MRI Scan

[chirpychirpy]

My brother has been told he may need an MRI Scan on his lower back, so he's gone into panic mode, bless him. He'd like to know what it involves, how long it takes, what sort of equipment is used, what does he wear, does he have to not eat before, etc. Can anyone answer these questions?

[albaqwerty]

It's completely painless, you lie on a stetcher type bed and are slid into a tube. The noise of the magnets is horrendous. Take some sort of gadget so you can listen to music. You are not allowed to move. You can alert the staff if you are uncomfortable at any time. Duration: probably 15 -30 minutes.
It's very boring :)

[kia cat]

Hi chirpy, these articles cover it
http://www.netdoctor....minations/mriscan.htm and http://en.wikipedia.o...tic_resonance_imaging
Get him to take some music along - he can't wear headphones though. I'm hoping he's not claustrophobic, the machine can be a bit noisy and unnerving. He may want to go for a visit beforehand, which may ally his fears or get a mild tranquillizer from his GP, that's what I did. Good luck

[boysinblue68]

When I had an MRI on my head, I was given headphones and music by the hospital, so that goes against one of the other replies. I can endorse two things though - it is completely painless and the noise is deafening, hence why you need the headphones. The staff will also ask you (via the headphones) if you are ok during the procedure. Good luck.

[rsvp]

have had a couple in the past year - completely claustrophobic so it could have been an issue as the tube you go in is small. Just got my head around it and dealt with it - it is completely painless and I didn't find the noises a problem - in fact I found them reassuring and tried to work out the pattern of noises which passed the time. Both took about twenty minutes. If you are really unable to go into the tube, some hospitals have 'open' mri scans which are a doddle - as it says, they are open and you can see out into the room via a mirror above your head. Honestly, if I can do it anyone can - I wore a hospital gown. The staff were brilliant and very aware of peoples' fears - you also have a panic button should you need it. The big thing is to lie still. Hope this helps

[chirpychirpy]

thanks. what he now wants to know is: can he keep his boxers on?!

[albaqwerty]

Yes :)

Gotta love your brother...

[jackthehat]

Yes, he can.
If he has any 'metal' in his body, though, he'll need to let them know.

[LoftyLottie]

Most hospitals give you a choice of taped music and provide you with headphones to deaden the noise. It is painless and nothing to worry about. A bit claustrophic. He will be well looked after and reassured.

[LoftyLottie]

And I confirm that the staff will talk to you through the headphones to reassure you and update you on what they are doing. It's a doddle. The worse thing was the first lot of music they put on for me - wailing women like Leonna Lewis. I asked them to change the tape to something soothing and they did!!!

[gingejbee]

I've had two- several years apart, on my lower back. The first was in the rather claustrophobic "tube-type", the second in in a newer "doughnut-shaped" scanner - where you are slid in sideways. Both very noisy, no food restrictions and the only thing I took off was my belt.

[LoftyLottie]

I had to take my bra off in case the underwires were metal. I don't that will effect chirpychirp's brother though.

[Euphemia]

Perhaps not!

[askyourgran]

I couldn't get my head around not wearing anything metal. Last week went for my check up on my hip replacement which is metal. I had to take off my trousers because of the metal zip and wear a gown for the x-ray!

[gingejbee]

Different reasons for not wearing metal during MRI and X-ray.
Metals show up on X-ray images and may confuse/obscure the picture.
Ferro-magnetic metals would be strongly affected by the extremely strong magnetic fields generated by MRI and could be a serious safety hazard.