What Happens During an MRI Scan? A Patient Guide
Verified By
KIMS-SUNSHINE
Specialist,
25 July, 2025
What To Expect During An MRI Scan For The First Time?
Stepping into an MRI room feels like entering a realm suspended between silence and science. The machine itself sits like a mechanical monk, humming quietly, waiting to listen to the secrets your body carries deep inside. If it’s your first time, expect a sequence of simple steps. You’ll be asked to remove anything metallic like bangles, chains, clips, or even the humble bobby pin. What you carry must stay outside, for magnetism recognises no sentiment.
You’re then led to the table. A technician will help you lie down, cradle your head or joint with foam pads and ensure you are as still as a statue. The table slides you into the bore- the tunnel. For the next twenty to forty minutes, you will lie still. The machine speaks in thuds, beeps and techno rhythms. You are not alone. The technician watches, listens and guides. You are safe and surrounded.
How Does An MRI Scan Work? Step By Step Process
- The Magnet Wakes Up: It begins with a magnetic field stronger than the Earth’s own. This field gently nudges hydrogen atoms, the tiny water droplets that live in every cell, into alignment.
- Radio Waves Stir The Stillness: A radio frequency pulse follows. It nudges the hydrogen atoms off balance, like a breeze through still leaves.
- The Atoms Return, Whispering Secrets: As the atoms return to their original posture, they release signals in the form of tiny, echo-like whispers.
- The Signals Become Sight: These whispers are caught, amplified and translated by powerful computers into images. Not snapshots, but layered portraits of tissues, blood vessels, ligaments and organs. Basically, your very own blueprint!
Can You Eat Or Drink Before An MRI Scan?
For regular scans like for the spine, brain, or joints, you can eat. Go ahead with your dosa, sip your chai. But if it’s an abdominal scan or if contrast dye is being used, fasting for a few hours might be advised. Contrast dye is like highlighter ink. It helps illuminate the hidden corners of your body, making things like tumours, vessels and inflammation more visible.
In India, where meals can be spicy, oily, or dairy-rich, doctors may suggest avoiding heavy foods. This isn’t because food interferes with the scan; it’s to prevent discomfort. No one wants to lie motionless with a gassy belly. So always check with your healthcare provider before walking in with a full plate or an empty stomach.
Tips To Stay Calm During An MRI Scan
Here are gentle ways to soothe yourself:
- Anchor Yourself With Breath: Inhale like you’re sipping from a straw. Exhale like you’re blowing out a candle in the wind. Let your breath become your metronome, steadying you.
- Visualise A Place That Calms You: For some, it’s a temple at dawn. For others, a cricket field, a kitchen garden, or a swing under a mango tree. Go there, mentally. Let your body stay here while your mind walks free.
- Let Sound Wash Over You: The machine will drum, buzz, chirp. Don’t fight it. Pretend you’re inside a spaceship, or listening to techno music in a trance. The rhythm isn’t a threat; it’s proof that the machine is working.
- Remind Yourself That You’re In Control: Even in stillness, you’re the one holding the reins. The technician can hear you. There’s a panic button in your hand. But the moment you let go is when time disappears. Many patients say they emerge from the MRI feeling not just scanned, but stilled.
