MRI vs. CT Scan

If you get CT, Melatonin can help.
https://www.secondopinionnewsletter.com/health-alert-archive/view-archive/13917/melatonin-protects-against-ionizing-radiation.htm

I would think NAC and glutathione could help with contrast detox afterward.

Thanks for the tip, JMF!

Girlie, did you have any reactions to the contrast dyes used?

I've had MRIs several times, but always for things that allowed me to decline contrast and still have the imaging be useful.

Right now I'm being evaluated for IBD, and I'm told either a CT or MRI would be effective, but both are only options for IBD evaluation with contrast, and I'm wary of both kinds of contrast!

I'm going to push for other imaging tests first, like ultrasound and regular x-ray, and obviously also various blood and stool tests.

I think many of us with tick-borne disease histories are wary of metals, dyes, and other things we're told to ingest for medical procedures because we react poorly to them, despite the medical mainstream telling us they are harmless. I was just curious if anyone had chosen MRI versus CT (with contrast) before, and how they made up their minds which contrast was less scary.

You probably want to inquire what is actually used. Contrast can mean many things.

For a CT scan of the abdomen usually Barium (drink) and Iodine (vein) are done. Both are cleared from the body pretty quickly and side effects are minimal.

For a MRI sometimes Gadolinium is used, although for digestive problems I dont know if it would be used. You probably would have to drink a Barium type solution still.

If Gadolinium is involved I would opt for the CT scan a thousand times over. You can read about Chuck Norris's wife its more common then Dr's say it is.

The radiation for a one off CT scan isnt going to hurt you. Ive had 5 CT scans in the past year and half. 3 were a life and death situation. The others to monitor cancer.

You cant see much without the contrast. In one of my CT scans they didnt wait long enough for the Barium to go through they couldnt as I was nearing death. The radiologist report was a bunch of guesswork without the dye making it far enough down in my intestines and was pretty useless.

Here it is:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chuck-norris-gena-norris-lawsuit-medical-companies-mri-contrast-agent/#textactor20chuck20norris20and20his20wife2c20gena2c20arewhich20enhances20mri20images20and20helps20with20diagnosis

Did you lose your vision when contrast was added? Or with just mri? I scheduled for an mri Saturday without contrast and am having vision issues

Thanks!

Yeah I spoke with my neuro opthamologist and he agreed to order it without contrast given my mcas issues

I'm not eager to have iodine contrast, or gadolinium, or barium. I wish there were a better way to do detailed imaging.

I have some sort of block about allowing eye doctors to drop something into my eyes, so for a long time I physically could not keep them open, even when assistants held my eyelids with their hands, and could not have dilation done for eye exams. So I found offices that used the Optomap instead! It cost $40 extra per exam and was worth every penny.

I want there to be something like that for intestines and other internal organs. Not everyone can bounce back from heavy metals, large doses of iodine, laxative prep solutions, etc. I wish that ultrasounds worked for everything, but I'm told they are not a good option for intestines.

My doc gave me a homeopathic to take before and after cat scan-no clue if it works but worth a try.
I also take green tea before and after

Garzie, while you make an excellent point, I also don't want a colonoscopy. ;) The practices I have contacted near me use sedative meds that I respond very poorly to, and they do not allow people to undergo the procedure with lighter sedation options or no sedation. (I lobbied very hard for this two years ago when I needed an upper endoscopy.) I am basically impossible to please!

Today I asked my PCP to run basic bloodwork (CBC, ESR, CRP) and stool tests (lactoferrin, calprotectin) because, as I understand it, if those things are normal while my symptoms are acute, then chances are I don't have IBD. She refused, which seemed very odd to me, and said to wait and see the GI specialist next week.

Anyway, thank you everyone for offering me food for thought!

Websites of other GI practices say they definitely do allow patients to refuse sedation or ask for lighter sedation options, particularly in practices not located in the United States, but the few I contacted near me said that would not be an option. In the case of a medication allergy, they said they'd insist on a different fully-sedating drug. I found this strange as well, but I did ask, and I feel like I pushed pretty hard about it.

Perhaps if I keep asking at practices farther away.... I just don't like the thought of needing to drive hours to get to the procedure and then hours to get home afterward, especially if the prep or after-effects have been rough.

Basically I'm obnoxiously fragile.

I had mine done at Brigham and Womens I was only very mildly sedated. Although I do think I was given a low dose of Fentanyl and something else. Maybe thats standard. Maybe thats what your trying to avoid. I recall every minute of it. I know the worries about driving I was about 2 hours in a car ride and concerns about not making it.