Anyone had unconcerning MRI of brain and had something show up on MRI of neck? - Multiple Sclerosis Message Board

accudata · 11-24-2004, 01:16 PM

When to see neurologist today with new MRI and MRI of 2 years ago. Felt there wasn't anything to be concerned about on the MRI of brain. Am scheduled to have an MRI of neck to check out neck and see if any deposits in neck area and also spinal tap. How is the spinal tap. I have a high pain tolerance. I am really not worried about spinal tap. Just curious. Has anyone had a normal MRI and found something in MRI of neck suspecting MS. I have had double vision. 6 years ago following third pregnancy and went away. Came back after my fourth pregnancy and stayed. However, did have some vision problems as a child. Started 2 months ago with arm having tingling in arms, (I have had some neck weakness over the years)moving to neck, abdomen and now in my legs. She feels that it is probably NOT MS related, just may be a neck problem. Any one had any personal experiences that may be of interest to me? as where MRI of brain showed nothing significant but MRI of neck did? I also get about 2 weeks a months where I wake up in the middle of the night having diffiuclty focusing my eyes together and feel a terrible nausea. Also get some vertigo while driving. She feels that this is a migraine.... This kind of puzzles me as I really don't get had pain with it.

Thanks for your help.

Joanne

tiresome · 11-24-2004, 04:29 PM

I have an appointment with a MS Specialist in Dec. My Reg. doctor suspects MS but wants the specialist to do all the tests. 10 years ago I had neck problems and MRI showed mild protrusion of disc 5-6. The doctor kept telling me that my symptoms (right arm going numb, weakness in arm, and pens and needles feeling) were too much for such a small protrusion. After 6 months he did a fusion and yet there was no improvement. The last MRI I had of my neck showed my fusion and the disc below it was protruding and directly across was a large white patch. The doctor who injected my spine with cortizone showed it to me. I asked him why there was no mention of it in the report, he was surprized and said he wasn't sure. I asked him what it was and he thought it was arthritis. I am going to take this MRI film and all my other ones over the years to my Dec. appointment. I PRAY he will be able to tell me what is wrong and hopefully find a way to relieve my symptoms as (to be perfectly honest with you) I feel I can't hold on much longer. Between the blurry vision, "waves" going through my head, dizziness, shin pain, weakness and awfull itching, I feel as if I am hanging on by a thread. If the Specialist says anything about the neck MRI I will let you know.

purple2067 · 11-26-2004, 12:26 AM

The reason that they do an MRI of the neck in MS patients or suspected MS patients is because they want to see if you have any lesions in your spine. It can certainly start there. My MRI showed lesions ib both my brain and spine, but I'm sure it can start with lesions just in the spine.

The spinal tap is not that bad. It does hurt, but the doctor will numb the area first. It just feels like a lot of pressure when they put the needle in. Just make sure that you lay down flat for several hours afterward (maybe even several days) or you will have the worst headache of your life. They stood me up to get me into a bed after the procedure, and as soon as I began to sit up, I got a headache. It was instantaneous.

Also, make absolutely certain that they draw your blood when you have the procedure done. My neurologist didn't do mine himself, because he wanted it to be guided by fluoroscopy (x-ray). So an interventional radiologist did it. He did a great job with the actual procedure, but he insisted that he didn't have to draw my blood, even though my neurologist gave me a prescription for blood tests that said they had to be done at the time of the procedure. They can't test your spinal fluid without your blood, and they can't test your blood without your spinal fluid. They use one to test the other and match up the anti-bodies. (They want to see if you've got anti-bodies in your spinal fluid that aren't present in your blood, and vice versa) I kept asking the doctor if he was sure that he didn't have to draw my blood. He insisted that those blood tests had nothing to do with the spinal tap and that I could have them done at any lab. (He thought my neurologist just wanted some regular blood tests) So I went home and went to the lab the next day. The lab tech said "sure, we can do these tests. I just need your spinal fluid. Do you have it?" (like I carry it around in my pocket!) We called my neurologist's office and his head nurse said "what do you mean they didn't draw your blood when you had the tap done? Are you kidding me?" She informed me that in order for them to be able to do the tests, my blood and spinal fluid had to be sent to the same lab. So I had to make the hour long drive back to the hospital where it was done, in the middle of a snow storm. (You can only save spinal fluid for a few days, so if I didn't get the blood drawn and have it sent out right away, the spinal tap would have been for nothing.) So they drew the blood and sent it to the same lab as the spinal fluid. My spinal tap definitely confirmed that I have relapsing/remitting MS.

This whole thing was a nightmare for me. Not the procedure, but the fact that the doctor was such an idiot and caused me so much undue stress. So I am telling anyone who will have a spinal tap done to MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT HAVING YOUR BLOOD DRAWN! (although it should not be the patient who has to tell the doctor, but doctor's don't know everything!)