TV feature on Gadolinium toxicity

[notaclone13]

I posted this on the thread that Dee Dee started  (thanks Dee Dee and Mac84 for raising awareness) but to emphasize am posting it in a new thread as well. This morning Sharyl Attkisson‘s show Full Measure had a feature with Chuck Norris and his wife who has Gadolinium poisoning from getting 3 MRIs in one week. If you did not see it you can find the feature online if you google Full Measure on ABC.  I recorded it but just checked and found the full episode online.  I think contrast is important to get a good an accurate estimate of tumor growth, but the information I saw here was really frightening.  I will be getting my 6 month post diagnosis MRI in a couple of weeks and believe I will see if it can be done without contrast. Clearly, the MRI  given prior to radiosurgery must be very precise and would necessitate having contrast, but as Dee Dee noted, the symptoms of gadolinium deposition are similar to those associated with the radiosurgery itself. The FDA seems hesitant to sound the alarm.

[Freelander]

Hi,

FWIW. After your first MRI, one does not need Gd contrast for monitoring.  I have had several after my initial AN discovery with Gd, and having heard about Gd toxicity a couple of years ago, as well as some concern that I may have some of that metal lodged in me, I stopped using it.  The image experts and my doc are fine with that. 

[Freelander]

This may be the best starting point if you are concerned about gadolinium toxicity from MRIs:
https://gadoliniumtoxicity.com/

[ColleenS]

Thank you for sharing this information.   

[ANSydney]

I no longer use gadolinium contrast agent. Images are good enough for measurement.

[leapyrtwins]

Thanks for sharing.  Very interesting information.

I've had several MRI's with gadolinium since my AN was removed 11 years ago - yes, they still do MRI's with gadolinium for contrast purposes.  My MRI starts without it, they pull me out of the tube, inject it in my arm, and finish the MRI. 

I always have my BUN & creatinine blood levels checked prior to getting the gadolinium, but other than that it's no big deal.

Jan