To MRI or Not to MRI

[maltese]

Hi guys,

Just wanted to know your opinion on the issue. I've seen (a completely incompetent when it comes to tinnitus) neurologist and he suggested I should get MRI.

My tinnitus is noise-induced and I have no doubts about it.

I know MRI is damn loud... Should I do it anyway?


P.S. Dude was really surprised when I told him I don't have to be in a quiet environment to hear it and that it is intrusive. I mentioned tinnitus-caused-anxiety and he was very surprised that you can be so distressed "by some noise".

Best bit: I also mentioned that a therapist suggested anti-anxiety meds that I decided not to take. He just went: "why? antidepressants are awesome". I decided to just laugh along.

Great professional, 11/10 would recommend.

 

[Rubenslash]

You can wear muffs + plugs.

It never hurts to check for brain tumors, even unrelated to tinnitus.

 

[Foncky]

You can wear muffs + plugs.

It never hurts to check for brain tumors, even unrelated to tinnitus.

Actually it does hurt, an MRI can be as loud as 130-140dB (peaks).

An MRI is useless for a noise induced tinnitus 99,99% of the time, especially if both ears are ringing.

So we're pretty sure it won't help you. We're pretty sure it's going to be bad for your ears though.

Your neurologist has no clue about tinnitus. Like all doctors who have no clue, he will ask an MRI because he doesn't know what else to say.

Do an MRI if you HAVE to do it. And even then, do your homework: some last generation MRI are less noisy.

 

[Jomo]

I didn't go... waste of my time and money... I know what caused mine and it definitely isn't a tumor. I am in a much better place now as well and I don't need anything screwing me up.

 

[vermillion]

@maltese I totally agree with @Foncky. Why bother to MRI when you already know that your tinnitus is noise-induced. I don't believe it will give you any useful data. Too much noise for nothing. I 've undergone two MRIs to no avail...

Dude was really surprised when I told him I don't have to be in a quiet environment to hear it and that it is intrusive. I mentioned tinnitus-caused-anxiety and he was very surprised that you can be so distressed "by some noise".

My neurologist was laughing when I mentioned about my concerns on tinnitus and how it can affect an individual's quality of life. He even didn't believe me when I told him about tinnitus sufferers that ended their own lives.

I also mentioned that a therapist suggested anti-anxiety meds that I decided not to take. He just went: "why? antidepressants are awesome". I decided to just laugh along.

The same neurologist advised me that SSRIs would be a good idea and assured me that they are side-effect free and that I can stop them whenever I want. WTF?

Great professional, 11/10 would recommend.

You tell me! I'm done with docs and MRIs

 

[coldroses]

As many will tell you - an MRI is not the be all and end all. They're not ineffective, but they're not foolproof either - like anything I guess.

Presimably you've had a hearing test from an audiologist?

 

[Sam Bridge]

I did an MRI as my tinnitus is just in my right ear. It was loud but I had ear plugs in so no problem.

 

[coldroses]

I did an MRI as my tinnitus is just in my right ear. It was loud but I had ear plugs in so no problem.

When tinnitus is unilateral it could be indicative of a more serious condition so the MRI has to be done to rule out underlying causes like acoustic neuroma. It's the first thing an ENT will do if you present with unilateral tinnitus - @maltese might have bilateral tinnitus though, in which case an MRI won't be considered necessary in the absence of some other kind of pathophysiology that might be related e.g head or neck injury.

 

[Sam Bridge]

When tinnitus is unilateral it could be indicative of a more serious condition so the MRI has to be done to rule out underlying causes like acoustic neuroma. It's the first thing an ENT will do if you present with unilateral tinnitus - @maltese might have bilateral tinnitus though, in which case an MRI won't be considered necessary in the absence of some other kind of pathophysiology that might be related e.g head or neck injury.

Yeah but what I am saying is the noise from the MRI wasn't an issue for me. With ear plugs in it wasn't uncomfortably loud.

 

[glynis]

You can ask to have the MRI set at the paediatric setting children use as it's less noisy.

Love glynis

 

[Tamalak]

I got it and regretted it. Brain looked impeccable. Noise wasn't too bad (earplugs!) but MRIs do cause radiation which increase the odds of future brain troubles.

 

[JurgenG]

Actually it does hurt, an MRI can be as loud as 130-140dB (peaks).

An MRI is useless for a noise induced tinnitus 99,99% of the time, especially if both ears are ringing.

So we're pretty sure it won't help you. We're pretty sure it's going to be bad for your ears though.

Your neurologist has no clue about tinnitus. Like all doctors who have no clue, he will ask an MRI because he doesn't know what else to say.

Do an MRI if you HAVE to do it. And even then, do your homework: some last generation MRI are less noisy.

140 dB.

Are you sure about those numbers?
I am not sure you can actually wear muffs though, since there is metal in it?

 

[Foncky]

Yes, that's what I read on a spec sheet once, can't remember which unit it was.

Not all earmuffs have metal. 3M X5A doesn't I believe, but it might be too large for the MRI.

Interesting read:
https://www.med.nagoya-u.ac.jp/medlib/nagoya_j_med_sci/6912/p023-028.pdf

Peaks measured at 130.7dB (sound pressure level, I'm no expert but it sounds bad enough) for 3-Tesla units.

 

[PaulBe]

P.S. Dude was really surprised when I told him I don't have to be in a quiet environment to hear it and that it is intrusive. I mentioned tinnitus-caused-anxiety and he was very surprised that you can be so distressed "by some noise".

God, I hope you didn't pay the fool.

 

[racerfish]

I agree with other that an MRI will not find much of anything. One of the ENT's said that was an option but he said the odds of finding something for noise-induced tinnitus are next to zero and said only to do it if I wanted to turn over every little last pebble.

That said, my neighbor used to have tinnitus which she said came out of nowhere. She did get an MRI and they found a small neuroma in her ear. It was removed and the tinnitus went away.

 

[Foncky]

tinnitus which she said came out of nowhere

In a case like this and with no hyperacusis, yes, MRI is great.

But I don't get the doctors who still say "MRI !!!!" when you tell them: "I was doing great, then I had an acoustic trauma, then tinnitus started".

Some ENTs still DON'T believe noise can cause an actual trauma and a never ending tinnitus or hyperacusis. One of them told me: "No one has tinnitus for life after a noise trauma, it just doesn't exist". And those people have a medical agree, in 2017.

 

[racerfish]

Some ENTs still DON'T believe noise can cause an actual trauma and a never ending tinnitus or hyperacusis. One of them told me: "No one has tinnitus for life after a noise trauma, it just doesn't exist". And those people have a medical agree, in 2017.

That's pathetic and sad.

 

[Rubenslash]

I got it and regretted it. Brain looked impeccable. Noise wasn't too bad (earplugs!) but MRIs do cause radiation which increase the odds of future brain troubles.

Lol no, CT scan gives radiation but MRI is harmless.

 

[Tweaker]

Make sure you wear earplugs. My hyperacusis started the day after my MRI. They gave me fake earplugs that did nothing. It is nice to know there is no tumour. Not sure i would go through another MRI though. With proper earplugs i may consider it. Advice is to wear decent plugs. It only took about 10 to 15 minutes.

 

[Rubenslash]

I had an MRI yesterday, it's not too loud with double ear protection.

The MRI peak volume was 105 dB which I reduced to 85 dB. I wouldn't be scared of stories that MRI reaches 130-140 dB, maybe some old models in certain settings, but usually it doesn't and you can always call upfront.

Also the loud sounds are intermittent and MRI only lasts 15-20 mins.

 

[Connie3140]

Hello, I'm new to this forum. My tinnitus started about a month ago. I went to an audiologist who did a hearing test that showed sensorineural to some degree in both ears. I then saw the ENT doc and there wasn't any obvious causes for the tinnitus -- no ear wax or bony growths. As far as I can tell, tinnitus is in both ears. I asked the doctor if I should have any imaging tests, like an MRI. I told him I had had radiation to my left eye as at teenager, about fifty years ago. He said I didn't need an MRI, that the risk of me having an acoustic neuroma was "microscopic," but he said he'd order one if I wanted. I said I would like to have one, then I changed my mind, partly after reading what others have said here, and also my neighbor, who was a professor of physics at a medical school and has administered a lot of MRIs, said the that not all of the contrast medium leaves your body.

After reading posts in this forum, my main concern was that an MRI might make my tinnitus worse. On the other hand, if I can have an MRI, it would be nice to know that I don't have anything going on in the brain, even if it's not tinnitus related. I'm on Medicare and have a good supplemental policy, so I think it would be covered. I'd be interested to hear anyone's experience with an MRI -- did it make the tinnitus worse?

Thanks,
Connie

 

[light rain]

Hello, I'm new to this forum. My tinnitus started about a month ago. I went to an audiologist who did a hearing test that showed sensorineural to some degree in both ears. I then saw the ENT doc and there wasn't any obvious causes for the tinnitus -- no ear wax or bony growths. As far as I can tell, tinnitus is in both ears. I asked the doctor if I should have any imaging tests, like an MRI. I told him I had had radiation to my left eye as at teenager, about fifty years ago. He said I didn't need an MRI, that the risk of me having an acoustic neuroma was "microscopic," but he said he'd order one if I wanted. I said I would like to have one, then I changed my mind, partly after reading what others have said here, and also my neighbor, who was a professor of physics at a medical school and has administered a lot of MRIs, said the that not all of the contrast medium leaves your body.

After reading posts in this forum, my main concern was that an MRI might make my tinnitus worse. On the other hand, if I can have an MRI, it would be nice to know that I don't have anything going on in the brain, even if it's not tinnitus related. I'm on Medicare and have a good supplemental policy, so I think it would be covered. I'd be interested to hear anyone's experience with an MRI -- did it make the tinnitus worse?

Thanks,
Connie

You can have the MRI done without contrast understanding that it might miss a very small neuroma. I am opting for this myself since I have CFS and the latest info about contrast is troubling. On newer machine es with the latest technology even my ENT is OK with this.

But understand the use of contrast is the gold standard however repeat MRIs could be done to monitor if nothing shows.
This is not medical advice just telling you some rrs allow for options.

Lynn

 

[Bobby B]

This MRI is fine with plugs - had it done a few months ago on this 3T machine. Would not consider any other MRI unit, which are much louder.

 

[Lilah]

I did not know the cause of my tinnitus so I did the MRI. I also have lupus which affects the brain sometimes so I did it for that reason also. If you do not know the cause, I would do it to have a little piece of mind. My tinnitus did increase a lot by the end of the MRI and for a couple of days after, but it went down after that. I wore ear plugs and listened to classical music.

 

[AmericanJosh]

I got it and regretted it. Brain looked impeccable. Noise wasn't too bad (earplugs!) but MRIs do cause radiation which increase the odds of future brain troubles.

You are incorrect. There is absolutely no radiation whatsoever with an MRI. They use magnets, not radiation, and it is harmless (except for the noise).

 

[AmericanJosh]

Ask and investigate if you can get a CT scan with contrast injection (Myelogram). They do this for those with pacemakers who cannot do MRI. I did one two weeks ago, and the doc said the pictures where better than an MRI. There is a risk for temporary headache after the procedure, but I would rather that any risk to my tinnitus and hyperacusis.

Is there a possible risk of worsening tinnitus from the contrast drug?

 

[Sonic17]

That said, my neighbor used to have tinnitus which she said came out of nowhere.

I am curious, was her tinnitus unilateral or bilateral?

 

[Sameer]

Hi, all. I'm debating whether or not I should get an MRI. I've read online and heard (from mum) that they can be really, really loud. Considering I've only just started to feel like I might be building a sound tolerance again and tinnitus is (still pretty bad, but) at a lower level... My ENT doesn't think anything will come up (he seemed almost 100% sure about it after I spoke with him), but he said I could go for it just to rule it out. I don't know if I should risk even the slightest chance of recovery for some results that will most likely come back fine.

Also, I do have ear spasms multiple times throughout the day. Nothing too crazy, really, but it does feel kinda alarming. Is this a cause for concern or does it come with the conditions? If it's something worth getting an MRI for, then I might consider it.

The thing is, I saw my GP after ENT to catch her up on everything and ask how I could prevent impacted earwax from happening again (to which she basically replied, "You can't"), she was really urging and insisting on me getting the MRI once I brought up "ear spasms", so I'm just unsure about whether it's worth it or not. My mum also keeps saying I should get it done, so I don't know.

Any advice? Thanks.



Here's my story, if it helps:

I'm a 19 year old male, living in Australia. I received hyperacusis as a result of an ear syringing, as I had impacted earwax. I feel like the GP syringed too hard (because I felt pain whenever she did it) and the sound of the water hitting the inside of my ear at that amount of pressure was so loud. My tinnitus, which was hardly obtrusive, never fluctuating and only mildly audible when trying to sleep, also increased to at least 2-3 times volume and now fluctuates literally 24/7.

This all happened at the end of April/start of March this year (2019).

As for my hyperacusis - everyday sounds, such as; running water, taking a shower, flushing the toilet, cutlery clanging together, flicking on the light switch, car keys clanging together, oil sizzling in a pan - these all give my ears the sensation of listening to someone's fingernails being dragged across a chalkboard. I don't experience any pain in my ears (although, I did experience minor, intermittent ear pain in the first couple of weeks), it's just a scary and debilitating experience. I feel like every single step outside the house (and sometimes inside) is the biggest risk for my ears. Haven't stepped foot into a mall since it happened. I've stopped work, as I'm nowhere near even considering being able to handle the sound of a shopping mall and am basically screwed as a musician.

I've purchased earplugs and have gone out a couple of times with friends to get something to eat while wearing them, even though I was on edge the entire time, so I guess that's a start. I've read about the risks of overprotecting, so I only ever wear the earplugs when absolutely necessary. I'm super anxious whenever I take a shower, since the sound of the water hitting the ground is hell, but I tolerate it every time and I haven't experienced any further symptoms, so yeah. Same thing goes for the sound of flushing the toilet, but I'm trying to cover my ears less and less in hopes that I'll maybe re-develop a tolerance and in these last couple weeks, I feel like I've been making a small amount of progress, since I'm now able to stand running tap water better.

 

[Mathieulh]

In a case like this and with no hyperacusis, yes, MRI is great.

But I don't get the doctors who still say "MRI !!!!" when you tell them: "I was doing great, then I had an acoustic trauma, then tinnitus started".

Some ENTs still DON'T believe noise can cause an actual trauma and a never ending tinnitus or hyperacusis. One of them told me: "No one has tinnitus for life after a noise trauma, it just doesn't exist". And those people have a medical agree, in 2017.

They do it to rule out any underlying condition, you would be quite glad if your MRI ends up uncovering an acoustic neuroma. In the end this is done to ascertain a proper diagnosis, something that's to the potential benefit of the patient. You can always do MRIs with earmuffs, I had mine done that way, most don't contain metallic parts, in fact the pair of earmuffs I was wearing was provided by the clinic.

 

[Mathieulh]

Actually it does hurt, an MRI can be as loud as 130-140dB (peaks).

An MRI is useless for a noise induced tinnitus 99,99% of the time, especially if both ears are ringing.

So we're pretty sure it won't help you. We're pretty sure it's going to be bad for your ears though.

Your neurologist has no clue about tinnitus. Like all doctors who have no clue, he will ask an MRI because he doesn't know what else to say.

Do an MRI if you HAVE to do it. And even then, do your homework: some last generation MRI are less noisy.

Except that bilateral neuroma is a thing, in fact it's actually a common occurrence to people diagnosed with any form of acoustic neuroma, totaling well over 50% of acoustic neuroma diagnosis.

Yes MRIs are noisy, that doesn't mean you can't get one done without wearing suitable ear protections.