Clare Garrett’s MRI Poisoning Leaves Her Wheelchair-Bound
At a Glance
- Clare Garrett was injected with gadolinium during an MRI in June 2024.
- She now uses a wheelchair 90% of the time after developing severe neurological symptoms.
- She is raising money for chelation therapy, each session costing $200 and additional treatments at $4,700.
- Why it matters: The case highlights rare but serious risks of contrast dye and the need for informed consent.
Background
Clare Garrett, a 45-year-old veterinary nurse from Camberley, was pet-sitting when she hit the back of her head on a kitchen cabinet in June 2024. She reported dizziness and concussion-like symptoms, prompting a medical evaluation that led to an MRI.
During the scan, she was injected with a contrast dye containing gadolinium to improve image clarity. The next morning she experienced intense reactions that would eventually progress to a debilitating condition.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Over the following months, Garrett’s health deteriorated. She described a progression from mild dizziness to daily collapses and severe pain. Key symptoms she identified after researching online included:
- Fatigue
- Brain fog
- Skin pain and discoloration
- Bone pain
- Muscle fasciculations
- Pins and needles
She noted that she could no longer lift her head off the pillow and that her connective tissue had “fallen apart.” She now uses a wheelchair 90% of the time but can walk with difficulty.
Medical tests revealed that gadolinium, normally cleared by the kidneys within 48 hours, remained at high levels a year and a half later. This persistent toxin buildup is consistent with rare gadolinium-induced nephrogenic systemic fibrosis.
Gadolinium and Health Impact
Gadolinium is bound by chelating agents that facilitate renal excretion. However, when the body fails to filter it out, the metal can deposit in tissues, causing systemic damage. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, such retention can lead to severe neurological and cardiovascular symptoms.
Garrett’s own words: “I was not told about the risks. I was told it would be removed from my body within 48 hours but blood tests now show it’s still very high in my body a year and a half later. I feel like I was poisoned by this chemical.” She described losing nearly all immune cells, experiencing mitochondrial damage, and rapid weight loss.
Treatment and Funding
The only viable treatment is chelation therapy, which binds heavy metals for excretion. Cleveland Clinic describes it as a medication taken orally or by injection. A single session costs $200, and the full course may require several months of treatment.
Additionally, Garrett will need in-uspheresis therapy-a dialysis-like procedure costing about $4,700 per session. These expenses are not covered by the National Health Service.
To cover the costs, she launched a GoFundMe campaign. She stated: “Sadly, my health has massively deteriorated and I am in severe pain with neurological and cardiology symptoms worsening daily. I am unable to work and now in a wheelchair … I also have lost nearly all my immune cells through this poisoning and have mitochondrial damage and fatty oxidative stress disorder and am losing weight rapidly.”
Call to Action
Garrett urges the public to support her campaign and to raise awareness about the potential dangers of contrast dyes. She added: “I really hope I’m not wheelchair-bound for life. It’s completely ruined my life. I know it’s a rare reaction but people should be told the risks. I definitely wouldn’t have gone ahead with it if I’d known the dangers.”
Donors can contribute through the GoFundMe link provided in her profile.
Key Takeaways
- A routine MRI in June 2024 exposed Clare Garrett to gadolinium, leading to a severe, lasting poisoning.
- Symptoms progressed over 18 months, culminating in wheelchair use 90% of the time.
- Chelation therapy and in-uspheresis are required but are not NHS-covered, costing $200 per session and $4,700 for dialysis-like treatment.
- Garrett’s case highlights the importance of informed consent and monitoring for gadolinium retention.
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