MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Report
it was cool. I am happy to report that I am now a member of the MRI club. I only had an MRI of my head, so my experience will be different from many other peoples'.
Description:
Before going into the MRI room, I had an IV(intra-venous thing) put in to make it easier for the doctor to inject some 'contrast' later(so that the blood vessels show up better on the scan).
though I used to be creeped out by the idea of having a semi-permanent port put into my bloodstram, it turned out not to be so bad. the feeling when it is put in is just like getting a normal shot, but it lasts longer because not only does the doctor have to put a needle in, he/she also has to stuck a long, thin tube about an inch or longer into your bloodstream. the process is pretty painless besides a kind of stinging sensation for a second, though it feels a bit weird.
After the IV was inserted, it was time to go into the MRI room, the room with the giant machine in it that the MRI is done in. No metal objects are allowed in here-they would immideately get pulled into the machine like a duck into a jet engine.
in the MRI room, you lie down on a platform with earmuffs(like the ones used on the tarmac at airports, except all plastic) and a kind of weak clamp is used to stop most accidental head movement. the earmuffs are connected to a sound system by plastic tubes, allowing you to hear music and/or the doctor speaking to you. the platform, with you on it, is then slid into a big tubular hole in the machine.
in my case, the scan was broken down into 5 parts: two 4-minute scans, two 3-minute scans, and one 6-minute scan. between each section there was a short break in which the doctor checks on the results of the previous scan(to see if it has to be done again) and checked to see if I was ok. before the last, 3-minute section, the platform was slid out of the machine so that the odctor could inject some contrast dye in through the IV.
the best part of the scan was the sounds that the machine makes. they are different for each section of the scan, but always consist of repeating rhythms of hums and tones. the noises are very comfortable, though sometimes piercing, to listen to through the earmuffs. in fact, I fell asleep a couple of times during the scan.
here is a good page with lots of info on MRI scans(the pictures are very similar to the machine I was in) and samples of the sounds they make. The sounds sound much better from inside the machine, though, because it comes from all around you and the machine vibrates a little bit with the sound.
number 1 tip: keep still during the scan. if you don't, the whole section will have to be done over again. but if you really like the sounds and want to keep hearing them, I guess you could fidget a lot.
Description:
Before going into the MRI room, I had an IV(intra-venous thing) put in to make it easier for the doctor to inject some 'contrast' later(so that the blood vessels show up better on the scan).
though I used to be creeped out by the idea of having a semi-permanent port put into my bloodstram, it turned out not to be so bad. the feeling when it is put in is just like getting a normal shot, but it lasts longer because not only does the doctor have to put a needle in, he/she also has to stuck a long, thin tube about an inch or longer into your bloodstream. the process is pretty painless besides a kind of stinging sensation for a second, though it feels a bit weird.
After the IV was inserted, it was time to go into the MRI room, the room with the giant machine in it that the MRI is done in. No metal objects are allowed in here-they would immideately get pulled into the machine like a duck into a jet engine.
in the MRI room, you lie down on a platform with earmuffs(like the ones used on the tarmac at airports, except all plastic) and a kind of weak clamp is used to stop most accidental head movement. the earmuffs are connected to a sound system by plastic tubes, allowing you to hear music and/or the doctor speaking to you. the platform, with you on it, is then slid into a big tubular hole in the machine.
in my case, the scan was broken down into 5 parts: two 4-minute scans, two 3-minute scans, and one 6-minute scan. between each section there was a short break in which the doctor checks on the results of the previous scan(to see if it has to be done again) and checked to see if I was ok. before the last, 3-minute section, the platform was slid out of the machine so that the odctor could inject some contrast dye in through the IV.
the best part of the scan was the sounds that the machine makes. they are different for each section of the scan, but always consist of repeating rhythms of hums and tones. the noises are very comfortable, though sometimes piercing, to listen to through the earmuffs. in fact, I fell asleep a couple of times during the scan.
here is a good page with lots of info on MRI scans(the pictures are very similar to the machine I was in) and samples of the sounds they make. The sounds sound much better from inside the machine, though, because it comes from all around you and the machine vibrates a little bit with the sound.
number 1 tip: keep still during the scan. if you don't, the whole section will have to be done over again. but if you really like the sounds and want to keep hearing them, I guess you could fidget a lot.
posted by Jason (who else?) at 9:01 PM
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