How medical physics changed my life

ILLUSTRATION BY RUTH MACAPAGAL

As I lay in the MRI machine, the claustrophobic walls were mere inches away from my face, with thunderous banging in the background . The noise was overwhelming, even with the hospital-issued headphones.

“Stay calm,” I told myself.

There were only 30 minutes left until I was free from the minuscule chamber. After this, I would finally know why I had severe back pain at the age of 15. Yet, the results were normal and I was left in the dark.

Medical physics once disappointed me, but it eventually became a passion I pursued. When I was 14, pain started to consume my back. At times, it was a dull pain and a minor inconvenience. Other times, it was all-consuming.

I was left lying in my bed, praying for the paracetamol to take effect.

After a few months, my mom brought me to see a rheumatologist, who recommended an MRI scan. During the scan, I was filled with hope. At last, I would know the cause of this debilitating pain. However, when we received the results, the radiologists said everything was normal.

Though it seems contradictory, I was disappointed that nothing was wrong. I did not understand how the scan could be clean if I felt extreme pain. Medical physics, the one thing that was supposed to help, ended up betraying me.

Real-world applications

For the next year, I was left with a small grudge against this technology. However, during tenth grade, my science teacher asked me to do a speech in front of the school summarizing the main points of a specialist talk on Physics.

It was a medical physicist who talked about the physical principles behind MRI machines, X-rays and even cancer treatments, explaining the topic in such an interactive manner that it piqued my interest in the field.

Physics is one of my favorite subjects, and the real-world applications of these concepts fascinated me.

A few months later, I participated in a particle physics summer program. During the first day, we were asked to pick a research project, where we would shadow an experienced scientist.

The topic that most interested me was the application of the FLASH effect on cancer treatments, which fell under medical physics.

This specific experiment was a novel technology that aimed to destroy cancer cells using particle accelerators while leaving healthy cells untouched.

Throughout the program, I learned about the mechanisms behind these technologies, including their downsides. They are great tools to use, especially when it comes to chemotherapy, but they are only pieces of a puzzle in diagnosing and treating illnesses. With this in mind, I came to terms with both the benefits and limitations of medical physics.

Evolving discipline

It is not the one solution to diagnostics, but is a powerful aid for unraveling medical mysteries. Personally, my back pain was a mechanical problem, triggered by bad posture and overexertion. The MRI scan allowed my doctor to rule out any severe issues, even if it did not tell us anything about my condition.

Severe back pain is an excruciating experience, especially when diagnostic tools are unable to help doctors figure out the problem. It led to me feeling disheartened by medical physics technologies, as even an MRI scan did not help my doctors. However, learning about the science behind this technology gave me a sense of appreciation for the field.

Though medical physics once failed to give me answers, I am now eager to contribute to this ever-evolving discipline. Living without a diagnosis has inspired me to delve more into medical diagnostic technologies. I aspire to gain more knowledge about the field and eventually innovate cutting-edge diagnostics technologies using principles of medical physics.

Even if I did not learn about my condition from this technology, I hope to one day further develop MRI scans as a biomedical engineer to help others gain their diagnosis. Rather than simply accepting limitations, let’s choose to learn, innovate solutions and break these boundaries. —CONTRIBUTED