How a Comprehensive, Full-Body MRI Prepared To Launch Me Into the Next Decade

I turn the big 4-OH in three months. As the milestone birthday looms ever so near, I find myself gravitating towards tools intended to optimize my health and vitality. Sure, I still drink a large Diet Coke from Sonic every day, but I also started a vitamin regimen and placed a Grüns order (I cannot yet report back on whether the flavor is palatable). I signed up for private Pilates sessions on the reformer with a trainer. I even included a Nutrafol subscription as one of my “wellness wonders” in our recent editors’ round-up.

Do we ever really know, though, what’s going on underneath the surface? Because I want to enter this next decade of my life with information and knowledge about my health serving as my guide, I decided to have “one of those full body scans.” You’ve probably heard others mention them (and been curious about the process), so let me walk you through my experience.

Inside Texas-Based Dragonfly Scan

I chose Dragonfly Scan, a family-owned business that recently launched statewide with six locations across Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and El Paso. The premise and promise are simple: prevention is power, and early-detection imaging provides powerful insight into your health. Instead of ominously waiting for symptoms to alert you to a greater issue, let’s pop the proverbial hood and take a look at what’s going on right now.

“People shouldn’t have to wait for symptoms to learn something is wrong,” says Robert Shields, co-founder of Dragonfly Scan. (Shields is also the owner of MRI Centers of Texas, which he’s operated for more than 24 years.) “We’re giving Texans the ability to truly know more about their bodies — earlier — so they can make informed decisions, take action, and in many cases, prevent a bad outcome altogether.”

The Process

A few days before my appointment, I had a brief screening phone call to review my medical history. It also provided an opportunity to ask any questions I had about the scan itself.

Per the instructions, I arrived at Dragonfly Scan’s clean and modern Plano location 15 minutes prior to my scan’s start time. The technician introduced himself and led me to a dressing room with lockers, where I changed into a pair of scrubs and fuzzy socks. He provided me with an eye mask, as well as an aromatherapy patch to calm my nerves about feeling claustrophobic.

Right on time, we got started. The supremely kind technician made sure I was comfortable every step of the way. (He even asked my favorite comfort show on Netflix, so I could opt to have that playing the entire time. You could also listen to your favorite podcast or artist. Whatever makes you the most comfortable!) As a claustrophobic person who has had brain MRIs in the past, I operate with one guiding piece of advice: close your eyes before you enter, and don’t crack them open until you’re out. Thankfully, I can report that Dragonfly Scan’s machine was larger than I’ve had before, and I felt comfortable for the duration of the non-invasive, injection-free, radiation-free full-body scan. You wear headphones (the machine can be quite loud), and I elected for spa music to play since I treated the process as a meditation session. In less than 45 minutes, it was over. A piece of cake, really.

What Exactly Are They Looking For?

What exactly are they looking for? The comprehensive images can reveal early indicators of cancer, neurological conditions, vascular disease, and other serious health issues, often years before they’d otherwise be discovered.

“What makes Dragonfly Scan different is not just the technology. It’s the leadership and intention behind it,” says Faith Shields, co-founder of Dragonfly Scan. “We’ve seen patients who felt perfectly healthy discover something early, take immediate steps with their doctors, and avoid a far more difficult diagnosis later. That’s the power of early detection. That’s prevention in action.”

The Dragonfly Scan team told me that I’d receive my results within five business days, but later that same day, I received an email that my results were already available. I scheduled my follow-up call (a “guided clinical consultation”), which is included in the $2,500 comprehensive whole body scan. Because my father is a physician and I have a concierge internal medicine doctor, I asked for the results to be emailed to me so I could share the report with them, too.

A nationally-renowned radiologist team— led by Dr. Robert Stark and Dr. Omer Aras— oversees the interpretation of all scans alongside the Shields. This foundation ensures that Dragonfly Scan delivers the highest standards of accuracy and insight.

The Follow-Up

In my follow-up call, the clinician walked me through my results, translating medical jargon into layman’s terms that I could understand with confidence. I felt overwhelming relief with my scan results. (My brain is healthy! I have a “favorable risk profile” for future cardiovascular issues!) The goal is to equip patients like me with actionable insights to share with their physicians, which is exactly what I did. I need to build some muscle. The scan also revealed a cyst that’s probably no big deal, but something my primary care doctor will keep an eye on in the coming years. I would have never known about it otherwise.

So, what’s my review? I wholeheartedly recommend the process and would encourage you to do it if you’re even remotely interested. Obviously, an elective $2,500 scan is a luxury. Is there a better investment than your health, though? Dragonfly Scan handles the process, which can seem intimidating, with care and dignity. Somehow, they make an MRI seem elegant.

I look forward to walking into the next decade, empowered with knowledge… and ready to build some muscle.