3T MRI scanners near or in Scotland?

[carpydeem]

I'm looking to get an MRI scan and it would seem you can sometimes book these yourself without getting a referral (although I may be able to get a doctor's referral if need be). Someone online recommended a 3T MRI scan so I've been trying to find out which locations have one of these. Does anyone know? Are there any in Scotland or the north of England?

I think this is the scanner you’re referring to. One available in Edinburgh and no doubt elsewhere in Scotland.

edinburghradiology.co.uk/services/3partmri

Oh wow, thank you very much - that's fantastic!

Have you seen a doctor at all regarding this. An MRI might not be the most appropriate type of scan.

I've seen loads of doctors and they've all advised against brain scans due to the radiation risk. But most brain scans don't use radiation which makes me question whether I'm just throwing money away on these appointments with the supposed experts! I might consider trying to speak to a neurologist but my issues are to do with sleep, nutrition and endocrine stuff so don't know if it's just more money to be thrown away?

Having had to have several head [& neck] CTs @carpydeem unless you’ve specified you’re after having MRIs done, the doctors you’ve spoken to aren’t being daft. I’m also not sure what you’d be expecting an MRI to find if your concerns are related to sleep, nutrition, & endocrinology, but the chances of instead finding an incidentaloma are pretty high.

Have you had a sleep study done? If not, I’d suggest putting that at the top of your list. Have you seen a dietitian (as opposed to a nutritionist)? I see a dietitian from the gastro team who works with my gastro consultant to help manage my care - she orders bloods; tracks my weight; helps me meal/snack plan; liaises with other teams involved in my care; & is a key player in The Big RIG-J Decision. If you’re worried about [mal]nutrition, a dietitian is really the best person to see. As for endocrinology - have you a condition you feel isn’t being well-managed [by the NHS]; or is it that you’re seeking a diagnosis? If the latter, there’s a risk it’s not what you think & you need a different specialist.

Has your GP been able to help at all eg with bloods that have sent you in a certain direction/given you specific concerns [that you don’t feel they’ve addressed]?

I agree that I can't see what an MRI scan will show, that will help with those issues. Go and see your GP. You are throwing money away.

They offered to do a sleep study but the time they scheduled it for wasn't when I'd actually be asleep due to my sleep disorder and they didn't seem willing to change it. So that was the end of that.

I was referred to multiple nutritionists years ago but they weren't any help and didn't seem to really understand why I couldn't do the things they suggested (like adding a handful of nuts to my diet every day - I gain weight on even 700 calories daily and a handful of nuts blows almost the entire calorie budget). More recently I've asked to be referred again but because the underlying condition has never been diagnosed I'm not eligible for referral apparently. I've had loads of input from private nutritionists but that's with money I inherited and now it's running out I really need some kind of ongoing monitoring and care on the NHS. But I won't get it unless I can find the underlying condition. I've done tons of testing privately and we've ruled a lot of things out. The only things we haven't ruled out are damage to my hypothalamus which is also linked to sleep disfunction and so is quite a strong possibility (although the chances of the damage showing up on an MRI are probably smaller) or a condition which doesn't show up on any tests but might be diagnosed if I can prove we've ruled absolutely everything else out.

Any long term impact of having had to restrict calories so severely for so long is significantly more likely to show up on a brain scan so to me it seems worth doing just to know how things are looking on that front. I'm aware my GP or the NHS may still refuse to help as they generally did for the 30 odd years I tried to get help before I inherited some money but I want to know as much as I can anyway. I have a little PIP money so I may be able to keep chipping away at things privately.

NHS sleep studies, certainly, are only run overnight - usual drill is 2 weeks actigraphy ahead of the study; then admission for the study (recording can usually start from around 1800 & will run to around 0600-0630 the next morning); & if it’s indicated, they do a multi-latency sleep test the next day (two morning naps, one afternoon - & you’ve to stay awake between them). Sleep clinics also do bloods, as a rule - vitamin D deficiency wrecks your sleep, for example. Genuinely no idea if any private clinic would have wiggle room/it would mean paying to do a 2-night study & staying during the day - but if you have a known sleep disorder is it not being treated or do you think things have changed/stuff needs adjusting? Asking to be referred back to the team that diagnosed you would be completely reasonable.

Is your GP aware you only eat 700kcal/day? Because that’s absolutely considered an indication for a dietitian referral round here 🫤

An MRI scan would quite possibly show damage similar to that experienced by people with anorexia nervosa - it’s a very expensive way to try to measure damage that is reversible by improving nutritional status though.

30 years - & huge sums of money - trying to work out what’s going on must be frustrating & frightening. I’d not waste money on a MRI scan though, especially as you’d need exactly the right specialist to interpret it afterwards.

If I were you I’d make list - what’s going on, how long for, investigations you’ve had done, outcomes - & go to your GP.