The wife of action movie star Chuck Norris is blaming gadolinium contrast from a series of MRI scans for debilitating pain she experienced several years ago, according to an interview on the television news show "Full Measure."
In a June 11 report, Gena Norris described the symptoms she experienced after undergoing three MRI scans in one week for rheumatoid arthritis. The scans "triggered a cascade of mysterious health issues that nearly killed her," according to the show.
Norris described how she was admitted to the emergency room "five or six nights in a row" with worsening symptoms, including a burning sensation all over her body. She said doctors performed a wide range of tests but "were mystified" as to what could be causing the symptoms.
After performing her own search on the internet, Norris zeroed in on gadolinium as a possible cause. The Norrises located alternative medicine treatment centers in China and Reno, NV, where she spent months receiving treatment for "gadolinium poisoning." The treatments brought her back to life, according to the report.
Rather than being flushed from Norris' body, gadolinium from the contrast had remained at "levels that were literally off the charts." The show noted that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2007 issued a black box warning restricting the use of gadolinium in patients with kidney disease, but that many people -- including Gena -- who have normal renal function are getting sick.
The report then moved on to the story of another individual, Sharon Williams, who also began having health issues after receiving gadolinium contrast. Williams claims that her symptoms worsened dramatically after her fourth dose of gadolinium contrast -- and, ironically, she received a fifth dose for a brain MRI scan as doctors searched for the cause of her symptoms.
Williams said she also performed extensive internet research and identified gadolinium as the cause of her problem. Her suspicions were confirmed when part of her thyroid was removed and it had traces of gadolinium in it -- 51 months after her last MRI scan.
The show noted the March decision by European authorities to recommend that four linear-based gadolinium contrast agents be pulled from the market, and Williams is quoted as blaming the FDA for dragging its feet on stronger regulation of gadolinium. The FDA is planning a public meeting on gadolinium, according to "Full Measure."
