Upcoming MRI

I have to get an MRI on my hand in a couple days and I've read some horror stories about how loud they are.

I was thinking of wearing plugs and muffs. Will that be sufficient?

I was also thinking of just canceling the MRI all together. It's for a sprain possible torn ligament but I can give it a week or so more and see if it goes away on it's own to avoid the MRI. Am I being paranoid or is this a legitimate concern.

 

I personally believe you are being paranoid...but some people are paranoid and seems particularly endemic of T suffers.
Besides, hands don't make a lot of noise as a rule.

 

@AxlRose

Call up the MRI office and ask what kind of MRI machine it is first.
If it is a 1.5 Tesla machine, no need for concern even if you went with earplugs (but you must wear earplugs)

If it is a 3 Tesla machine, that's another story because they are significantly louder. Then you need to ask if the staff have their own earmuffs they supply and not just the headphones for music like they usually give; it is unlikely they will allow you to bring your own earmuffs because many contain metal or things the magnet will fall in love with. With a 3 Tesla machine in any case, you do need double protection.

Personally, I think you would be fine with well fitted earplugs and the headphones they give you. Then again, I was not safe when I only wore earplugs with a 3 T machine once, but my ears are extremely vulnerable to loud noises anyway as my inner ears are already inflamed and infected.

The other two times (actually 2.75, panicked and ran away the first 2 times) I had an MRI I was fine with good earplugs and wedged foam, but I have no idea if those were 3T or 1.5 T machines.

The point is that with earplugs, and even minimal secondary protection like foam blocks or headphones, you should be fine. Some MRI noises are also quieter than others. I would say with the protection in, the loudest they ever got for me was around 90 db for only about 3 minutes; that should not cause harm even for chronic T sufferers. Since they are only looking at your hand, I would also think the MRI would be over quickly.

Are there CT or other tests they can use to look at your torn ligament, or is the MRI the only way? If the MRI is the only road to follow, I think you need to go ahead and go because a torn ligament is a torn ligament.

One final note. Before you get the MRI, ask your doctor to prescribe a short course of valium to take the night before and the day of your MRI to keep you in a blissful, heavenly land filled with puffy clouds. Your anxiety is more likely than the noise to produce a T spike, so you need to have that under your control to the best of your abilities when you get the MRI done.

 

@AxlRose

I have had an MRI on 3 occasions. I have stated here before that although they can be a tad noisy, after my MRI driving home my car stereo was actually noisier. I have never been afraid of an MRI for any reason. Just ask the technician to be sure they supply you with the best hearing protection possible and why you need it. They are all professionals and will do everything possible to make you comfortable.

 

Very useful advice.

Fortunately, people like Mike are here to share strong facts and not judgements.

 

If I were you I might look for a big bore MRI. It's for people which have more weight. The tunnel is bigger and in the manual Pdf's I've read from the manufacturers it's less dB.

There are some silent MRI's out there from General Electric. Not yet common in the west.