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]

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@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 🙂

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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..........😘

[alexandermtth]

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.

[ol-747896]

Hello!

I faced same problem after MRI. I know it happened to you 3 years ago, but please, if you could answer. How soon weakness and other side effects wear off in your case? 

[ol-747896]

Faint_Star, hello!

Hope this letter finds you in goid health.

A month ago I did MRI without contrast. Ever since weakness, fatigue and malaise every say ongoing. I want to hear from you, to see if you recuperated in fully. Here doctors never earn about side effects on MRI, its a crime indeed!

[faint_star]

Hi there @ol-747896

Thank you for wishing me good health and yes, my blessings are countless.

The malaise lasted about 5 days and it was definitely present. There was also a feeling l had been whacked on the head.

I am surpised your symptoms have persisted. Have you approached your GP?

As for some of the incorrect attributions about my OP in this thread, a quick list of errata:

- I am not presenting old science that has now been updated (though my neuroscience undegrad degree is way outdated now hehe). I am not putting forth any hard science, actually, just anecdotal evidence which may, one day, accrue to become something worth investigating.

- I am just saying what l have experienced, which was all true.

- MRIs do pick up blood (hence may affect blood flow - my tentative theory), but blood flows, so it's just visible as a shading rather than individual blood cells

- I am not saying don't have an MRI - l've had at least one since then in 2022 (admittedly l fell gravely ill when l got home and ended up with a body temp of around 42C which seems impossible but l was a relatively cool 40C when the paramedics got to me - but l don't attribute that to the MRI, was in hospital for 5 days from it, it was something else entirely). Actually l think l also had another one after that, no problemo.

- I think what l'd like to convey is: MRIs are expensive to the NHS, so l try to avoid them unless necessary, plus they might come with an as-yet unclassified side-effect as per my OP.

So, what do l think went wrong? Here are some possibilities though l remember very little about the event:

- Maybe there was a bracket pushing into my head? I can't recall if there was

- Maybe the brain's dura mater was affected somehow

I'll check my PM now.

[faint_star]

(the MRI in the OP was speculative, not after a diagnosis, it was investigating my tinnitus, which in hindsight was unnecessary, a schwannoma was never suspected, so l regret having this expensive procedure purely for curiosity as it left me debilitated for about 5 days during which l wasn't sure it'd ever end)

[alexandermtth]

Correlation is not causation.

When umbrella sales increase, street ice cream sales decrease, but one does not cause the other.

[bits_n_bobs_heaven]

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@welshcobmaniac wrote:

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.

---

I totally agree and neither is this my experience of numerous MRI scans either. All of my MRI scans have been essential and I've yet to suffer any side effects. However, as suggested, it's possible that what you perceive to be side effects of your recent MRI OP, is actually caused by something different medically and should be investigated at the earliet opportunity 😊

[faint_star]

I'm happy to leave it there. I was interested to know if anyone else had experienced similar, and l had a login to this place hence l asked here but really it's not a huge community. At the time of the event there was terrible panic as l had turned into a quivering mess overnight.

Re-reading my OP it does sound explicitly anti-MRI doesn't it.

I've had uneventful MRIs before and since then.

Curiously, after the event in question, l felt my skull click whilst applying shower gel to my scalp. I think it might have been concussion. There aren't as many pain receptors on the scalp so l may have hurt myself more than l realised getting in / out of the machine. Or there may have been some as yet unknown interaction.

I do have a couple of weak areas in my skull, particularly from severely cracking it against an open kitchen cupboard door when crouching to fetch something underneath it then standing up and giving myself a sharp blow. It was so intense that l immediately crouched down into a sort of foetal position for about a minute.

I think it will forever remain unknown what went wrong but it was right after the MRI, didn't happen before nore since, not even for further MRIs and yes l had another 2. I have only just re-read the OP (believe it or not) and l must have been quite spooked but seriously: do have an MRI if your GP says so. In my case, it was just offered to give me peace of mind, so it was unnecessary on that one occasion.

As a spin-off - and l don't really want to spread the debate - l personally think the NHS should be more cost-effective, MRIs are probably a huge drain, as is the circa 500 grammes of re-iterated paperwork l once received for an ENT x-ray, which again, was probably unnecessary in itself (long story but l wanted a simple procedure and they wouldn't cover it, so they said have an x-ray, but l just wanted the procedure regardless of the x-ray as l was having discomfort but they wouldn't cover it for discomfort, so x-ray was pointless really, but l went along with it speculatively, just in case something else might show).

With 1 in 2 people now doomed to a cancer diagnosis in their lifetimes, and pharmaceuticals being expensive, l don't see a way forward, except the other extreme - from permitting excess speculative scans, to not permitting any scans until a person is at late stage illness and blatantly unwell. I guess one way forward is to make some pharmaceuticals free, e.g. for the big killers anticancer, cardio drugs, and also alzheimers drugs, especially as the industry is government (i.e. public) funded at the drug discovery stage.

I hope to end the thread there now. Don't be put off having an MRI scan, ever - l think my OP should be on the same level as being wary about aspirin or ibuprofen, the latter gave me a recent bad experience too, an ulcer lasting a few days. If it applies to you, it applies, if it doesn't, it doesn't. I did wonder if it applied to anyone else but evidently only 1 other person picked up on it and that was years later. Soooo l'll leave it there. Like l said, l've had MRIs before and since, no problem.