HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

MRI's done and now they need to do more

Support Forums
>
Multiple Sclerosis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 3/15/2008 2:03 AM (GMT 0)
Need experience to talk to me here cos inside I'm a little freaked out.

Had 3 hrs of MRI's done yesterday (brain, cervical and thoracic) both with and without contrast. It was horrible in that by the time I was done my body was totally spastic and ached everywhere!

Today they called cos the Radiologist wanta more Thoracic MRI's on Monday asap.

My imagination is running wild of course... is this SOP? (Standard Operating Procedure) Does this happen? The tech who did them was very thorough and meticulous and kind considering she knew it was painfully stiffening for me to be so still so long. She said they looked wonderful, came out great etc... so if they'd been wrong or bad, I'd have guessed they say one didn't turn out we need another etc... but not 'more'...

Praying for God to calm this child now.. :-)

Posted 3/15/2008 7:29 PM (GMT 0)
Hey D'awesome,
I really don't have an answer for you, however, my first MRI (NOV 06) showed a lesion on my cervical spine along w/ the ones on my brain. In august 07i had another series of MRI's. Nothing showed on my cervical spine, so they did call me back to come in to do another view or another axial view or something like that just to be sure, so maybe they are going to do that for you. My friend is an MRI tech and she told me that alot of times with cervical mri's they do not do all the view/slices like they do with the brain. I hope this helps or gives you a bit of peace today. Good Luck and i am sure everything willl be fine. Let us know how you make out.
Take care
Lynn
Posted 3/15/2008 11:12 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Lynn, that does help, cos naturally I'm running every nightmare thru my head. My dilemma has been that no lesions showed in my brain over a year ago... now maybe they're showing on the spine (thoracic) and maybe that's it, and they want more views... I am hoping... it's the longest of the MRI's too. :( I will keep ya posted, in the meantime, I'm figuring it's just one more hump to get over.
Posted 3/16/2008 1:24 AM (GMT 0)
Yikes! I hope everything goes alright! Good luck.
Posted 3/16/2008 1:20 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Tin Tri, I hope I won't have to wait too long for the answers and reasons for the more MRI's.
Posted 3/18/2008 3:15 AM (GMT 0)
I'm in the waiting game I guess now... seems the radiologist decided he needed the lumbar views as well as another view overlapping the thoracic view of the spine... tech explained that he's real thorough and wanted a complete picture. Yay. Now to hear from the neuro what they've found.
Posted 3/18/2008 11:50 AM (GMT 0)
Yes, sounds like he's being real careful and wants to get as clear an image as possible. It's possible that ..
you moved; the image was blurry; the image wasn't directly "overhead" something that appeared to be a lesion but might not be because the image wasn't clear; there was a "spot" on the film....

in other words, any number of "mechanical" things, too, can happen with an MRI. And he wants to be sure, before he "calls" it something it isn't.

At least the MRI is noninvasive! I'd hate to have to repeat a spinal tap, or something else where they're "poking around" inside!!
Posted 3/18/2008 1:41 PM (GMT 0)

Hey Deb,

I know that you did not enjoy the MRI and it caused you pain and discomfort with your spasticity but it is important to repeat whatever part they want to do over.  I know with one MRI I had what was read to be as a new lesion and it really scared me.  Upon reveiw by my neurologist, she felt it was an "artifact" or one of those spots on the film that Uppitycats mentioned.  I had no symptoms despite the large size of this lesions.  So this could be just to rule out a problem with MRI itself. 

I also know that you received your diagnosis without having lesions.  Please remember that MS is a progressive and incurable disease (for the time being anyway) and you may very well develop lesions over time even with treatment.  Lesions don't always correlate to disabilty.  Some poeple have many lesions and very few symptoms and some have just a few lesions and are quite disabled.  So keep the hope and try to enjoy each good day that you have.  This is a scary disease and I understand your fear.  We are here to support you. 

Love and prayers,

Posted 3/20/2008 3:28 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you both, Gretchen and Uppity... the tech was very clear that the other MRI's were fine but this radiologist told my neuro he also wanted the lumbar region and then overlap into the thoracic as well... I asked if I had moved or goofed up the other one... and she said no it was fine but this dr is thorough and wants an overlap and more... so I suspect he's found something that will confirm the symptoms... and yes, Uppity, I'm mighty glad it's not invasive! :) I'm just not good with the coffin like cylinder thing and noise. The tech does a good job though providing ear plugs, muffs and a cloth for my eyes... it does help.

The problem has been no lesions in the brain, but the neuro never checked the spine before and most all my major symptoms are below the waist in mobility, GI tract, but then the extremities of arms/hands/ and partial face numb spots and the optic neuritis, along with dizzyness/ imbalance, the eye tics, and spasticity etc all seemed to add up to just this MS.  So it may well be that I don't have many lesions but the ones I do are in critical areas. Heck one of his own big books (I had too much waiting time in his office one day) says 1% of the MS patients don't show lesions at all... so it's hard to confirm it then but it still happens.

I am enjoying this forum greatly... there's a lot of stuff a lot of people around well-meaningly want to share with me or tell me about but I've explained to them that I've got alot of resources and need to listen to experience (here) and my doctors first... then I'll listen to all the other stuff. Thanks always for being here... this has been a good refuge already.

✚ New Topic ✚ Reply