splinter is say copper or steel so it is usual to play it safe. Clips and coils used in brain surgery are now MRI safe but older ones may not be.
Older metal heart valves would jam in a strong magnet but newer ones are OK and there is a registry of which valves are safe.
Pacemakers are a no-no for several reasons: a current is induced in the wire which the pacemaker thinks is from the heart therefore suppressing the pacemaker; the radio waves can reprogram the pacemaker and the magnet can switch the pacemaker off or alter its mode.
Big bits of metal near the area of interest distort the image. This is a problem in people with previous back surgery. Fillings are not ferromagnetic so are not much of a problem. Jewelry and piercings would be OK if gold or silver but MRI radiographers tend to play safe and ask for them to be removed. Recent surgical implants may move in the magnet but after 6 weeks become surrounded by scar and are safe. If a piercing has become "welded" in it will jiggle about but is unlikely to be ripped out. Shunts in the brain are sometimes programed with a magnet so MRI will alter the settings. Because its complicated and the consequence potentially fatal so radiographers are told to stick to the rules- One cannot assume a metal is not ferromagnetic. UK copper coins use to be non-ferromagnetic but now are because the copper is a covering on a steel core- a lot of jewelry is like this too.
Hope this helps- those pictures are great but unfortunately people have been killed by flying gas cylinders and other bits of metal in the scanner room.

beechescomposter

code-a-holic wrote: »

Wow thats a quick appointment! Im still waiting, 3 years and 4 mths so far!!!

Something wrong here! No-one waits this long for a scan (even in Wales). You have almost certainly not been put on a list or you have been taken off because you missed your appointment-did you move house?

Presumably your original problem has got better and at least you can be pleased that it wasn't a fatal condition after waiting over 3 years. In most places the NHS waiting list is a few weeks and for a modest cost you can get a scan done privately with companies such as https://www.uk-radiology.co.uk who have undercut the big players. There is no reason to wait months or pay huge fees any more.

Robothell

Fillings are safe as not iron based (ferro-magnetic). Piercings will likely have to be removed but why cut the skin when you can just cut the metal?

Uniscots97

I'mcomingbackasaman wrote: »

I'm due to have an MRI scan of my hip in April and I've been told by the hospital I will have an injection first :eek: Has anyone had this experience so they can forewarn me of the procedure please?

Yes, I've had this. They inject dye during a 'live' x-ray (they give you local anaesthetic first). Its very uncomfortable and cold. Once you've had that done you go for the mri. They warned me to make sure I hadn't eaten in the 3-4 hours previous to getting this done. To begin with it'll feel like you've got ice flowing through you. Not a nice feeling but it passes and bu the time I'd been in the mri for about 20 minutes I felt ok. But I was sick afterwards. They advise a light plain meal afterwards. Make sure where they inject the dye you keep clean and covered for a few days till it heals. In some people some of the dye comes back out of the injection site and its like stringy plastic. Not pleasant.

I spoke to them about body piercings etc and I was allowed to keep mine in as mine really can't be removed. Talk to the hospital they'll be able to advise you. I was asked about fillings (yes I have a few) and they said as I had fillings these might make me feel sick. My experiences are probably more extreme than most as I had one mri in the morning then the dye injection and another mri in the afternoon. Not advisable.