Looking at your own films - Multiple Sclerosis Message Board

Shadowrider · 10-16-2005, 10:53 AM

I had an experience yesterday that threw me for a loop. I had been researching on the net and found that there is a newer MRI that has higher Resonance (3.0). So, thought I'd look at my MRIs to see what their resonancy was. (1.5)

I know that my neuro brusquely looked at my films. I read on this board where you should not trust the radiologist reports, but take them to your neuros and have them read them. Well, I know my PTP did not look at them because he never had them. And my neuro, as I said, brusquely looked at them and relied on the written report.

I began looking at mine (up to the light of the window) and comparing them to the earlier ones (Sept 05 vs June 04) and whadayaknow but I found two lesions not on the earlier one! The one is really, really evident, it shows up on several pictures very clearly and is definitely NOT in the earlier image.

As most of you reading this know, I am not suspected as having MS but am a head injury survivor (I don't go to the brain board because no one there seems to write about injury, and from this injury, I have so many of the same sx as you MS'ers do). And I did have a couple of events after my initial injury where I ran into low doors and got woozy and nauseous and my right arm burned afterward, and these might have reinjured my brain.

But, the lesson learned is to always insist your neuro look at your films in front of you and give them a good study. I know Lilc does this, but she has an exceptional neuro!!

I will definitely be taking these to my appt on Tuesday at the neuro. I matched the films together, each "page" from '04 paperclipped with the match from '05, and I used sticky notes to point to the lesions I see in Sept that were not there in 04. Mostly to remind myself, as like so many of you, my memory is quite poor unless it's something I've really encoded into my memory (I've been doing some memory study and it's quite interesting).

I kno this is long, but you know me!! Thought this might be interesting to some of you and also get some to really pay attn to those MRIs...and YOUR messages here are what led me to look at mine in the first place. THANKS!!

SHAD

lilc · 10-16-2005, 12:03 PM

Shad, in another post you asked for feedback from medical professionals. I have found that, over time, my neuro has become comfortable with me and my interest in my films. This is a neuro you've seen before, right?
Having said that, I'll tell you what I did: I innocently asked, "What about this?" and pointed to a lesion. Frankly it took a while of her studying them (she asked me to leave them with her for a few weeks) before SHE saw all of them. So I think your plan is a good one, as long as you know they won't get p.o.'d with you!

Shadowrider · 10-16-2005, 12:25 PM

Hi, Lilc, Well, I've seen this neuro twice, and he's the only neuro my work comp PTP has sent me to, my first appt with him was Aug. 12, 05 (my injury was April 9,04)

He's young (when I visited his office for the first time and saw a picture of him racing his motorcycle, I commented on it and he said, "Yeah, isn't that SICK!") ha

But I like him...he has recognized that my brain injury was much more severe than the PTP has admitted, and he told me so. He is 3 hours away and that is rough, but I feel like he's worth the drive. SO, saying that, perhaps what I'm seeing is nothing. I'm not thinking MS, I've been talked out of that. And I've seen on websites that MS lesions are diff. than brain injury (Dawson's Fingers) and different in placement and size (my brain injury lesions are pretty large, like the size of a dime and one the size of a quarter). but it just shocked me that this was not picked up by either the radiologist or the neuro (well, I"m not shocked by the latter because he really did not look at them).

I take your advice to heart, in saying "What about this?" instead of "I found something yooooou didn't, na da na da na DA!" ha! No, I'm going to use that phrase, it will be perfect and honoring of the neuro, who has always been very honoring of me, and that is why I like him.

You are blessed with an exceptional neuro tho, I think. Personally (and I'm no feminist type) I think some male neuros might have this stereotypical characterization of whining and complaining women. It's not their fault, really, it's the culture of this world often times. I think your neuro being a woman herself is probably helpful. Just throwing a thought out there. As I said, I really do like my neuro, I wouldn't drive 6 hours back and forth to see him if I didn't.

thanks for the reply. I shouldn't have asked just for med. pros to reply to that other post, I think. But I did wonder if any of these RNs could tell us what is going on behind the scenes (I watch ER every week, you know, tee hee).

Shad

duttin · 10-16-2005, 02:06 PM

Shadowrider,
I learned a long time ago not to include the radiologist report ,when seeing a neurosurgeon or neurologist,it does tiff them,but when paying good monies for good health care they can at least take the time to read an mri.
I'm waiting to get my mri's on tuesday,they're done t3 and the images are much clearer,I learned to read my own and correct the reports after an extensive back surgery and they would write the report with the hardware in the wrong spots.

Toni

Shadowrider · 10-16-2005, 02:50 PM

Wow, Toni...what a wealth you have learned from the school of hard knocks! Too bad we have to go thru these things at all, when we are supposed to be relying on the "experts." I guess the bottom line is, they just can't care as much about it as we do...

thanks, good idea about not including the report! Kinda sneaky...I like it!