Can Anyone Tell Me How Loud My MRI Was?

[Telis]

Just over two months ago, I had a MRI done at EFW Radiology here in Calgary, Canada. When I booked, I asked the person on the phone how loud their machines were, she didn't know, but said that they would provide me with adequate ear muffs. I brought foam plugs with me (32 dB) thought I would wear these under the muffs.

When I arrived for my appointment I talked to the tech, asked her about ear muffs, she said they didn't have any available, but she would use pillows instead. I went on to ask her how loud the machines were, she shrugged her shoulders and said I don't know, probably about as loud as a loud construction site, not sure what that meant.

The tech was visibly irritated that I was concerned about noise, almost smirking at me, and acting like I was wasting her time. She was pretty much trying to rush me into the machine. She was acting like I was being paranoid and making a big deal out of nothing.

I shouldn't have stepped in the machine to start without muffs, never mind pushing myself through that amount of noise. It was teeth rattling noisy, not sure if these are old machines or what, but it was incredibly loud. I use power tools, I kind of know what too loud is, I don't know why I didn't stop it.

Since that day my tinnitus is unbearable, I can hardly make it through the day, nights I'm sleeping 10 min at a time, life is completely ruined. I have ptsd from the experience, dream about it all night, wake up shaking covered in sweat, my ears and brain screaming louder than I even thought possible. My tinnitus was already extremely intrusive, but this is just off the charts ridiculous, not livable.

My hearing is also extremely bad after the experience, I could hardly hear the tech speaking after I got out of the machine, hearing has recovered some, but still have blocked ear/head sensation, migraines, extremely distorted hearing, and as I mentioned WAY different tinnitus. I feel like my head is under water all the time.

Kind of looking for answers, I also thought that maybe I could help by bringing some awareness.

Maybe it's just this one place that is totally careless, this is the only MRI I've ever had. I read postings and it seems that everyone is always given muffs.

I've had tinnitus for 5 years, I've been a member here for a long time, I'm not sure why I didn't pop by and ask these questions before walking in blindly, somehow I thought that that they would have the safety of their clients in mind.

I've been careful to not worsen my already severe tinnitus over the years, and now one medical test later and my life is completely ruined, I'm still in complete shock.

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[Yo-Han]

You found this link?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11169836


I had a minor spike from an MRI when my Tinittus was very mild and about 3 months in, i had hardly any Hyperacusis then. T spike went down after a few days luckely.
I wore plugs and the headphones i got. They were playing the radio trough the headphones and i asked them to stop it, but they didn't.

Glad i had my -30Db plugs in and some minor extra protection from the closed headphone above (an audio model playing the radio on mild volume). They had no plugs there... they should have had em! They might have now, that was early 2012. I brought them myself after reading about MRI's before i went in. I stumbled on posts on hyperacusis chat because of that and that site scared me enough back then when i just had T.

Hospitals should warn you, i strongly agree!

I hope you can improve again Telis, i sincerely do! I'd focus on meds or anything that'll help you sleep a bit more.

 

[glynis]

@Telis,
I think they let you down big time with not using a head set and I would report it to stop it happening to others.

Your a strong person Telis and been on Tinnitus Talk a long time and I know your struggling now big time.

Have you had a hearing test since the MRI ?
love glynis

 

[Tinker Bell]

What brand was the machine? What scans did they do? Both things will impact the volume of an MRI. If you know that information, @Greg Sacramento or @Bobby B might be able to help because they are knowledgeable about different MRI equipment.

How is your shingles? Were you treated for it? The shingles virus can damage the auditory nerve, too. The MRI alone may not be to blame.

 

[Rajin]

When I develop T my doctor sent me to do a mri, never did one but it was super loud because they Didn't told me how to put the foam earplugs in my ears correctly. I put them in how I think was correct, completely wrong . So I went thru 30 minutes of hell . I will never take one again. Sorry to hear your spike got bad , mine last a little. Got lucky .

 

[Telis]

What brand was the machine? What scans did they do? Both things will impact the volume of an MRI. If you know that information, @Greg Sacramento or @Bobby B might be able to help because they are knowledgeable about different MRI equipment.

How is your shingles? Were you treated for it? The shingles virus can damage the auditory nerve, too. The MRI alone may not be to blame.

I don't know the make/model, I guess I could phone them, but not really interested in speaking with them at this time. They took images of my thoracic spine. The shingles was no where near my head, it was mid back, and I had already gone through the worst of it by the time I had the MRI. My tinnitus did not spike the entire time I had shingles, so I'm doubtful that this has anything to do with it. I would think if my auditory nerve was damaged after months of shingles I would have known it, I'm sure this would have had a impact on my tinnitus.

 

[Telis]

When I develop T my doctor sent me to do a mri, never did one but it was super loud because they Didn't told me how to put the foam earplugs in my ears correctly. I put them in how I think was correct, completely wrong . So I went thru 30 minutes of hell . I will never take one again. Sorry to hear your spike got bad , mine last a little. Got lucky .

Thanks. Yeah I don't think I had the plugs in deep enough, I was rushed. I don't normally use foam plugs, I have custom made, so my experience inserting foam is limited. Glad to hear you got lucky.

 

[Telis]

@Telis,
I think they let you down big time with not using a head set and I would report it to stop it happening to others.

Your a strong person Telis and been on Tinnitus Talk a long time and I know your struggling now big time.

Have you had a hearing test since the MRI ?
love glynis

Hi Glynis,

No I haven't had them tested, still something I have to do, but I know for sure they were damaged. It's pretty easy to tell, they are night and day, everything is low, background sounds totally distorted, even voice, everyone sounds like they have a lisp, I can't detect which direction sounds are coming from either. And I can put masking on at low level like I did prior to mri (I always put as low as I can because there is no masking my tinnitus anyway, more of a distraction) and I can't hear it at all now, not even a little bit unless I sit up and put my ear about 2 feet from the speaker.

I thought I would post on here to raise awareness, I believe this company is nation wide in Canada. They seemed to not have a care about the noise levels when I was there, I highly doubt they would care if I informed them now.

Thanks for the encouragement, hope you are doing okay.

 

[coffee_girl]

Is it possible to do triple protection?

 

[Jack Straw]

This sounds like medical malpractice to me. The tech should know better than anyone about this how loud it is. If I was you I would contact a lawyer.

 

[kmohoruk]

Hi Glynis,

I thought I would post on here to raise awareness, I believe this company is nation wide in Canada. They seemed to not have a care about the noise levels when I was there, I highly doubt they would care if I informed them now.

Thanks for the encouragement, hope you are doing okay.

Hey @Telis

I'm really sorry to hear that you are going through such a tough time man. You've given a lot to this forum, and I appreciate that you wanted to raise awareness about this situation.

I'm not sure how much this would help. But I thought I would ask if there is any way that you may be able to get support through "Tinnitus and Hearing Health Calgary" or any organization like that. Again, I'm not sure the point, but I was able to get a lot of assistance and help through the Tinnitus Clinic here at St. Pauls in Vancouver. So I'm not sure if Calgary has something similar.

I do want to say man, that in no way shape or form that this is your fault. You tried your best and it happened. I know for myself, almost the worst part of dealing with a T spike was the feeling of "guilt" after. You did nothing wrong man. You tried to protect yourself given the situation, and had other health concerns that you had going on. We are all here though to support you here!!!

 

[glynis]

Hi @Telis,

I have noise reduction plugs Dr pro plugs.
We will be going see a Slade Tribute band on 21st December so I have ordered some hearing protection that blocks out anything over 82 db just incase I need added protection .
I know sound can go through bone conduction so as we live only 10 mins drive from the venue I will come home if I think I'm in danger.
There is a quiet room .
At least I will look pretty in pink...

 

[Telis]

I do want to say man, that in no way shape or form that this is your fault. You tried your best and it happened. I know for myself, almost the worst part of dealing with a T spike was the feeling of "guilt" after. You did nothing wrong man. You tried to protect yourself given the situation, and had other health concerns that you had going on. We are all here though to support you here!!

Thanks so much, living with myself after this has been tough. Means a lot

 

[kmohoruk]

Thanks so much, living with myself after this has been tough. Means a lot

No worries man!

 

[Gman]

Just over two months ago, I had a MRI done at EFW Radiology here in Calgary, Canada. When I booked, I asked the person on the phone how loud their machines were, she didn't know, but said that they would provide me with adequate ear muffs. I brought foam plugs with me (32 dB) thought I would wear these under the muffs.

When I arrived for my appointment I talked to the tech, asked her about ear muffs, she said they didn't have any available, but she would use pillows instead. I went on to ask her how loud the machines were, she shrugged her shoulders and said I don't know, probably about as loud as a loud construction site, not sure what that meant.

The tech was visibly irritated that I was concerned about noise, almost smirking at me, and acting like I was wasting her time. She was pretty much trying to rush me into the machine. She was acting like I was being paranoid and making a big deal out of nothing.

I shouldn't have stepped in the machine to start without muffs, never mind pushing myself through that amount of noise. It was teeth rattling noisy, not sure if these are old machines or what, but it was incredibly loud. I use power tools, I kind of know what too loud is, I don't know why I didn't stop it.

Since that day my tinnitus is unbearable, I can hardly make it through the day, nights I'm sleeping 10 min at a time, life is completely ruined. I have ptsd from the experience, dream about it all night, wake up shaking covered in sweat, my ears and brain screaming louder than I even thought possible. My tinnitus was already extremely intrusive, but this is just off the charts ridiculous, not livable.

My hearing is also extremely bad after the experience, I could hardly hear the tech speaking after I got out of the machine, hearing has recovered some, but still have blocked ear/head sensation, migraines, extremely distorted hearing, and as I mentioned WAY different tinnitus. I feel like my head is under water all the time.

Kind of looking for answers, I also thought that maybe I could help by bringing some awareness.

Maybe it's just this one place that is totally careless, this is the only MRI I've ever had. I read postings and it seems that everyone is always given muffs.

I've had tinnitus for 5 years, I've been a member here for a long time, I'm not sure why I didn't pop by and ask these questions before walking in blindly, somehow I thought that that they would have the safety of their clients in mind.

I've been careful to not worsen my already severe tinnitus over the years, and now one medical test later and my life is completely ruined, I'm still in complete shock.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Agree with @Jack Straw
Speak to a lawyer that deals with medical malpractice. Some have a no win no pay thing. It's clear cut negligence.
The noise level depends on the model and the exposure depends on duration. How long was the scan? Can you call them up and ask the model type? You can search the tech specs if you find out.

Nearly 2 yrs ago I had a 23min scan in one that supposedly had a max sound output of 106db (Siemens Magnetom Aera 1.5T). The tech had a cold so must've been out of it or maybe just stupid and only gave me muffs and pillows. I guess I was stupid too, as at the time I didn't know better but I told her I have T. It was unbelievably loud and I considered pushing the cancel button but didn't. I should never have done it. At the time my T was mild and didn't have H or any other issues. I was fine after for the rest of the day, not even a spike.

The next day I woke up and fell on the ground with everything spinning. It was extreme vertigo. Had to go to the same hospital where they gave me betahistine.
After that day I've had several episodes of vertigo, developed H, ear fullness, TTTS and it worsened my T to a noticeable degree.

I was talked out of legal action due to this sh**hole country I currently live in not having a fair legal system. I regret not suing them.

 

[john paul]

Im so sorry to hear this. The person operating the machine which by all accounts is dangerously loud clearly had 0 proper training. It makes me embarrassed to be a human, why is everybody so ignorant to Tinnitus? is it any wonder why so many people have it, my god. Its 100 percent hell on earth and yet nobody wants to talk about it or tell it like it really is. The world just becomes a big bully when you have broken ears.

 

[another sean]

Hi @Telis,

I have noise reduction plugs Dr pro plugs.
We will be going see a Slade Tribute band on 21st December so I have ordered some hearing protection that blocks out anything over 82 db just incase I need added protection .
I know sound can go through bone conduction so as we live only 10 mins drive from the venue I will come home if I think I'm in danger.
There is a quiet room .
At least I will look pretty in pink...

View attachment 23830

@glynis , please consider getting these ear muffs instead. I and many other here feel they are the best ones available for sound protection. And they are extremely comfortable to wear. I know they are not pink but you could always paint them if you wanted to. Also these have a noise rating of 31 versus 22.

https://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-Over-Earmuffs-X5A/dp/B00CPCHBCQ/

I read the description of the ones you ordered and actually they don't block out noises over 82db, they actually amplify them because those earmuffs actually have speakers inside of them with microphones on the outside so that hunters can still talk to one another.

"Built-in Omni-directional microphones increase environmental voices when the sound is over 82dB, providing enhanced communication for hunting, shooting"

 

[glynis]

I cancelled my order and went for another set of plugs for Musicians .
So will have my pro plugs and two sets of others.
My tinnitus is not noise related as it's due to Menieres Disease but I still want protect my ears from extra loud music.

I will be going with my hubby and sisters and brother in laws but they are all aware I could end up coming home or sit in the quit room.

love glynis

 

[Greg Sacramento]

@Telis EFW Radiological - GE Signa in picture. They have 4 locations in Calgary. http://efwrad.com/patients/magnetic-resonance-imaging

http://www3.gehealthcare.in/en/prod...3-0t#tabs/tab2B7D721635B34904BF143D901A916643

If this was the one used - then with ear plugs dB should had been 75 -82.

Stay on the magnesium that I previously PM you about on October 19th.
Consider taking some powerful regenerative antioxidants such as Alpha-Lipoic Acid 600
Vitamin C

 

[Telis]

@Telis EFW Radiological - GE Signa in picture. They have 4 locations in Calgary. http://efwrad.com/patients/magnetic-resonance-imaging

http://www3.gehealthcare.in/en/prod...3-0t#tabs/tab2B7D721635B34904BF143D901A916643

If this was the one used - then with ear plugs dB should had been 75 -82.

Stay on the magnesium that I previously PM you about on October 19th.
Consider taking some powerful regenerative antioxidants such as Alpha-Lipoic Acid 600
Vitamin C

Thanks again Greg. Will do.

I guess I didn't have the plugs in correctly, I've been exposed to around 85 dB quite a few times , pubs the odd night out, never damaged my hearing, didn't even noticed a spike in tinnitus.

 

[AmericanJosh]

I did a so called silent scan mri by ge. It was anything but silent. Not as loud as regular ones but not much quieter. Even with ear plugs and my head packed in foam, it wa very loud. Absolute false advertising by ge.