What a Full Body MRI Is Like at 71

Yesterday I had a full body MRI. I did it at First Look MRI in Southlake, Texas. I am not promoting them, that is just where I went. No doctor ordered this scan, so I paid out of pocket, which meant finding a place that does cash-pay scans. They had the best ratings, so I picked them.

Checking In

The place was very nice. The technician who came out to get me was great, walked me through the sign-in and made the whole thing easy. I enjoyed meeting her.

What It Is Like Inside the Machine

The machine is the big donut you have seen on TV. You lie on a table and it slides you in.

They strap you in. There is no way you are moving, I promise you. On top of the straps there was something kind of heavy lying on my chest. I could not see what it was. Over my head there was a cage so I could not move my head at all.

The head cage was for the MRA. An MRA is an MRI of the blood vessels, and on me they looked at the arteries that feed the brain for things like an aneurysm or a narrowed artery, the kind of problem that can lead to a stroke. Better to find that ahead of time while you can still work on it. The cage came off after about 15 minutes.

The whole thing took about two hours. Two hours lying there, not moving, not even able to scratch my nose. There was no needle and no dye either. The whole scan was done without contrast, and an MRI uses magnets and radio waves, not X-rays, so there is no radiation.

It Is Loud, So Bring Your Music

The machine is really loud, but they give you headphones so you can listen to music. I wanted to listen to my audiobook, but I could not use my own headphones, so I used theirs. Of course I went with '70s rock.

How Fast the Results Came Back

When it was over I got up and checked out. She handed me a coffee cup with some candy in it (I did not eat the candy) and a DVD of my scans, right there on the spot, so I could take them to a doctor if I needed to. She said the rest would come within 24 hours.

It took about 12. When I woke up the next morning my reports were in my email, along with a video of the radiologist going through my scans and explaining what he sees.

What I Found

I am going through the results on Monday, finding by finding, with what I am doing about each one. One report is still coming back separately, a liver fat analysis, and I want the whole picture before I write it up.

If you missed why I am doing this at all with no symptoms, and the honest case against these scans, it is in why I am getting a full body MRI at 71 with no symptoms.

Come Walk With Me

I post every day about longevity and health in my Facebook group. Come join us at garyleland.com/facebook, and tell me: have you ever had a full body scan, and what was it like for you?

Keep Going

Everything I take is on my protocols page. What I do to stay strong is on my fitness page, and every blood number I publish is on my test and stats page.

Live long and prosper,

Gary

A note from Gary: I am not a doctor, and I am definitely not your doctor. I am a 71-year-old running a 129-year experiment on myself and publishing the results as they come. Talk to your physician before changing anything about your own health, including whether a scan like this makes sense for you.