Weird Reaction During MRI?

This is just a bit of helpful info for everyone.

I went for my 3rd MRI scan (2nd head, neck and spine scan at 3T) today.

I had told the MRI technologist after my second MRI about my experience and just got told it is only sensations in my peripheral nerves. I thought... yeah and were do they go.

I told the neurologist about it and he hadn't heard any issues with MRI. He sends many a patient off to get a scans. Me thinks ... he really doesn't want to divulge any info does he? Claustrophobia and anxiousness was crossed off our lists as possible causes. In spite of all that he prescribes me Diazepam to eliminate any anxiousness.

Today I told the MRI technologist my last MRI experience and asked her if they do one complete scan or two. She said they do several so there is no need to worry about stuffing a scan up cause we can do it again or we can leave it - its up to you. She was really good about it. I didn't tell her I had taken a Diazepam pill before today's scan.

So I was scanned in sections and had no strange reaction. I asked the MRI Tech about all this and she said that sometimes we are anxious and we don't sense it. Well all I can say is that is a lot better answer than the ones I have heard.

I wonder has anyone else out there tried this and still have sensations?? Or have they gone cold turkey like in my first and second scans and had the $##%$# taken out of them?

Hope your all doing well as you can

Regards

Nicola

I am a 71 year old female. I started with a quick onset of partial blindness in my right eye. With pressure around both eyes but primarily around my right eye. The doctor that I ultimately saw said it was fluid that you might see from a head injury collecting around my eyes. I was scheduled for an MRI to scan my brain and the brain stem. The day of my MRI I was to have the procedure without contrast then with contrast. I went in with my ear plugs and my ear phones (or ear muffs what ever they are called) on ready for a relaxing but relatively comfortable experience, or so I was told. A few seconds into the scan I began to feel a tingling sensation around my mouth and nose this wasn't to terribly uncomfortable then my whole body began to tingle all the way to my toes. The sensation continued to increase with intensity it was as thought I was experiencing something like restless leg syndrome from my face to my toes unending for at least thirty minutes I was trying not to move but this was very difficult he finally pulled me out, and told me not to move and said I had 25 minutes more. I then tried very hard not to move but the sensation continued to increase in intensity, I began to have small (it seemed) muscle spasms from face, shoulders down to my toes, all the time I was trying to remain as still as possible finally I squeezed the call bell to alert the technician and he pulled me out with disgust and said that they would start the contrast. I was returned this time I felt no discomfort at all as a matter of fact I began to doze when he removed me from the MRI machine.

I was extremely tired and ached all over. This lasted for about three days. This was four days ago and I am finally feeling better. This week I go in for my results. This should be interesting. Also when I came out of the MRI chamber I began to tell my story to the techs and was told that in essence it was my imagination. This concerned me until I read your post. Thank you

I know this is an older discussion but I just happened upon it while trying to research what could explain my recent MRI. I have had a few ct scans and didnt have any issues and I had an MRV of my brain aboit a month ago without an issue. A few days ago i had an MRI and it was very odd. It had of course a variety of loud noises...one in particular was a different sound than with the MRV. This one particular sound make my head tense up and make my brain feel like it was being squeezed and made it feel like it was going to explode or pop. My ears also became very sensitive. It was super scary. I am still waiting for the results and I. havent talked to anyone yet about it (I told my husband and mom and they looked at me like I was crazy). From reading comments on here I get the feeling that it may be how some peoples bodys process what is going on....like a coping mechanism of some sorts.

the technician told me it was anxiety.

sorry, Ive been through a lot of things in my life that caused minor anxiety.

this MRI experience was not anxiety.

sweats, pressure, etc. i stopped it immediately and went and had an open MRI..although staying still for all that time was tough, there was no signs if the symptoms I had related to the closed. i wont do another tube MRI

ill take it that they think I'm a nut.

yes i felt horrible especially the next day i had a headace and feeling weak

I had my first ever MRI today, bilateral breast MRI... where you lay face down on the table, arms stretched above your head, breathing an open hole with a sternum bar between the breasts, then a propped up hard pillow to support laying up on to the box your breasts go into. Ouch, so uncomfortable. I had those squeeze ear plugs, nothing else.

I did well the first 30 minutes, staying perfectly still. Then the last cycle of images before they would inject the contrast made me feel dizzy, like the air was sucked out of the room, sweating profusely, and I felt as though I would pass put. I tried to breathe thorough it but it was just getting worse. I hit the panic button and told the tech what happened, she said I was probably just hot. So we reset and I went in again, as soon as that same noise started again all the same physical sensations came back. Here's the thing, being on your stomach, you have no idea if you're in or out of that tube! I pushed the panic button again! This time, I stripped down to nothing but underwear. Pulled my hair into a ponytail to alleviate the heat and the tech got my head phones (no music). I did much better and was much cooler. Then the dye came, within minutes all the same issues started again, over heated, clammy, dizzy, and going to black out! I hit the panic button again. I felt like such a loser not being able to handle the last bit of the MRI. I wasn't anxious, I didn't even know when I was in the tube! When I got home, I was exhausted like "hit by a mack truck" exhausted! I napped 2 hours! I was famished and dehydrated too...I don't know why or how and there is no clinical information out there to explain why this happened to me! Im usually a compliant patient, I can power through anything... until now. Waiting too see if the doctor can use any of the good images at the start of the MRI or if I have to go back for round two!

Very interesting to read everyones story. i just had my left ankle scanned. during the magnetic part of the mri i experienced a strange buzzing/tingling/shooting feeling deep with my leg which spread up my body on the left side right up to my face, i experienced different sensations at different levels throughout the scan.

There is something called magnetoception where people can sense magnetic fields , maybe its this?

OCR

Wow! Wish I had read this before getting my MR exams this morning, though I don't know any alternative options I could have pursued.

Your post and these responses are the only instances like mine I'm seeing on the web, and it's at least reassuring to know others have had similar experiences. I was undergoing simultaneous MRI, MRA, and MRV exams for some mysterious and unexplained head pressure I've been having on and off for the past five years at the base of my skull. About halfway through my exam, I started to feel a pulsing sensation through my head and body as if my heartbeat had been magnified. In the moment, I assumed that this and the sharp stabbing pain in the back off my head were likely due to my awkward position on the table, and my usual overanalysis. Minutes later, I could feel this pushing and pulling sensation all over the inside my head, different parts of my head with each different set of sounds. More painful than the other areas, the sharp pain in the back of my head became an intense buzzing and tingling sensation. During the last few set of sounds (about 10min), that intensified further into a full-on burning sensation that radiated through my head. It felt as though my head was inside of a microwave. The pain grew worse and worse, and I considered squeezing the alarm signal the examiner gave me, but I knew the exam was almost over and did not want to risk corrupting whatever data they had already collected, so I pushed through. What's worse is, while one of the doctor's brushed it off and said my dizziness (not what I told her I was experiencing) was perfectly normal and mostly in my head, I spoke with another one of the examiners before leaving who affirmed what I explained feeling and said that some patients experience different sensations as a result of the magnetism of the iron in their brain, and that some can even experience a heating sensation which can raise the examined area by 1-2° in temperature during the exam.

I seriously wonder what would happen to a person's brain under an MRI just 1-2 hours longer. Scary thoughts... I'm hoping to feel back to normal soon, and really hoping this exam was conclusive so I don't have to do any further exams.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I would love to know how you're feeling now, years later, and if any related pains or sensations have arisen since your scan?

Sounds like you need a lot of rest and drink plenty of fluids. I do not think its anything serious.