Sompopo's Revenge

MRA / MRI!

Yesterday my wife had to go to the hospital for an MRA (Magnetic Resonance Angiography). This Procedure studies the blood vessels and the flow of fluids through the body. An MRI (Magnetic resonance Imaging) studies the tissues and organs without the need for x-rays. Neither I or my wife have ever had one of these test let alone seen the machine that performs it. Its huge and basically a big round magnet which the patient is slid into while laying down. If you are claustrophobic I can see why some people would be weary of it. An IV is inserted into the arm to allow a fluid to circulate through the system in order for the machine to get a better picture of the vascular system as fluids circulate through the body. Other than that it is a painless procedure requiring the patient to remain still for a certain period of time. The tech was telling me that some MRI's can take up to three hours depending on what portion of the body was being filmed/tested. My wifes only took about 20 minutes.

I made a comment to the tech that was one hell of a magnet and he replied "you have no idea". He told me that he has seen wheel chairs, filing cabinets and the like stuck to these machines and it took several men to pull them free. In some cases the object was so stuck they had to shut the machine down to free it. He also said that when the machine is restarted it takes about three days for it to build back up to full operating power. That is one hell of a magnet if I say so myself.

One word of caution, if you are afraid of what you may find wrong with your body do not have this procedure because it will find any and everything inside yourself.