Subject:  RE MRI safety?? (Stone)..
Date:     Fri, 4 Feb 2000 134153 -0600 (CST)
From:     "Roy L. Beavers" 
To:       emfguru 
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2000 12:02:10 -0700
From: "Janet Stone, CFT" 
To: "Roy L. Beavers" 
Subject: RE: MRI's


Roy,

I thought I'd share an experience I had a few years ago and see if any of
the readers have any explanations.

I have a genetic defect which causes intracellular calcium to build up
resulting in myotonia (delayed relaxation of muscles) and malignant
hyperthermia.  After a car accident my insurance company wanted an MRI of
the cervical spine.  I was very hesitant because of my natural sensitivity
to electromagnetic fields.  Everyone assured me it was perfectly safe, so
I scheduled the MRI.

I was not nervous during the scan...in fact I had dozed off in spite of the
loud clacking.  About 20 minutes into the scan I was jolted awake by a sharp
pain shooting down my right arm.  I stayed relaxed, breathed deeply, and
waited to see what would happen (it felt very much like being shocked by an
electric fence).  Next I became very nauseas, started feeling a cramping
sensation in my chest, and then I lost all sensation from my chest down.
I asked the technician to stop the scan.  By the time they pulled me out
of the machine my jaw was almost clamped shut.  It took a few minutes for
the paralysis to go away and I was able to walk without help.  The
technicians were convinced I'd had an anxiety attack (yeah right...in my
sleep!) and wanted to sedate me.  I refused and went home.

For several days I was sore and felt like I'd been hit by a truck.  I
called GE, who made the unit at the hospital, and their doctor claimed
they'd never heard of such a reaction.  I talked to someone who was
involved in researching safety of MRI's, and he acted like it was also an
anxiety reaction.  Finally I read a few obscure studies about people with
certain chronic illnesses and disturbed electrolytes reacting similarly to
the scans.  Apparently an electrical field can build up and cause a shock.

My insurance company refused to pay for extended treatment for my herniated
disk because I was not willing to retry the scan.  I wondered if an
open-sided MRI would have the same affect.  I even asked the MRI center
if I could be grounded with a copper wire.  No one knows and they all
think I'm a little nuts.

I was never told of any possible side effects of an MRI scan, so either it's
extremely rare, or they're covering up the reactions and attributing them to
panic attacks.

If any of you have insights or ideas, I'd love to hear them.

Janet Stone
Loveland, CO




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Reprinted with permission of Roy Beavers, http://www.emfguru.com