My Hydrogen Atoms are Still Resonating
Today was not the first time I’ve had an MRI scan done. (The first was in 1992.) Last Thursday we were joking that my brain had broken the machine, following a 2+ hours session. Everything was working fine until they tried to do this one particular image of my brain. Each time we started the results would go out of whack. We’d stop and get me off the bed. Then the tech would turn off the machine, turn it back on, reset it, test it, and all would be fine until it started back up with my brain inside.
We finally got it today, and went on to do a number of other scans. For the first time, I experienced really strong sensations of heat, vibration, and sometimes pain (one location only) in the body part being scanned. Each time a scan series would stop, my entire body and heart would give a little jolt, like an electric shock but inside and throughout the tissue or structure of my body. Afterwards, I could barely walk or talk, and even hours later my motor control and reflexes such as swallowing are more impaired than usual.
MRI machines and the rooms they are in are always really cold. I think this is because the superconducting magnet is very cold, although insulated. Was the burning heat from the radio waves? or just in my body?
I sure wish that I had a doctor or tech to ask about this. I guess that most people would just want to be told not to worry, but if you know me, you know I always want to learn and understand.
November 30th, 2006 at 2:38 pm
LOVED this (wonderfully written) story!