MRI and Hyperacusis Nightmare!

Went to a closed MRI unit yesterday for my IAC/Brain scan, with custom made earplugs.
And the sounds reaching 115db were overstimulating my ears. Any attenuation from earplugs would not seem sufficient to reduce my sensitivity.
I had to stop after the second set of scans, embarrassingly, and in tears.
I now have another one scheduled at a different facility where they will allow earplugs plus noise cancellation headphones with classical music in them. Hopefully, this will be better.
Not quite sure how anyone with sensitivity to sound with their onset of t can even endure such machines. The staff at the facility I am visiting tomorrow do not even know the max decibel level of their unit, which is an 8 year old Siemens Symphony Unit 1.5T. Nervous.
Any suggestions appreciated!

 

I recently had an MRI for reasons unrelated to T, and it did kind of suck. I was able to wear earplugs, as well as some headphone muffs that they provided (I didn't use them to listen to music). The hearing protection helped of course, but it was still pretty loud. I do not think however that the MRI made my tinnitus any worse afterwards though. I was probably in a daze and too stressed out regarding some other news that I was processing.

Also, I saw your post elsewhere about the gadolinium. I was giving a gadolinium injection, and it did not in any way make things worse, so don't worry about that. I realize now that this post is late, so I hope you are doing fine.

 

Hi Lisa, sorry about your terrible experience.
May I ask how bad was your hyperacusis before the MRI?

 

Hi Dan, I distracted myself immediately after and went out with a friend. I was only in there for 10 mins before I asked to be taken out.
2 days later I found a much better facility for those with t and hyperacusis. It was night and day from the other. This one had machines that only went up to 80db max instead of the 120db max of the other. Plus they offered special noise cancelling headphones with classical music and allowed me to use my custom made earplugs. I was in there for about 45 mins. Only the last round of sounds was the loudest, but nothing compared to the first MRI.
I had looked up online the different machines and max db levels. The good one I used was a closed Siemens Symphony model.
Here is a link to the different 1.5 T machines and db levels:
http://cds.ismrm.org/ismrm-2001/PDF6/1763.pdf