Many times you may hear people that have had an MRI say ,"they couldn't handle it". Well they probably telling the truth. Many patients have to take valium to calm them down before having a MRI preformed.

MRI is short for magnetic resonance imaging. This is 10,000 times stronger than normal x-rays or CT scan. Since this is a magnetic resonance imaging process all the below articles should be removed.

Jewelry

Hearing aids

Credit cards

Dentures

Pocket knives

Eye glasses

All of these articles can be damaged or projected during the activation of the magnetic resonance imaging machine.

If you are a pacemaker patient , you can't have a MRI. This is due to the strong magnetic fields.

Patients with metallic objects in their body should not have a MRI.

Patients with replaced joints

Artificial heart values

Inner ear implants

Brain aneurysm clips

Older vascular stents

Some employees from sheet metal industries have to be screened due to the exposure they face from small metal fragments. The screening is done by x-ray. This is to protect your eyes and skull.

Before having the procedure , the patient is asked to sign a consent form verifying that they have none of the features above.

MRI'S have to be performed in away from outdoor interferences. The waves used during a MRI are close in frequency to the FM radio station waves. During this procedure the patient lays on their back on a movable table that is very narrow. The table slowly slides into a large tunnel within the scanner. Don't keep your eyes open. This will freak you out.

According to what part of the body they are imaging , the technician may need to apply small devices around your head; leg; or arm. These devices are known as body coils which receive the radio waves pulses. This also allows for a higher quality imagine. If you need a contrast ,it will be administered by IV in your hand or arm. A technician observes you the entire viewing time.

Different sets of images will be done that last from two to fifteen minutes. Depending on the part of the part of body being scanned it could take a hour to complete the scan.

If you suffer from a fear of being closed in , you may ask your physician to prescribe you valium to take before having the procedure done. It is very confining in that small tunnel. There is no room to move and you may be strapped down to the table.

This may sound scary, but patients seem to benefit when they can find out the exact cause of their pain or symptoms.