Glenn:

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS. If the man is telling the doctors "it's my back, it's my back", and then he goes to MANY orthopedists for second and third opinions (one was even referred to by his neurologist). and all of them looked at the MRI and ultimately said "no, it's definitely not your back", then how come, now, all of a sudden, he's being told "hmm, it might just be your back".

His chiropractor neurologist has all along indicated "there is something going on with your back". No one agreed.

But now they are sending him for another MRI??

what the heck. He's been having the neuropathy for 18 years, and NOW, THEY ARE CONSIDERING THAT IT MIGHT BE HIS BACK ALL ALONG???

What the heck does a person need? A Dr. House in his life all the time?

This is quite frustrating. Are there NEWER MRI machines that will show something different, than the original x-rays, mri's???

Thanks for letting me yell!!!

mel

--are generally quite conservative in attributin symptoms to spinal problems. In other words, unless there's a big honking abnormality, such as unequivocal spinal compression or osteophytic nerve root pressure, they're hesitant to attribute neural symptosm to something going on in the spine.

What also makes this difficult is that many people with big honking abnormalities may have minimal symptoms, and people without obvious abnormalities may have considerable symptoms.

And, radiologists are not all equal either--some are much better with CT's than MRI's, or with certian areas of the body compared to others. (It never hurts to get a second--or third--opinion of the films.)

There are now more powerful MRI machines than there were even in the recent past--higher magnetic Tesla ratings--as well as function MRI's; so getting a follow-up from previous results is essential.

The new tests refer to MOTOR issues.

I think this then signals more serious consideration. Sensory doesn't motivate doctors as much.

MOTOR ISSUES.
So does this refer to his balance, walking, etc? Because she told him "well, your balance is improved since you have been doing the IVIG (I'm just re-wording her exact words). She then changed him from getting IVIG every 4 weeks to getting it every 5 weeks because as she put it, "you are doing fine and I see some improvement".

So the IVIG is helping his balance issues and not his pain between the toes (when he adjusts his positions), so I'm thinking they are sending him for yet another MRI because they now think "Hey, the IVIG is helping his balance but his PN might be related to something in his back so let's get him another MRI and hopefully this new one will let us see something that we might have missed in the last MRI."

Did I get this right?

Thanks much

Mel

You will have to get out the older report and see if motor involvement was moderate on that one too.
Balance is different I think. This impression is referencing a previous study, which showed something else.

God, I wish I had your brains and your knowledge of ALL THINGS MEDICAL.

But I don't..so I have to rely on all the wisdom of my fellow people on these boards.

Thanks sooooo much.

Oh, just FYI, I've been growing sprouts in my kitchen. For 7 days now. And I just bought some seeds from ebay (from a reputable seller). It's much cheaper to grow your own sprouts then to go and pay $3.99 for a pint of them.

Guess what's been happening to my sugar? It got WAY BETTER. This morning it was 106. Can't remember the last time it was 106 in the a.m. And in the afternoon it's 126 sometimes. All this happened after I began to put sprouts in my diet. Who knew??? lol

I just might be able to go off my insulin when the Accord program ends for me in April.

hi there

Just a comment on the new glasses - apparently even glasses that are the same prescription are slightly different, which surprised the heck out of me. I replaced a pair of glasses (same reason, broke my glasses) and the new pair just plain felt weird for a while. I was told by my optometrist that this is usual, even though the prescription was the same. I did adjust pretty quickly (within days) so it was not a long term problem.

hope this helps

raglet

Hi Raglet:

Since he put back his old glasses (it's the former prescription from two years ago), he has not had one bit of problem.
So now he says "what am I supposed to do, well, I can go on the computer with my OLD glasses, and I'll try and walk around and do a test with the new replacement glasses.

See, the new replacement glasses were to replace the ones that he dropped (and THOSE GLASSES WERE THE ONES WITH A SLIGHTLY NEW PRESCIPTION). but he never had a problem with those.

It was only when he got the replacement glasses and wore them on the first day, and he was sitting on the computer and looking down at the keyboard that this "spell" happened.

The optometrist who prescribed the new ones (2 months ago), told him "I'm going to change the prescription a bit because you go on the computer a great deal of the time". Now after Alan got the Newer glasses (with the slightly changed prescription), there was no problem, no difference, no nothing. So he drops the glasses, the company replaces them, and BINGO, he gets the "spell".

We want to go back to the optometrist and say "these glasses make him dizzy", but Alan feels "gee, I only got dizzy for one second, and I can't tell the optometrist this, he'll probably say "give them a week".

Alan wants to put on the replacement glasses and see what happens. He wants to see if he gets dizzy again. I say "who on earth wants to get dizzy again?"

It's no fun. Especially when you have a history of vertigo.

And the optometrist is not the most FRIENDLY guy if you get my drift.

Not sure what he should do in this case. So far, (with the old pair), he is just fine.

melody

often enough prescriptions for lenses are not filled out correctly.
If it were me? I'd take them to an independent optician/optomotrist and have the lenses checked against your prescription.
I NEVER get a prescription filled out any more that I don't have a copy of! I've found too many errors in tests, prescriptions and bloodwork that wasn't done correctly to not do so!
Get those lenses checked, please! Errors can cause all sorts of peculiar problems... - j

PS good thing that they are double checking Alan's back, best to be safer than sorrier.