2011-08-13

Getting my head examined...



So, after a few migraines I went to GP and was referred to neurologist and he had an MRI done. Seems all is normal, phew.

Getting an MRI seems to be now as routine as an X-ray, but safer and takes a bit longer. Took around 20 minutes for my MRI of my brain.

Basically, you lie down on a bed, which then goes in to a machine. Cunning use of mirrors means you can see out and so feel a tad less claustrophobic in the process, but it is a small tube you go in to.

Music in headphones, but the machine is noisy. You have to lie still which is a pain, but all in all pretty simply.

So seems to be just a migraine or two. Good news. Could so easily have been a tumour or mini-stroke, but it seems not. I am pleased to say all is well.

I was surprised how many friends and relatives have had an MRI. This was my first. Yes, X-rays I have had many times as a kid. But MRIs were not around then. Impressive stuff, and they gave me a CD with the images...

11 comments:

  1. So will you be using the images to drive the 3D printer to print a copy in case you lose the original? ;-)

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  2. We thought of that. I think not enough detail.

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  3. Did they charge you for the CD? I've heard some places do that.

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  4. I had one done and got the actual printed images, but would have loved to have them on a CD as well, would have been much easier to preserve...

    The thing I think looks most weird is the various horizontal slices when they get to the level of your eyes - very strange!

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  5. No doubt you've played around with those GEDCOM images in OsiriX on one of your Macs? If not it's well worth five minutes... actually I spent hours in in when I has some scans of my upper spine done. And I now have proof I have a brain, contrary to popular opinion!

    Intrigued by the mirrors - presumably they're plastic rather than silvered glass. Am thinking the silvering might interfere with the scans?

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  6. Not played with the files yet - just did AUTORUN.EXE under wine and it came up with some strange viewer. Sounds like it could be fun.

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  7. The larger images on the CD are 256x256 pixels, which is not high res. The smaller ones are 128x128. I can't believe MRIs are that low res.

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  8. Gonna print a scale model of your head?

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  9. Being considered. Will need some complicated processing I expect.

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  10. Duh, I don't mean GEDCOM - those are genealogy files! I mean DICOM. Theoretically you should be able to pick out the bone as distinct from muscle and do just your skull! Definately worth a play in OsiriX if you have a MAc to hand.

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  11. Yes, Got the DICOM files, still crap resolution (256x256 for example).

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