MRA...an mri of the arteries...but what are they looking for?
 

Went to neuro today. told him all my symptoms...especially how i don't sleep...just a somber state. I take xanax at night and he increased it..but also suggested taking it during the day. even the smallest dose i can't take...i'm a zombie all day. Can't function enough to take care of the kids.

every noise bothers me...even my own voice vibrates in my head.
everything overstimulates me..even just conversations---and I barely leave the house. I'm in a constant headache and lately facial pain. Told him about the pain in my inner ear and above it too.

so he ordered another mri and an mra... didn't say what he was looking for...beat around that question..."well..let's see what the test has to say"

so...what's the MRA for??

Possibly checking for blood clotting.

its 7 1/2 months...i'd be dead by now!!!

seriously...could that be it?

I think there are some types of clots that can be there for a while without immediate death ;-). Don't worry too much, you'll have plenty of time to do that later if they find something. I had an MRA pretty recently and mine was clear, wish that meant all the yuck symptoms were gone too!

Blood clotting usually is absorbed shortly after three days post injury. There are some arterial and venous issues that can be found with MRA. I have some 'outpouching' that is considered of minimal consequence.

I wonder if it is the cause of my head aches. Does it swell during higher blood pressure events? My neuro is retired so I can't ask him. I just read the report from the MRA a few years ago and even saw the images. Very interesting tangled web of vasculature.

But, my head aches are usually between the temples. The outpouching is more posterior than that.

fyi, The image is produced by process of elimination. The first MRI is done with normal imaging parameters that image all of the brain structure. The second MRI is done with parameters that do not image the vascular structure. They subtract the second image from the first image and what is left is just the vascular structure. The image looks like the blood vessels are hanging in space.

My neuro ordered the same thing and he was looking for blood clots or something like that. Basically they can get stuck somewhere and you can be fine for years and then suddenly something lets them loose and then trouble starts.
For me I think he thought that when I initially hit my head it might have caused something that would come up later to haunt me. It is nice to know there just isn't that problem waiting to happen I have enough already!

Good Luck
Margarite