MRI BURNS AND EF SIDE EFFECTS

HI

?I have had an mri and it was late in the day. I was told at the time they could not do the hip and would do my back mri. I did arrive early some 25 min ,I was rushed into the bobile init 35 min after my appointment time (4:40pm They made it clear they were short of time as they were finnished soon for the day.

? The mobile unit was operated by  NHS contractors. I was not pre assessed properly and was placed into the machine although due to the hassle I also was not focussing on any other issue than having the test done. Now I wish I did not have the test.

I did activate the emergency button and requested my metal /ring be remove to find they were angry I had stopped the machine. It restarted and when completed I tried to come out . It was at that point I fely very ill and dizzy with severe pains in my head . I found myself very unsteady but the operator did not care at all. As I got to my car I had a drink of water and at that point I realised that my metal bridge plate was still in my mouth. I was shocked and very angry. Due to the rush in getting me through the test, the operator never checked or asked me about metal teeth plate and during that point of rushing to get the test done I was annoyed that they had refused to carry out the test as it was the end of their day and they were not pleased .

My head all over was painful, my jaw was in fire and my eyes /sockets were seriously sore as if they where being forced out. My rear head as it is today very painful and my neck feels strained.

It is now 4 weeks plus and every day I have head pain and really struggle to get on with basic issues at home or just go for a walk. I have tried many options incuding morohine, gabapentine , co codamol , heat on the neck, ice packs , showers and sauna no change just PAIN . The hospital and local doctors are not of any use and dont understand the side effect, hence their reply MRI are safe!!

?I am in agreement in some way of the benifits of an MRI but where the safety list is not done properly by two NHS  staff is were my problem eminates from.

?I have had a meeting with the senior members of the department lasting 1 and 1/2 hours and although they agree it should not have happened they are continuing with their investigation. It seems to me the error and neglect is down to the nhs and the nhs contractor operating the mobile mri unit. I am now angry that this management team are unwilling to get a specialist in neurology to see me asap, no they sent me back to my doctor?

I am at a loss dealing with doctors, management and the A&E department who are also lost as they have minimal experience with this,

?I went to A&E and they just checked me for as head injury, no blood test checked ,no referral of any kind and simply gave me a leaflet on head injuries and told just take a pain releif pill or two . Seriously a lack of knowledge and and what now appears to be an intent not to see the patient as priority. I was then told by radiooligy to go back to my doctor ( who does not no what to do) and get a referral to neurology. > Surely the hospital could have handled this as they caused it, but no they want me to go onto the roundabout again and wait for up to 14 weeks to see another department. During that time I will have each day in pain.

 

I too had adverse reactions to MRI of the brain. I also had similar backgrounds as many who have experienced Burning rashes and blisters. I am sensitive to the sun and ultraviolet light as many had noted and I also have autoimmune issues. My only addition would be that I had previously had a a painful rash but it was almost healed. After the MRI it not only returned but it became much worse. People often said it looked like I have been burned in the skin was hard and it has been ve people often said it looked like I had been badly burned and the skin was hard and it has been burned. The pain was most unbearable. It lasted at its highest intensity for about 18 months but skin is still a little rashy and always burns slightly.

I also have extreme mold allergies and I wondered if anyone else that this has happened to have hypersensitive to molds. There is some research connecting strong EMF with mold growth.

Hi

​I cant thank you enough for taking the time to reply. I though as time passed and that I had read your story no one would be interested in mine. It is now 60 days and the pain when I get out of bed is so bad I am unable to do basic house cleaning let alone take my two dogs out or in my case paly any golf.

​I am at a loss and angry at the nhs and they are hiding and not helpful in this matter. As I stated in my first review I was very active, and played golf as well as being a keen gardener. Since the errors made by the radioologist ( contractor ) at the mobile mri scanner I have read many stories on the effects of metal or metals in or around the body. The metal and MrI dont mix I was told my a professor in medical investigations. The issue for me is a life changing matter and all I get back is just take pain killers . I await in time a neurologist examination and have been advised I am on the cancellation list to be seen quicker. I wonder if you and other have had any test done for the blood could be effected with the neg and positve reaction withing the machine.

According to sources the images are beteer but some reports say the balance between normal blood in your system could be effected therefore causing the brain and spine to react causing dissiness , sore head and in my case with the dental ( metal ) plate in place a serious overheating in my head. My eyes and jaw are the most painful and still are as the upper dental plate was in that zone. The overall issue for me is negligence by the contractor and the weak system of assessment pre entry to these machines. The machine in my case was not the problem it was the people who failed to assess and check the job they do every day of their working life, and my matter was handled by careless MRI operators.

​I have never had a sore head before other that a cold ot a hangover on ocassions .

My hospital have replied stating the will ensure staff are made aware of the issue and safety checks that are supossed to be done follow the correct procedures.

​In addition they said that they will improve on their procedures and retrain staff. !!! seriously that was the reply and nothing from that to urgently help me with the pain.

​Whe your issue of ill health statred after the MRI was there any reason or was there an issue like mine . Did you have any form of metal left in your body , or makeup, earing and or items on you metal based.?

​I am based in Scotland and dealing with the NHS is like trying to get a sensible reply from a stone .

​Is there any others in this forum that have similar problems I would be happy to hear from them Including the experts in MRI and radioology ,  METAL and MRI dont mix . There abre many people througout forums expressing side effects , and I suppose there is where an exact pre entry wuestion sheet is vital. However I see the question sheet mainy aims at implants and previous surgery , with a slant or limited thought to indepth pre assessment of  a patient. The problem is that the questions are limited to on the day and focuss on the images dont get distorted and not how it effects each patient .I found myseld in a situation were the contractor did not ask nor did they check that all metal and add ons were removed and in my case they were in a hurry and frusterred . I am now putting my case forward to the ombudsman and in time if I consider it to a lawyer .

​My only other point is that the hospital and there mistakes were compounded by not taking due care at the time and not acting properly  when I reported to them I felt very ill coming out of the MRI unit. NO ONE was willing to help or assess the matter . 

Hi I agree Julie I replied earlier but please read additional comments .

?Poor pre assessment of patient is the main issue . Too many professional try to help with medical problems but sadly they dont understand the machine and performance needs of the machine and more imprtantly the staff using the machine.

?Health issue in general are not a factor in the assessment it is the actual problem you have they are trying to sort out .Therfore in may cases like the system does not take into account your whole medical record and that may be the issue . Doctors , physio and other experts refer you but it seems to be clear the overall condition of the patient is not considered , well there is no evidence of that .

?Doctors, and other professional look amazed when you tell them you are suffering as they to just like me and you are ignorant to the possible problems . MRI operators have in my case refused to undertake the same test. MMMM if it is a safe as thety say why not?

?Radioologist are key to a safe entry, in my case they were at fault  by not conducting a proper pre assessment.

?Too many loop holes and no where to go to when your burning ,,,,just take pain killers . that's what I was told to do. PS I had a previous MRI with good proceures in place re metal and other metal items , and I was fine , The latest test was a nightmare bad contractors in a mobile mri unit caused my problem .

?frank

Hi everyone,

I had 2 MRIs separately, one of my brain, and the other of my neck.

I'm one of the people that asked in advance what to expect, what to avoid, etc. I was absolutely terrified. I did some research, And then started asking around workplace, friends, and then started asking around workplace, friends, and I started noticing a pattern. It all depends. It's a pens on how long you're in there, it's a pens on whether or not you cross your arms hands or touch your knees together, or cross your ankles legs etc.

It's so important to be as still as possible, and even take a Valium or Xanax we're out of van to try to calm your nerves. But don't fall asleep.

More importantly it's a pens on the machine itself, which of course is hard to predict because if you call up there and they'll say oh sure it's safe. There was one lady I met at work, who said that she had burning sensations for almost a year that finally went away after she had an MRI of her shoulder, which apparently is one of the most dangerous them rise to take because you're so close to all the electrical machinery inside the magnet. She had another MRI done a couple years ago and had no problems and did it at a certain facility where they have A selection of MRIs. It seems that the older MRIs if in good condition, or actually safer such as the 1.5 Teslas. I decided to go with the exact same machine at Virginia Mason in Seattle and I had no problems except for feeling warm and then I started to get nervous and they told me was just two more minutes. The warmness disappeared within about 10 minutes after getting out of the machine. Part of me wonders if my am are I have not been a shorter time length, and I had stayed in there longer, the possibly warming was a symptom of what might happen next if I stayed in there longer, I don't know. It seems like every patient's body is different and response differently, but after my research, I'm still very convinced that the main factors are The actual strength of the machine (old versus new Tesla ) especially the strength of the EMFs for the radio frequency strength that creates electrical burn potential, how well they've taken care of that machine, and the final factor of making sure that no part of your skin ever touches any part of the machine ever, except for your back or how you're laying down on it,the part where you lay down on seems safe. Just ask for extra pillows, sponges, towels, blankets etc. and if they refuse to do that tell them you can't go through with this. Because those cloth items will protect you a lot. It's also more comfortable and even if you actually move your elbow you don't have to worry about your skin touching the side of the machine.

However I asked for extra pillows and sponges to surrounds the entire length of both sides of my body and I wore socks, and was naked underneath except for the gown. The other lady I talk to you went to a higher powered MRI a new were one, and that's the one where she had the burning sensations. I learned that that it's not so much the magnets that can cause health problems, although they affect the molecular structures in our bodies temporarily, it's the radio frequency E missions they can cause electrical burns. The higher the strength of the radio frequencies the more dangerous the MRI machine becomes to you. No, I am not an expert, but I know more than the average person now. I did my homework.

I also decided to get really creative and I started calling other cities in United States found hospital MRI centers, and simply asked to speak to the technician manager, somewhere more open than others. I called seven and three of the managers admitted that yes it is possible to get Burns, but that it's uncommon, but it's a pens on precautions taken and the type of machine. I did everything that she recommended.

I strongly suggest that even though it's not usual thing to do, take some time off work, or find out if an MRI center is open on weekends, and go in there and pretend like you're waiting for a friend that is a patient or that you drive private taxi and you were called to this location to way so you don't know their name if they ask, and just sit there and wait and if you can get a chance to quickly ask people coming out did you have any problems taking the MRI? Did it hurt? You be amazed at the number of people that will give you an honest and brave response. If you go to a facility where there don't seem to be any complaints, and schedule an MRI on that particular machine.

Any MRI tech who says that's impossible, hasn't done a simple Google search on their own job requirements. You can Google MRI safety basics, and see what they actually give to MRI techs to educate them, and it clearly states everywhere the patients Can and will get some type of electrical burns possibly if precautions are not taken.

I felt more comfortable my second time in the same exact MRI machine, because I felt like I already knew that machine and I knew I was not gonna be in there for more than about 20 minutes at the most.

I think timing has a lot to do with your risk level as well. I think it's better to multiple MRIs on different days for shorter time periods, than to try to cram let's say three different ones on the whole spine in one day. I hope this helps somebody.

MRI BURN INJURY

I sustained a burn injury during a routine MRI procedure November, 2016. The incident occurred on a 3Tesla MRI machine during a CSpine/Thoracic scan. I was positioned lying on my back and entered head first. There was no padding used during the study but no part of my body touched the walls of the machine. My hands came together just below my sternum in a typical ‘praying’ position so my arms rested on my upper abdomen as opposed to down by my sides. About 10 minutes into the 2nd procedure (thoracic) I started to feel a sort of prickly vibrating heat hitting my skin. It felt like a kind of rippling wave and I started to feel quite warm. It even seemed to vibrate my T-shirt and penetrate through. It was accompanied by a loud hum which I could hear over and above the typical clicking sound. I had never felt or heard anything like this on previous MRI procedures. The sensation wasn’t excruciatingly painful like you would expect from a contact burn, so I decided I would just see it through. I believe the combined CSpine/Thoracic procedure took approximately 30-40 minutes and I felt this sensation for about the last 10-15. When I got off the table I felt hot and mentioned it to the technician. She said it was normal to feel a bit warm when the machine had been running for a while. As the day wore on my skin got redder. I felt and looked like I had a bad sunburn. I started applying Aloe Vera gels and lotions. By the next morning I was very red and sore.  I was pretty concerned and worried there may be deeper tissue damage. The next day I went to see my doctor. She said she was unfamiliar with MRI related burn injuries but after looking at me felt it had been caused by some type of thermal exposure and advised use of cooling gels and lotions. She consulted with an MRI physicist about the problem and was told :  "Regarding the burn: I’d definitely recommend the pt to be checked out by a Dermatologist. MR burns typically starts at subcutaneous fat (no pain receptors) and moves up to epidermis. If the pt was not sedated during the scan and ended up with a burn, there is a clear chance that the patient has damage under the skin that is not visible. I contacted a Professor of Radiology at USC who told me this was an RF radiation burn and that I needed to be checked out by a dermatologist ASAP. I have consulted with numerous dermatologists, general practitioners and MRI specialists over this time as well as conducting my own research and have learned a lot about RF frequency injuries and SAR. One of the other MRI physicists I contacted recommended I look at the SAR readings for my tests. He said these are used as an indication of over-exposure and are usually less than 1. I was exposed to between 2.5 and 2.72 SAR for about 7 minutes and this is when the burning occurred. I was essentially cooked. At 6 months post incident : Skin – My skin continues to hurt wherever the thermal rays hit it. Face, neck, arms, upper torso and some on upper thighs. Erythema still present on face, neck and upper chest. I have a little temporary relief with lidocaine based topicals and anti inflammatories. Skin continues to atrophy and now shows marked deterioration and scarring. Dermatology consultations refer to skin corrosion consistent with a thermal burn injury and talk about protracted recovery times, and sometimes permanent damage. Testes – After the burn there was dramatic impairment of sexual function and seminal fluid change. I was made aware that testicular tissue is very susceptible to heat related damage due to a lack of ability in this area to disperse heat (much like the eyes).  Since I did suffer from some burning on my upper inner thighs, it’s possible there was heat build-up in this area. I’m working with an Urologist to determine the extent of damage and again hope it’s not permanent. Testosterone production and semen analysis is ongoing and I’ve been put on Clomid to see if function can be restored.

Still searching for answers

MRI BURN INJURY

Julie - I hope you are still monitoring this thread. I was also 'cooked' on an MRI machine last year. I would urge you to join FB group - MRI Injuries and Side Effects. I want to bring together as many people as I can who have suffered this horrendous injury

Here's my account -

I sustained a burn injury during a routine MRI procedure November, 2016. The incident occurred on a 3Tesla MRI machine during a CSpine/Thoracic scan. I was positioned lying on my back and entered head first. There was no padding used during the study but no part of my body touched the walls of the machine. My hands came together just below my sternum in a typical ‘praying’ position so my arms rested on my upper abdomen as opposed to down by my sides. About 10 minutes into the 2nd procedure (thoracic) I started to feel a sort of prickly vibrating heat hitting my skin. It felt like a kind of rippling wave and I started to feel quite warm. It even seemed to vibrate my T-shirt and penetrate through. It was accompanied by a loud hum which I could hear over and above the typical clicking sound. I had never felt or heard anything like this on previous MRI procedures. The sensation wasn’t excruciatingly painful like you would expect from a contact burn, so I decided I would just see it through. I believe the combined CSpine/Thoracic procedure took approximately 30-40 minutes and I felt this sensation for about the last 10-15. When I got off the table I felt hot and mentioned it to the technician. She said it was normal to feel a bit warm when the machine had been running for a while. As the day wore on my skin got redder. I felt and looked like I had a bad sunburn. I started applying Aloe Vera gels and lotions. By the next morning I was very red and sore. I was pretty concerned and worried there may be deeper tissue damage. The next day I went to see my doctor. She said she was unfamiliar with MRI related burn injuries but after looking at me felt it had been caused by some type of thermal exposure and advised use of cooling gels and lotions. She consulted with an MRI physicist about the problem and was told : "Regarding the burn: I’d definitely recommend the pt to be checked out by a Dermatologist. MR burns typically starts at subcutaneous fat (no pain receptors) and moves up to epidermis. If the pt was not sedated during the scan and ended up with a burn, there is a clear chance that the patient has damage under the skin that is not visible. I contacted a Professor of Radiology at USC who told me this was an RF radiation burn and that I needed to be checked out by a dermatologist ASAP. I have consulted with numerous dermatologists, general practitioners and MRI specialists over this time as well as conducting my own research and have learned a lot about RF frequency injuries and SAR. One of the other MRI physicists I contacted recommended I look at the SAR readings for my tests. He said these are used as an indication of over-exposure and are usually less than 1. I was exposed to between 2.5 and 2.72 SAR for about 7 minutes and this is when the burning occurred. I was essentially cooked. At 6 months post incident : Skin – My skin continues to hurt wherever the thermal rays hit it. Face, neck, arms, upper torso and some on upper thighs. Erythema still present on face, neck and upper chest. I have a little temporary relief with lidocaine based topicals and anti inflammatories. Skin continues to atrophy and now shows marked deterioration and scarring. Dermatology consultations refer to skin corrosion consistent with a thermal burn injury and talk about protracted recovery times, and sometimes permanent damage. Testes – After the burn there was dramatic impairment of sexual function and seminal fluid change. I was made aware that testicular tissue is very susceptible to heat related damage due to a lack of ability in this area to disperse heat (much like the eyes, which luckily were spared). Since I did suffer from some burning on my upper inner thighs, it’s possible there was heat build-up in this area also. I’m working with an Urologist to determine the extent of damage and again hope it’s not permanent. I've been put on Comid to try to restore function.