[Freesia38]

I feel a bit nervous!
I asked the results to be sent to my GP as my neuro is on holidays for a month.

So many what-if's:
What if it's clear? - that would be GREAT!!, but stuck without an answer to all the sx until.. when??
What if I have lesions!???? - the GP won't be able to interpret it anyway, but IF I had lesions would it say "lesions suggesting demyelination"...or something like that?

What if it says something else that's weird!!??....

oh I'm worrying myself too much!

Ok, I'll ask something productive while I'm here - Is there a website/person who can help me interpret the report? I know the neuro should, but there's no way I could have waited a whole month for the results.

[kicker]

The first time I had a MRI, I used nursing encyclopedias (my aunt gave me) to look up unfamiliar technical terms (they translated to much more in my vocabulary terms.) Locations, etc. Don't get too concerned. Sometimes correlations between MRIs and the MS aren't real related or helpful, for some it is.. It makes the "experts" pause sometimes. Good luckwith everything and answers.

[Dejibo]

The first MRI that I had searching for MS, the MD called and listed off what the radiologist wrote on his report.

23 lesions peri ventrical. Suggestive of or can be caused by.

1. Drug abuse
2. Severe B12 Def
3. suggestive of a demylinating disease, such as MS, Lyme or Lupus.

Reccomend a follow up with neurology and Rhumatology for hematologic studies.

Then i was whisked off to a neuro. He had already done massive blood work to check vit levels, and markers such as ANA for lupus, and the lyme was negative. He knew I didnt abuse drugs, so...that left MS. While your personal MD may not be able to read the report, they have a report written by a person who can read it, and if anything shows, they will send you to the big boys.

Hang in there.

[kicker]

My first MRI, knowing nothing but being dizzy, worried it had to be a brain tumor. One friend made me laugh with silly e-mails, Doctor was on vacation and man, I was bursting. The nice secretary finally broke down, read the letter, looked at MRI (she'd been there a long time), told me to stop worrying But some secretaries will not. Is doctor around, can he call?

[kicker]

Be careful who reads MRI. While not a tumor, 1st MRI done by ENT for what I suspected was a vestibular disorder causing the dizziness. He or Imaging place never saw MS lesions, something MS doctor couldn't believe, he felt them very obvious. Just be careful who you listen to.

[Freesia38]

Spine MRI was absolutely all clear!!
Great, but frustrating.

Last time I saw neuro she said she'd repeat the brain MRI 6 months after the first one, which will be in November.

Such a waiting game.....

[jackD]

Back in 1995 when I had my first MRI. I just lied and told the radiologist my Neuro asked that I bring my MRIs with me on my next visit. So they gave me the plates.

Then I drove to the University of Maryland Bookstore and found the medical textbook section.

I found this HUGE book titled HOW TO READ AND INTERPERT MRIs AND CAT SCANS.

It took me several trips back to my car to hold my MRIs up to the sky to zero in on MS as the probable diagnosis.

In the typical case of MS it is quite easy to spot the pattern and location of those enhancing lesions.

jackD