Mom who had a full-body scan ‘for fun’ learns she was ‘a ticking time bomb’ as test revealed life-threatening condition
Mom who had a full-body scan ‘for fun’ learns she was ‘a ticking time bomb’ as test revealed life-threatening condition
A mother went for a full body scan without any reason was shocked to learn that she had a “ticking time bomb” lurking in her body.
You can pay for a full MRI scan. Credit: Comezora / Getty
Sarah Blackburn, a young mom and viral TikToker, thought she was making a proactive move when she signed up for a full-body MRI with Prenuvo.
Instead, it launched her into what she called “the darkest two months that we’ve had as a family.”
“I had a full-body MRI just for fun. No symptoms whatsoever,” Blackburn said in a now-viral TikTok. She was expecting peace of mind — but got a diagnosis she never saw coming.
Blackburn took the $2,500 Prenuvo scan at its Houston location earlier this year.
Marketed as a preventative tool, the 60-minute MRI scans from head to ankle and promises to detect hundreds of conditions, including so-called “silent killers like aneurysms.”
The scans are not covered by insurance and are not meant to replace traditional screenings like mammograms or pap smears.
Still, for Blackburn, whose family has a history of cancer, the test felt like a worthwhile investment.
“I thought this would be a huge difference that could make or break the situation,” she said. “I can get ahead of this.”
She treated the experience like a day of self-care, even snapping selfies in her scrubs and watching Netflix during the scan.
“Everything at Prenuvo was great,” she recalled. “It did kind of feel like a spa day — until it didn’t.”
Four days later, around 8:30PM, she got her results — and everything changed.
Her report flagged an “important finding” under the circulatory system category: a splenic artery aneurysm.
The report noted that while most splenic artery aneurysms are incidental findings, “if a splenic artery aneurysm ruptures, there is a one in three mortality rate.”
“I just went into a full-blown panic attack when I got my results,” Blackburn said. “I literally felt like a ticking time bomb was in my body.”
What followed were countless appointments, consultations, and mounting anxiety.
“It was a really dark and hard two months, where I was spiraling and freaking out and seeing a lot of doctors and pretty much treating my body like glass because I had no idea about this,” she said.
A follow-up CT scan revealed not one, but two aneurysms.
Several doctors recommended spleen removal due to the size and location of the aneurysms.
Blackburn, who previously had a lesion show up in a 2020 ultrasound (that she never knew about), decided to go through with surgery.
“Read your radiology reports,” she told PEOPLE. “I did not read it. I just thought, ‘Okay, I’m going to get told everything that needs attention.’ But, that was not the case.”
Fortunately, her spleen removal surgery was successful. “I will be starting the journey of life without a spleen, which I think is going to be okay. It’s going to be better than having to live in fear of having a ruptured aneurysm,” she said.
Still, the experience has left lasting scars — particularly emotionally.
“I’m happy that I know about this and had the chance to decide what I wanted to do moving forward,” she shared. But she added that the ordeal triggered “debilitating health anxiety.”
“For the people who already have existing health anxiety, I truly don’t know if I can recommend it,” she said.
Despite that, Blackburn is happy she went through with it.
“I feel grateful,” she said. “I am happy that I know about this and had the chance to decide what I wanted to do moving forward.”
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