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Lesions on Brain MRI??

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Posted 2/2/2010 3:29 AM (GMT 0)
Hello Everyone,

Thank you all for your input on my chest pain posts and please keep it coming it is giving me some insight and helpful things to ask oneof my doctors, I don't know which kind, it's so nice to finally find someone who knows what you are feeling and to know that I am not alone in this horrible disease(s).

I have another question.  I have non-enhanced (with contrast) lesions in the periventricular and other parts of the white matter of my brain.  Sometimes they change in size, shape, number, appear and disappear, etc., that is why they thought I had MS all these years, but now my new MS dr is telling me she does not think I have MS due to the lesions not showing up with the contrast. 

Does anyone else have MRI's that show lesions on the brain that have these characteristics?cry

 

Fibro symptoms since I was child, Neuro symptoms since mid 1980's, Chronic Pain Syndrome 1992, Dx Hashimotos (negative yearly until) 1999, Dx Fibro 2000, Flip Flop SLE/MS from 2000 to Firm Dx MS 2004, TMJ 1988, Carpal Tunnel Both Hands 1990, Arthritis 1992, Degenerative Disk Disease 1997, GERD and Laporascopic Nissen Fundiplication Surgery to correct 2000, Depression Due to Health 2002, High Cholesterol 2009, High BP 2009, Type 2 Diabetes 2009, Now possibly not MS 2010, more but I don't have the list infront of me.

Meds will have to provide later, way too many. 

Thanks again, Prayers, Love and very Gentle Hugs......... gagirl63

Posted 2/2/2010 4:34 AM (GMT 0)
Dear gagirl63,

I'm so sorry to hear about all you've been through....your list of diagnosed diseases and *suspected* diseases is very similar to mine unfortunately. I do feel for you!

I have a question....one thing I have been dx with that's missing from your list is celiac disease, but I noticed that you DO have Hashimoto's and some researchers feel that you should automatically be tested for celiac disease if you have either Hashimoto's thyroiditis or Graves disease (autoimmune thyroid diseases).

Have you ever been tested for celiac disease? Here's an article on the relationship between thyroid disease and celiac disease:

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/latestresearch/a/celiac.htm

Celiac disease is known for doing many strange things to many different systems in the body, not just the intestines; it can definitely attack the brain and cause lesions, although the lesions are usually not in the same places that MS lesions typically appear. Atypical lesions are sometimes called UBOs....please read the following article about neurological damage caused by celiac disease; it explains things better than I can.

ezinearticles.com/?Brain-And-Neurological-Problems-Affect-Almost-Half-Of-Celiacs-Even-With-A-Gluten-Free-Diet&id=904155

Of course, I'm merely suggesting that you ask your doctor about the possibility of celiac disease; I'm not a doctor. I'm sure that there are many other conditions that might be responsible for your brain lesions. But I thought of celiac because I remembered that it could cause brain lesions too....not many people know that.

If you have been tested for celiac disease before, or do get tested in the future, please be aware that blood tests and even biopsies are frequently falsely negative. I've also heard that people with non-celiac gluten intolerance (NCGI) can have the exact same symptoms as celiacs, and there are no tests for NCGI, so the best way to tell if you have a gluten problem is to go gluten free for a couple of weeks and then try eating gluten again. If you have celiac or NCGI it will become obvious, because you'll feel better off gluten and worse when you go back on it.

I know that many, many people on another celiac forum I belong to have fibromyalgia as well....the two seem to go together.

You're in my thoughts and prayers....I hope you get some answers soon!
JoAnn
Posted 2/2/2010 5:55 AM (GMT 0)
Some of my friends with Lyme Disease had lesions that disappeared/reappeared and moved around. Treatment minimized or eliminated the lesions and many symptoms. Unfortunately, there are no reliable tests for Lyme so there are many false positives and false negatives. You can't rely on the test but if you educate yourself, it will be easier to decide if this is something you want to pursue.

JoAnn gave you some good info on celiac. If your doc will be testing you, either by a blood test or biopsy, make sure you eat wheat or gluten in the days before the test. If you aren't getting tested, you can cut it out (easier said than done) and see if it helps. I feel better when I don't eat wheat but not better enough to stick with it all the time.
Posted 2/2/2010 6:14 AM (GMT 0)
Georgia Girl,

We meet again so soon!  I just posted a reply to you on the MS board.

My understanding is that the contrast dye only shows whether your lesions are currently active.  People with MS often have brain lesions that are not active, the existence of the lesion itself still shows that you have the demyelination caused by MS.  One of the ladies from the MS board gets annual MRI's and she opts out of using the contrast dye.  Whether or not your lesions are active is immaterial, the fact that you have so many lesions and a diagnosis of MS should not be so lightly dismissed.  I am not sure that your current doctor really has a goood reason to question your diagnosis.  This is not to say that you shouldn't research other possible causes, but you should also make sure that you are being well taken care of.  You may want to consider looking for a new doctor. 

Posted 2/2/2010 8:15 PM (GMT 0)
JoAnn, that is interesting about Celiac, I thought it only affected the small bowel. I don't have time to spend on the other forums about other disorders I have but maybe I should take some time and learn about celiac, I was dxd in July.

 

Thanks for sharing that.

 

luv and hugs

Marlee

Posted 2/3/2010 10:30 AM (GMT 0)
HI gagirl63, a few years ago I was at the neurologist for help with my migraines. I did have as many fibro symptoms as I do now; am not sure if I had it back then or not. Anyway, I had an MRI performed and the neurologist showed me a lesion on my brain that sat right in the middle between left and right brain. I freaked out because my Mom had early-onset dementia. But he said not to worry too much, that he sees many migraine patients with lesions like mine. Now, I know that MS patients also get lesions, so I am wondering if I should be tracking it more diligently. I know I still get migraines, sometimes bad and sometimes with vertigo, so now I'm curious.
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