M.R.I.

I have heard the word MRI and it don't make any difference to me until my youngest son who had some problem with scoliosis had to undergo MRI.  Thanks to technology now being at the tips of our fingers, I gathered some information about MRI .....

An MRI (or magnetic resonance imaging) scan is a radiology technique that uses magnetism, radio waves, and a computer to produce images of body structures. The MRI scanner is a tube surrounded by a giant circular magnet. The patient is placed on a moveable bed that is inserted into the magnet. The magnet creates a strong magnetic field that aligns the protons of hydrogen atoms, which are then exposed to a beam of radio waves. This spins the various protons of the body, and they produce a faint signal that is detected by the receiver portion of the MRI scanner. The receiver information is processed by a computer, and an image is produced.

The image and resolution produced by MRI is quite detailed and can detect tiny changes of structures within the body. For some procedures, contrast agents, such as gadolinium, are used to increase the accuracy of the image....(more info from www.medecinet.com)

So there we were, the three of us (Afiq and parents) at the MRI section of the hospital last Tuesday afternoon waiting for his turn to go inside the MRI.  Prior to this appointment with MRI we had the appointment with the orthopaedic specialist at the very busy Orthopaedic Clinic two weeks before at HRPZ2. I wondered how the doctors and the nurses kept their cool with all the hustle and bustle in the quite cramp clinic treating patients with various orthopaedic problems, some with steel rods poking out from their legs and hands...made me dizzy by just looking!    The specialist who attended Afiq is a Chinese Muslim and the number one boss there.  My own boss at the office who has to undergo physiotherapy twice a month (for his neck problem) at the same hospital told me we will be lucky if we can get Dr. Annuar Hua himself to examine Afiq's problem. On examining Afiq's x-rays which shows a slight  curvature of the spine, he told us Afiq suffers a mild scoliosis but he suspected something amiss with the spinal cord when using the orthopaedic bone hammer on the knees and knuckles Afiq gave swift involuntary jerking motions, thus the MRI to determine what is the real problem that is bothering him.  

The Very Busy Orthopaedic Clinic

Afiq going in here

Afiq had to fast for 6 hours before doing MRI and was advised not to wear anything that will attract the magnet, not even 'minyak rambut'.  In Afiq's case the thoraxic and cervical parts were scanned.  Normally MRI procedures  last around 1 hour to 2 hours with the patient lying still inside it and Alhamdulillah his stint in the MRI took less than 1 hour, it would have been less if  he had kept still but he moved at one point and the procedure had to be started all over again.  Later he told me, he fell asleep while in the MRI.  Being a heavy sleeper I am not at all surprised he did that.  When asked how he felt inside there, he said.... biaso jah! (nothing to shout about!).   Now we are waiting for the MRI results and that will have to wait till the next appointment with the specialist later this month.... another anxious wait.