MRI results - please "translate" into non-medical English
Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 5:13 pm
Hi, all...
I posted a few weeks ago about some of the neurological symptoms that I've been experiencing intermittently. In the meantime, I've seen my PCP and related to her what was going on. I expressly made certain not to mention that I was beginning to suspect MS as the cause but that was her conclusion, as well, at the end of my visit. In an effort to rule out other issues, she ordered a comprehensive lab panel and that will be drawn this coming Monday.
She also ordered an MRI of my brain with and without "enhancement", or whatever they term it. She called today and gave me the results. Unfortunately, I was on my cellphone & driving at the time so I was unable to write any of it down. She did her best to try to explain it to me, but it still doesn't necessarily make all that much sense to me. I was hoping that someone here could "translate" the medical-ese into something that I can comprehend. I'll do my best to quote what it was that she told me:
"Multiple white matter lesions in both hemispheres, possibly suggestive of demyelinating disease but other differential diagnosis such as Lyme disease, vascular disease, neurosarcoidosis or other inflammatory process cannot be excluded."
She also mentioned something about "Dawson's fingers" but I'm pretty sure that she said no definitive evidence of that was noted. What I DO remember very distinctly was that she said that there was "no evidence of brain tumors" and that "this report is probably the most ambiguous, essentially non-informative radiologic reading that I've ever gotten". She then added with a slight chuckle, "Nothing quite like covering it all so you can't be accused of being wrong".
I am a 43 yr. old white female with absolutely NO medical history whatsoever. I have no chronic medical issues, I've never had surgery, I don't smoke, I don't drink and my last cholesterol level was excellent at 157. My last fasting blood sugar was 87. My blood pressure usually runs about 117/68. I have a very hard time believing that this could be a vascular thing because of those results. Additionally, I can not at ANY time recall having an embedded tick and/or the skin rash that is so connected with Lyme, so I have a hard time buying that, as well.
The intermittent symptoms I've had:
Extreme fatigue with emotional lability
Tingling/burning in my feet, legs, hands and forearms that worsens dramatically with a hot shower or hot shoes.
I get the sensation that I have a shawl over my arms when there is nothing laying over them.
Weakness in my legs and arms to the point that my muscles burn like I've run a marathon after climbing just one flight of steps.
Multiple muscles twitches in my legs, as though popcorn is popping in them.
The muscles in my calves & thighs get so tight it feels like there's baseballs lodged in them.
I find myself losing my balance in situations that I normally don't & I stumble when there's nothing there.
I have trouble reading because my vision gets blurry and the words "jiggle" back and forth on the paper.
I have an appointment with a neurologist on Oct. 20th to try to figure this out, but I was hoping to get your take on these MRI results. Do I have MS, or not?
I posted a few weeks ago about some of the neurological symptoms that I've been experiencing intermittently. In the meantime, I've seen my PCP and related to her what was going on. I expressly made certain not to mention that I was beginning to suspect MS as the cause but that was her conclusion, as well, at the end of my visit. In an effort to rule out other issues, she ordered a comprehensive lab panel and that will be drawn this coming Monday.
She also ordered an MRI of my brain with and without "enhancement", or whatever they term it. She called today and gave me the results. Unfortunately, I was on my cellphone & driving at the time so I was unable to write any of it down. She did her best to try to explain it to me, but it still doesn't necessarily make all that much sense to me. I was hoping that someone here could "translate" the medical-ese into something that I can comprehend. I'll do my best to quote what it was that she told me:
"Multiple white matter lesions in both hemispheres, possibly suggestive of demyelinating disease but other differential diagnosis such as Lyme disease, vascular disease, neurosarcoidosis or other inflammatory process cannot be excluded."
She also mentioned something about "Dawson's fingers" but I'm pretty sure that she said no definitive evidence of that was noted. What I DO remember very distinctly was that she said that there was "no evidence of brain tumors" and that "this report is probably the most ambiguous, essentially non-informative radiologic reading that I've ever gotten". She then added with a slight chuckle, "Nothing quite like covering it all so you can't be accused of being wrong".
I am a 43 yr. old white female with absolutely NO medical history whatsoever. I have no chronic medical issues, I've never had surgery, I don't smoke, I don't drink and my last cholesterol level was excellent at 157. My last fasting blood sugar was 87. My blood pressure usually runs about 117/68. I have a very hard time believing that this could be a vascular thing because of those results. Additionally, I can not at ANY time recall having an embedded tick and/or the skin rash that is so connected with Lyme, so I have a hard time buying that, as well.
The intermittent symptoms I've had:
Extreme fatigue with emotional lability
Tingling/burning in my feet, legs, hands and forearms that worsens dramatically with a hot shower or hot shoes.
I get the sensation that I have a shawl over my arms when there is nothing laying over them.
Weakness in my legs and arms to the point that my muscles burn like I've run a marathon after climbing just one flight of steps.
Multiple muscles twitches in my legs, as though popcorn is popping in them.
The muscles in my calves & thighs get so tight it feels like there's baseballs lodged in them.
I find myself losing my balance in situations that I normally don't & I stumble when there's nothing there.
I have trouble reading because my vision gets blurry and the words "jiggle" back and forth on the paper.
I have an appointment with a neurologist on Oct. 20th to try to figure this out, but I was hoping to get your take on these MRI results. Do I have MS, or not?