Warning about MRI scans

[faint_star]

Hello. I'd like to urge caution with MRI scans. Hindsight gives 20/20 wisdom, so this is what I think in hindsight:

- The human body just isn't meant to be in such strong magnetic fields. It is not built to counter it.

- The strong magnetic fields may be messing with trace heavy metals in the body, causing them to concentrate and thus become dangerous in some areas

- I personally wonder if blood cells (they contain iron) might be affected by the strong fields, i.e. causing them to concentrate in waves, and maybe even causing blood capillaries to shift.

I say this because I'm experiencing after effects of dizziness, fatigue, nausea. The fatigue occurred the next day, i felt an overwhelming urge to sleep, same again on day 2 after the scan.

I'm intermittently feeling nauseous, dizzy, and feeling very "dry" in my brain. No firm idea of when this will subside, if at all.

I only had the scan to be sure there wasn't a problem, it wasn't forced on me. However, I wasn't warned this could happen. I'm not trying to point fingers and accuse anybody. All I'm going to say is: google about fatigue after MRI scan. The phenomenon (and several other phenomena) is well documented by patients, but we aren't warned about it.

Avoid if possible.

[thebestanswerforyourquery]

MRI scans are expensive, the machinery alone is expensive and I think MRI scans are only given if there seems to be "good cause".  You must have presented with symptoms and it was decided that a scan might show up a cause. Sadly, this negative result might show that your illness has another, yet undetected, cause. Please talk to your doctor; the fact there was nothing shown by the scan does not mean there is nothing wrong with your health. There might well be downsides with scans but the upsides are diagnoses which save lives through successful treatments. Best wishes.

[faint_star]

Hi there. Thank you for good sentiments. My point is: in hindsight, if I were given a choice, I would now decline.

I was given a choice, I wasn't told it was necessary.

The malaise I am now feeling is not really related to the malaise I wanted checked out. I am now feeling intermittently brain-fogged,  very fatigued, dizzy, nauseous, sleepy, not all at once, but separately, and intermittently. I can't really widen the debate beyond this.

[faint_star]

By the way, I intend to speak to my GP soon. However, for now, i hope you take this from my post: MRI is heavy going. By the way: I didn't use a contrast dye.

[welshcobmaniac]

1) We are surrounded by magnetic fields, they're not new to the human body.

2) Iron in the blood is in such small quantities that it could not be picked up in an MRI scanner. If it could, we wouldn't be using them, especially for non specific reasons like you appear to have done here.

3) I've had numerous MRI scans, 10-15 probably. All bar one on the head, with tracers, and one on the spine. Not a single one left me with any side effects. I don't know of anyone who has. That's not to say it won't have any but it's clearly extremely uncommon or it would be documented in the leaflet which accompanies the appointment letter. I believe you you're either in the extremely unlucky category, or what you're experiencing is unrelated to your scan and should be thoroughly investigated.

Best of luck and hope your symptoms improve.

[faint_star]

Hi there thanks for the encouragement. I'll respond point by point to the other things you wrote:

1. I wasn't speaking about all magnetic fields, i'll just re-quote myself: "... such strong magnetic fields."

2. Strong magnetic fields have been known to concentrate iron in blood, i cannot recall where i read it but it was a few moons ago, long before this matter cropped up. Iron in haemoglobin is 3.47mg per gram. Red blood cells constitute 35.5 - 44.9 % of blood for adult women, slightly more for adult men.

I wasn't talking about MRI detection of blood, nor was i even in the same ballpark. Nor was my conjecture axiomatic to the warning i'm trying to give, but i'm happy to discuss the ins and outs of what i said about iron, as it does interest me and directly relates to the core message: malaise following MRI so feel free to write back on this matter.

3. I respect that you have had good experience. Hence my warning: that it is not always good. If it were always bad, of course I wouldn't need to add my voice.

Further: Judging by your scans, i would say the matter was serious, and you were elected for the procedure by your consultant, because something specific had gone wrong and needed specific investigation.

As i have repeatedly said: my warning is about MRI when it's not made necessary by our consultant's say-so, but rather, as an option where we can take it or leave it.

I'll say it again: if it's not necessitated and i'm given an option, now, in hindisght, i would decline. The reason being the malaise that has ensued, and which many others have echoed in discussions online.

If I may be so bold I'd like to add: I wish consultants would warn us about casually opting for an MRI. Just a warning. I wasn't warned or anything.

[faint_star]

EDIT:

"2. Strong magnetic fields have been known to concentrate iron in blood, i cannot recall where i read it but it was a few moons ago, long before this matter cropped up."

EDIT: please take this with a pinch of salt as I haven't given a reference for it

[faint_star]

By the way, I can actually appreciate that you've not had any issues with such heavy use of MRI scans.

I'm actually glad to hear it now that i've stopped to think about what you wrote.

I really wish my reaction were rare. I guess we both want this type of reaction to MRI to be rare, so i can now appreciate why you said that.

Get well soon buddy.

[faint_star]

Probably a bit wrong to keep replying to my own remarks but I want to add that I've just spoken with my housemate, he's had 10 MRIs over 10 years, and he's never had ill effects.

Still, I think it's important for me to say that MRIs aren't to be taken lightly.

[faint_star]

Quick update: the terrible feelings subsided approximately 5 days after the MRI.

I strongly believe they were directly resulting from the MRI, especially because in the should l touched my skull and l felt a physical click, so the MRI did cause real life effects.

I am tempted to say it was because of the physical restraints within the MRI unit, around my skull, but l really don't think so. The feeling l felt the next day onward was one of extreme dryness, that's the only way l can describe it.

But it's over now, thankfully 🙂

[bits_n_bobs_heaven]

---

@faint_star wrote:

Quick update: the terrible feelings subsided approximately 5 days after the MRI.

I strongly believe they were directly resulting from the MRI, especially because in the should l touched my skull and l felt a physical click, so the MRI did cause real life effects.

I am tempted to say it was because of the physical restraints within the MRI unit, around my skull, but l really don't think so. The feeling l felt the next day onward was one of extreme dryness, that's the only way l can describe it.

But it's over now, thankfully 🙂

---

Thanks for the warning, but all my MRI's saved my life, which is why I am still here today and typing this message. I can assure you a little dryness for a few days, was the least of my worries..........😘

[alex.matthieu]

Hi. I know this topic is old, and hopefully, you're alright @faint_star. 

There is no side effect to MRI. There is no special cause you can have a side effect to the scan. What you assign to the MRI will not be to the MRI itself, at all. I appreciate it can be daunting to think of it, and hopefully, you haven't suffered any consequences due to your beliefs, and most importantly you haven't influenced others to refuse life-saving investigations. 

I've googled what you said, and medicine evolved if anyone reads those, please consider your doctor's advice. 

Have a read here:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551669/ 

[1902elder]

I cannot understand why anyone is even responding to this old thread, which has nothing to do with Ebay, and which contains unsubstantiated drivel.