you brought up a point on the SCS. I can't have anymore MRI's due to the VNS I have in me.

Tayla is right the noise like a jackhammer really bothered me. I'd forgotten that.

I have trouble as I said with smells, noises, and even cars that hit bumps or ride bumpy make me nuts.

Dana I hope you feel better soon.
Ada

Hi everyone,
Well the results are in.

FINDINGS: There is adequate alignment of the cervical vertegral bodies. The height is maintained. No focal marrow signal alteration is noted. There is decreased in disc hydration involving the cervical discs. The cervical spinal cord appears normal in size and configurtion. No focal signal alteration is noted.

1. Multilevel degenerative disc changes.

2. Mild acquired spinal stenosis at the level of C5-6. This is due to a 3mm broad based central disc protrusion with right uncovertebral hypertrophy. There is moderate right neuroforaminal narrowing.

3. 1-2mm central disc bulging at the level of C3-4 and 1-2mm central disc protrusion at the level of C4-5. No central spinal stenosis or central cervical spinal cord compression. No neuroforaminal narrowing at these levels.

I will say that my experience of the MRI rumbles really did me in. Obviously because of the above problems and my upper RSD.

I am having a very difficult time with leg pains - both sides. Mostly ankles.

So that is it for now. Recommendation from PM doc is to see the neurosurgeon for his opionion. Ok...don't want to see him. Somehow I think they have a tendency to use knives! I don't like the word surgery..so I will probably wait for a bit. I chose not to have a nerve conductivity test. Why? I say.

Toodles. Dana

dana,

don't blame u for not wanting to see a surgeon....you're right, what surgeons do is surgery! (it's not just a clever name!)......did the pain doc have any other ideas?

last time i saw the neuro, he wanted to do an emg, and like u, i refused.....he said that it was a while since i'd had one and wanted to see if i'd had any add'l damage.....i asked him what would change based on the results of the emg, and he said 'nothing', so i told him i wouldn't do it unless there was at least the possibility of something in it for me.....he said he liked my logic but not my conclusion.......tough, doc!....u think i should go thru that test just because you're curious?

i know a woman who has problems with her back that sound similar to yours....she goes to the same PT place where i go.....she swims laps, does water walking and a bunch of other exercises....she says that only the aquatic therapy has helped.....the other PT she had didn't do much for her.....maybe something to keep in mind?

i wish they'd found something easier for u to deal with!

liz

Liz,
Very interesting. Our minds think alike. If a test is not going to change our treatment plan then why take the test at all? Nerve conductivity test, just sounds like it will cause me more pain.

Last time the pain level rose I did have PT, traction, etc. No water therapy. I had thought about joining a club where they had a pool, but never did. Hmm. So we shall see. For now, the pain has subsided. I'm glad for that. What is very bothersome is my ankle, thumbs, and shoulders. And believe it or not...I have bladder problems. I think I'm getting old. lol.

I'm off to do a bigger battle. My teeth! Some may recall that I did major work a 1.5 years ago. Onwards for me. I'm going in for round 2. Wish me luck.

Dana

nice to see you posting........

sorry for the pain from the mri....glad that it is starting to subside.............

now onward for the teeth.....will you still need your mouthguard? sure hope that your teeth dont' cause you too much pain......'

and don't let your phone do anymore swimming.......... :P ahhhhhhhh sounds so familiar..........

great talking with you.....big gentle hugs, and don't worry, things will work out fine..........

i almost had a panic attack while i was in there. i have crps type 2 in my upper extremity and i made it all the way through but i was in so much pain my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest.

Hi, thank god i found this site ive been looking for weeks about MRI vibration i thought i was all in my head and the nurses at the hospital thought i was lieing. . I went for a scan on my neck and even no it was a little uncomftable staying still i thought just get it over with but then my neck to my fingers started getting very painful and tingling and my side started to tighten up. It was if i was grabbing hold of something but my side to my fingers wouldnt release its grip and i had to press the thing. When i came out the machine i was dizzy as anything and tears streamed down my face the nurses said whats wrong and i explained. Im sure there thought i was lying until i stood up and blacked out. Ive got another scan coming up and i no its going to hurt like hell. But atleast i now no its the vibration as i thought i was going daft lol. I do have a high tolerance to pain but not what i felt in the MRI machine. I have a problem with any vibration like speakers lol.

One thing i did laugh at was the nurse left the speaker on and said he wouldnt be any good at using vibrators. I told her u left the speaker on and laughed her face was bright red made up for the pain. Lol

You know I never thought about the vibration from the MrI machine. (then again i haven't had an mri since my rsd dx.) but that is a good point. If the wind is bothersome or clothes then of course the vibration will be also.

You should call your dr. and ask if there is any other type of test you can do and explain to him what happened?

Hello to everyone!
I thought this would be a good thread to post this bit in.

Yesterday, I had a 'Bone Scan'.
Since I recently changed doctors, the new one. An Internist, wanted some new info.
I was assured that it's now less than a CT scan's worth of radiation.
I went, was injected (with the radioactivity), then was released for two hours.*
Had lunch, came back, they had a nice lounge where I could adjust the lights and the tv.

The tech. Was Ultra Knowledgable!
She asked some very pertinent questions, and knew what rsd, tos, tbi and all those kind of things not only stood for, but What they were, and how they effected us!

On to the test, I was to take all metals out of my pockets, but was able to leave on my jeans with their rivets. An ultra modern machine. I was asked to lay on a curved stainless steel 'tray', that was cover with that 'crinkly' paper. But, I only had on a t shirt,, and my arms were able to touch the SS. Agony within a minute, because it felt cold! The tech wrapped me in a blanket, and tucked it under my arms. Then, there's a scanner above me, somewhere between 20x20 to 25x25, which she assured me, would never touch me. There was an X on the center of it.
She was about to start the test, and said OK, don't move. Instantly Ya'll know what happens, you get an itch on your face, or somewhere. I'm trying to blow air up to where it itched, and no luck. Well I had not heard a sound, yet. So, I took the chance, and scratched it. There goes the noisy paper, and I get 'corrected', kindly. The whole test only took 20 minutes. I heard nothing, and no sense of motion. Finally I see some fixtures on the ceiling, coming slowly into view. Then I noticed, I don't know if all are like this, but a breathe half a dozen times normally, then take a bigger breathe. That scanner was down to within 1\2" of me, and on that larger breath, it actually moved up and down with my diaphragm! Weird, so I had to test it again! Yep!
Then, at the end, the worst. I had to turn my head to one side, for four minutes. I'm still not right today, my neck and arm are so painful! Oh well.
I was able to get a good look at the monitor which isn't nearly as clean as the film, but, what I saw was annoying. I looked like a Blood Angel, my entire scapula and thoracic spine were BLACK, (the monitor is a negative), the spots which I figured were green stick breaks on three ribs. (Besides the two horrible auto accidents, I was assaulted last Dec. Knocked down from behind and kicked repeatedly), therefore the rib breaks.

Well, I'm not a doctor, nor do I have any training in reading these things, but I had a bone scan about 25 years ago, when my TOS / RSD pain was centered between my shoulder in my spine, and that are lit up! The doc kept telling me, no that's nothing! I kept pointing to it and saying that's' it! Now, I know when a doc says 'that's nothing', it means, that's nothing I can fix!

*One last suggestion, if you live anywhere where you can get to a local 'imaging' center, they usually have 'Open' MRI's' do sleep studies, and are very patient oriented, (unlike hospitals for outpatients), I highly suggest you use one of these!
You'll be a lot more comfortable than in an out patient hospital setting....


All be well!
Don't let the pain 'become you'!

Pete

hmm so many mri,s with so many stories.. getting into the machine sucked alone as I am claustrophobic. so I need to trance out to deal with that.. the way I do it is focus on the noise of the machine but after the RSD came into my life?? pain galore,, I hate them even more now...