<p>I have an MRI scheduled for next week. They asked me all these questions about metal; I don’t weld, no metal shavings, etc. No problem. Then, last night, I remembered my rings. Haven’t taken them off for around 30 years (well, in 1984 I almost threw them in the toilet, but that’s another story.) </p>
<p>About 16 years ago I tried everything to take them off - soap, butter, oil. No success. At this point, the diameter of the rings is less than the diameter of the joint. Only solution is to cut them off.</p>
<p>I saw a ring cutter on an EMT site. Only around $10, but I’m afraid to have DH use it on me. The rings are pretty snug, although I can still twist them. They are my wedding and engagement rings.</p>
<p>Any ideas or advice on cutting the rings off? (Would the local fire department do it, if they’re not busy?)</p>
<p>I am not an MRI expert, and this may be a crazy idea, but if the rings don’t bother you otherwise, call the MRI department and make sure you have to take them off. Assuming that you aren’t having the MRI on your hands, maybe there is a way you could put your hands out the top of the machine or something like that. (I had an MRI once and it reminded me of putting a Barbie doll inside the tube left over from a roll of paper towel, so I am picturing Barbie in the machine arms up instead of arms at her sides.) </p>
<p>MRI experts, please don’t laugh too hard if my idea is ridiculous. Just have a little laugh. It is just a thought.</p>
<p>(If you want them off, I think it would be worth a try to stop in at your local fire station at a fairly quiet time of day - 9:30 a.m.? - and ask if someone there would cut them off for you.)</p>
<p>Your local ER should have the tool; not sure if it’s worth the cost of an ER visit, though. I doubt insurance will cover it.
Check with the MRI facility, they have probably encountered this in the past.</p>
<p>A few years ago I got several fire ant bites on my wedding-ring finger and as my finger swelled up larger and larger cutting the rings off sounded like a better and better idea. H was able to use a small metal file (it had a triangular cross-section so had a sharp edge). I twisted the rings around so the thinner side was on the back of my finger. We slid a clarinet reed underneath to protect my finger. Took about 15 minutes. The metal got pretty hot from the friction of filing through it, I had to stop and run my hand under cold water a few times.
Took it to the jewler and it was about $200 to get it fixed - plus some other repairs to prongs and such. Came back looking brand new again.</p>
<p>I had an MRI not too long ago and I was allowed to keep my ring on. I’m not an MRI expert, but I was under the impression that the only problem is with *magnetic" metals (typically containing iron). And most rings are gold, silver, or a gold/silver alloy and not magnetic.</p>
<p>I’d ask the MRI people about your ring before I took the drastic step of having it cut off.</p>
<p>If they are tight, you might want to have them cut off and resized. It can’t be comfortable wearing a ring you can’t get off (even if it’s only because the joint has grown due to arthritis.)</p>
<p>After reading this thread, I went to try on my wedding ring. I haven’t worn it for years as it’s too small. I’ve lost 7 inches off my waist in the last two months but I have another 8 to go to where I should be able to put the wedding ring back on. Or I could just buy another one.</p>
<p>I was diagnosed with breast cancer nearly a year ago, I am not allowed to have an MRI as there is metal in a bone (not a torso bone) from a surgery that took place in the early 90s. Although I am confident that the BC surgery, the chemo, and the radiation eliminated everything at least temporarily, it would be nice to get MRIs as well as mammograms and ultrasounds.</p>
<p>In short, I would get the rings cut at a jewelry store.</p>
<p>My dad’s a nuclear medicine radiologist, so I grew up around MRIs, x-ray machines, and beverages that make you glow in the dark. Anything that’s ferromagnetic (any metal that has the ability to be affected by a magnet… steel is the most typical, but nickel is also a problem) has to come off. Gold’s probably okay, silver’s probably okay, platinum’s probably okay. So long as you’re not having the MRI anywhere near your hands, they’ll likely be able to work with it without risking having artifacts in the images.</p>
<p>Call the imaging center and ask them about it. They may have some suggestions for you. Definitely don’t have your rings cut and damaged before you check with the folks who know! </p>
<p>If you absolutely have to have the rings taken off, I’d try asking the hospital or some paramedics if they’ve got anything to help get the ring off before I’d go to hardware stores or fire departments. I know for sure that they have the equipment to take your rings off <em>without</em> taking your finger off!</p>
<p>If this is the route you end up going (removing the rings), definitely stop by your local fire station or ambulance service. I’m sure they will cut it for you - we almost never get to use the ring cutters :)</p>
<p>These are all fantastic ideas! Thank you so much everyone for all your comments. I’ll call tomorrow to see if I can keep them on; if so, it’ll give me time to figure out the next step. The rings were snug to begin with (we lived in tollbooth land back then), and basically my finger has grown around them (guess my hands were different at 21). I’m afraid that if I have them cut off, I’ll never get around to getting them fixed, I’ll forget where they are, etc. It was easy keeping track of them all these years.</p>
<p>BCEagle, how in the world did you lose 7 inches in just 2 months? What’s your secret?</p>