Had a cervical MRI this morning and forgot one important thing.

sfnative · ‎03-10-2010

Today's cervical MRI was the 3rd one I've had in the last 22 years. It had been so long that I forgot to bring my silicone earplugs. OMG - the noise!!!

Now, I know MRIs are noisey as I've had other parts of my body imaged, but cervical MRIs bring the "works" right up to the head/ears, so the sounds emitted were horrible, even though they provided the foam type ear plus, which were useless.

My only purpose in mentioning this is to give anyone a heads-up who may be having a cervical MRI in the future: you'll be doing yourself a big favor by going to your favorite drugstore and purchasing a small plastic container/box of silicone earplugs. Before inserting the earplugs, it is necessary to place them in one closed hand for about 5 minutes, so that your body heats allows them to become malleable for insertion purposes.

Sunnycorle · ‎03-09-2010

I hope everything works out for you. Those machines are very loud and stress me out even more. Take it easy the rest of the day and treat yourself well.

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

Had one 2 years ago and noise didn't bother me. Now I worked in a very noisey factory for over 30 years so maybe my hearing was acclimated to the high decibels. On my jobs it was mandatory to have a hearing evaluation every 6 months. Don't remember the highest level, but some machines, and you position from the machine, made a difference. The decibel levels were measured regularly by OSHA, thus the compliance from my company. And my wife wonders why I say "say what again". =^..^=. I hope your results are what you are hoping them to be. My best to you.

hckynut(john)

feline groovy · ‎07-29-2014

Bummer that they didn't give you headphones and a choice of music, Becc.

I've had lots of MRI's over the years and can relate, as it's not always offered. And the times when you appreciate them the most are during the extra-long MRI sessions, i.e. for hours.

Good tips for the uninitiated, though.

Drythe · ‎07-09-2011

I'm sorry you had to go through that.

Years ago I had one on my head to confirm that I had migraines and not a tumor. Sounded like a jack hammer inside my head. Lasted 1.5 hours.

Fortunately, it was migraines.

Despite the noise, I hope that your outcome was good.

"Animals are not my whole world, but they have made my world whole" ~ Roger Caras

sfnative · ‎03-10-2010

On 3/25/2015 feline groovy said:
Bummer that they didn't give you headphones and a choice of music, Becc.

I've had lots of MRI's over the years and can relate, as it's not always offered. And the times when you appreciate them the most are during the extra-long MRI sessions, i.e. for hours.

Good tips for the uninitiated, though.

With the other MRIs in California, I was always given head phones and was told ahead of time that I could bring in my favorite CDs. Nice! Not the case here in Portland.

I know that hckynut has worked in industrial settings that were loud, but this sounded as though the rear bearings in my car had carped out 1/2" from both ears and kept knocking -- a typical MRI cervical experience without headphones.

I'll find out in the next few days. Have marked weakness, extensor issues, ulnar pain and radial nerve pain in my left upper extremity. I'll be surprised if the findings are nil.

Thanks to all for the good wishes.

Chrystaltree2 · ‎12-08-2014

It depends on the mri machine, newer models are quieter. I've had two cerical spine mri's and there was noise but it wasn't uncomfortable, it didn't bother me. But I'm not overly sensitive to sounds.

feline groovy · ‎07-29-2014

On 3/25/2015 sfnative said:
On 3/25/2015 feline groovy said:
Bummer that they didn't give you headphones and a choice of music, Becc.

I've had lots of MRI's over the years and can relate, as it's not always offered. And the times when you appreciate them the most are during the extra-long MRI sessions, i.e. for <em>hours</em>.

Good tips for the uninitiated, though.

With the other MRIs in California, I was always given head phones and was told ahead of time that I could bring in my favorite CDs. Nice! Not the case here in Portland.

I know that hckynut has worked in industrial settings that were loud, but this sounded as though the rear bearings in my car had carped out 1/2" from both ears and kept knocking -- a typical MRI cervical experience without headphones.

I'll find out in the next few days. Have marked weakness, extensor issues, ulnar pain and radial nerve pain in my left upper extremity. I'll be surprised if the findings are nil.

Thanks to all for the good wishes.

Puss in Boots says...

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(me, too!)

sfnative · ‎03-10-2010

On 3/25/2015 Chrystaltree said:
It depends on the mri machine, newer models are quieter. I've had two cerical spine mri's and there was noise but it wasn't uncomfortable, it didn't bother me. But I'm not overly sensitive to sounds.

I was thinking the same thing. This monster must be a dinosaur! I should have taken a look at the manufacturer and model name. Most are either Siemens, GE or another major name. Next time I need an MRI, I'll request an imaging center with a newer unit, for sure!