Regina Chennault felt the burning the moment the contrast entered her vein. The MRI came after a devastating car crash on the way to MD Anderson Cancer Center. She and her 12-year-old son, who was battling Stage 4 cancer, had been driving to his treatment when a drunk driver slammed into their car. Chennault, a trauma surgeon, lost movement in her right arm and suffered multiple spinal injuries.
Over the next several years, she underwent 15 MRIs, 12 with gadolinium-based contrast. As her symptoms worsened, doctors ordered more tests, including CT scans with iodinated contrast. Her thinking became clouded. Simple tasks, such as tracking her son’s medications, became difficult. Her skin burned. Her hair fell out in clumps. Her kidneys slowed.
