MRI Results? How long??

[feelbad]

believe me LB,i too have had many really crucial things not actually told to me over the years and ALWAYS obtain my own copies of any test results now on anything and everything.i have had really important things like an actual impinged c 7 nerve root actually witheld from me by my NSs nurse only becasue her 'boss' did it when he placed the hardware,luckily i had gotten my own copy the day before(i had already been waiting one week when i went and got it) so when she told me that everything was "just fine' and there wasn't anything found that actually could explain my symptoms.besides being just shocked since i had my report sitting right in front of me,i just said,well what about that impinged c7 nerve root that it states right on the bottom of page one?couldn't THAT actually explain my ongoing hell and the inability to actually move my neck to the right?she was sooo stunned and didn't or couldn't say anything right away.man was i ever pissed.she outright lied to me on the phone just to try and cover for the NS.what a *****.there have been other thingstoo.i am firm believer in advocating for yourself too or i would really have ended up screwed so many times during my ongoing saga.

the thing here is that you DO most definitely need to obtain that copy of the report.when is not always a huge issue but it just needs to be gotten so you CAN read thru it for yourself.but depending upon your overall level of knowledge and what is actually being MRIed or tested,in some cases,they DO very much want you to hear the initial read thru your doc,you can always get one from him at that same time too.some people just don't take bad news really well or can read things into stuff just based upon what they 'think' or assume a particular word or phrase actually means for them,ya know what i mean?but getting an eventual report IS crucial.in some cases,its just best to actually hear that initail word just fromyour doc and thats kind of how alot of places will feel too.i suppose if you absolutely wanted one before your doc actually talks to you you could,but seriously.in some cases,for certain patients,it could be a pretty traumatic ordeal,thats all i am trying to get across.not everyone is really prepared to hear certain types of news espescially if it is a cancer or brain aneurysm or something.i went thru the aneurysm thing too and believe me,hearing that one from my NS was probably the best way to break that one to me since it shocked the heck outta me.but he gave me the report right then too when i asked,and one was also sent to my home about a week later.they purposely hold back the report sent to the patient about a week after they know the doc has it.you just don't always know what any actual MRI is going to find in you ya know?i also had a big 'suprise' that was found inside my spinal cord that just blew me out of the water when all i went for was a simple c spine MRI to determine what disc was herniated.didn't see that one coming either,that news also came from my doc which i was very thankful for.but in that case too,i got an immediate copy.just making certain you obtain one as soon as you hear the news is good enough for me.that way i can ask questions too but still hear anything icky from my doc.its just easier to hear it than to start reading all this crap that you really are not too certain of at the time ya know?as long as a patient actually obtains that report soon after the doc tells them whats up,its usually kind of the best way to go in many cases.but yep,ALWAYS always obtain your own copy,even if your doc tells you everything is "just fine',those are the ones you really have to worry about the most in alot of cases.

M38,just where was this MRI done on,what area,your brain?if they recommend another type of scan,trust me its probably for a very good reason and it should be followed up on soon.heck my rad place called me as i was walking in my back door after just leaving the place after having the MRI done on my brain?told me i needed to follow up with an MRA as soon as possible just for 'clarification" purposes?turned out they had suspected a brain aneurysm but it didn't show too much on the MRI.the MRA actually confirmed it.i would highly recommend when you see that neuro to repeat the scan in whatever way they feel they need to,seriously.in what ever place,the brain the c spine?you had the original done.just what are your actual symptoms?sorry i havent been to the boards you posted on.you DO most defintiely need to find out just what is actually in the report as soon as possible just so you actually can read what that rescan is all about and the "spongy part"?something is there that i think your doc is defintiely not telling you about,or it would be appearing that way to me.you should have been given the paper copy too i am wondering why THAT is actually on a disc?either go to your docs office or directly to the place you had it done and request a paper copy.you just really need to "see' that report for yourself.when you actually obtain it,just post the summary here and we can see whats up,K?you could post it here or on the 'brain' board?it all depends on where your scan was done on.that brain board is pretty helpful.it has been for me anyways.you just really need to know whats up.hopefully this isn't a really huge thing.please keep us posted.marcia

[Mommev38]

I talked to my doctor again today because she was trying to get me in sooner with the neurologist with no luck. He's very backed up. It's April 17th that he will see me or if he gets a cancellation. Yes, The MRI was on the brain/head. I've had on on going migrain on the left part of my head for over two weeks now and NO meds (Even narcotics) have made it go away. Now the left side of the head also has a numbing sensation to it too with a dull pain that's always there towards the left front and is sometimes stoger at times than others. When I get a full migraine pain now, it his on the right side of my head which happened on Fri morning and Saturday morning but my Zomig took care of that pain. I never used to get the pain on the right side of the head before. I've also started right eye twitching on a daily basis, I'm tired all the time, I'm nauseas a lot, I lose balance at times, I don't make sense when I talk sometimes, My memories not really good. I am so frustrated right now taht nothing is being done to help me out and that I'm not getting any answers right now. I had a friend take the disk home to see if she and her husband could get it working to print out the report for me so I could look it up on the computer or get some help from people on here. The meds I am taking right now are Effexor(Antidepressant), Topamax(200mg) and Propranolol(60mg) to prevent the migraines. For the Migraines: Zomig and Butalbital(only if necessary). Any advice or comments, I'll take.....

[feelbad]

i did finally lookup your symptoms on one of the boards you posted on.getting that MRI was really a great idea and needed at this point just to see if there could possibly be "something' other than just plain migrane that is causing your symptoms.i too get migrane,started when i was only 13.back then,nothing,i mean nothing was even invented yet that helped.i now take midrin for mine.but what your symptoms have been,this doesn't actually sound like 'just' classic migrane anymore.

did they actually use a contrast agent when they did your MRI or just the regular MRI?the contrast would help alot in highlighting certain areas,espescially the important arteries within the brain much better vs without.if you didn't have the contrast,this may be why they want a new scan.either way,if they actually recommended it,i would push your doc to the wall to get it re done,seriously.there is a reason they want to do this that just has to be followed up on or they wouldn't have stated it,you know what i mean?hopefully you can get that report real soon.you just need to know what the heck is in it.once you obtain that report i would seriously go back to your doc and demand it get done(the new scan) if it says its needed,or just ask your stupid doc why HE feels you don't actually need it?thats just a stupid thing to do when it comes recommended for some reason in that report ya know?a primary doc just simply does NOT have the level of knowledge of the brain and all the possible issues that can arise to even be qualified to have you not actually obatin that new scan.like i said,there IS a good reason it is being recommended.if your doc wont budge here,simply find a new primary that actually gives a rats butt about his patients.you DO have that power to leave and find better help too.you just really do need to advocate for yourself ya know?please let us know whenyou find out what is actually in the summary of the report.thats where they place any real findings.FB

[Mommev38]

I picked up the paper report. No, I didn't have the injection with the first MRI. That's what the radiologist wants done with the 2nd MRI which I don't understand why the neurologist wants to wait for me to have that done until after I see him which may not be until April 17th. I just don't get it! Here's the report from the MRI of my head:

FINDINGS: There is a patchy area of high signal intensity in the right pontomedullary junction, seen only on the T2 fat saturation, best seen on image No. 4 out of 30. There is no signal intensity abnormalty on the Flair sequence. There is no restrictionj to diffusion.
There is no intracranial hemorrhage. There is no mass effect. There is no midline shift. There was no contrast administered. The visualized portions of the orbits and paranasal sinuses appear unremarkable. There is normal gray/white matter differentiation.
IMPRESSION: Focal abnormality of a slight area of patchy high signal intnsity at the right pontomedullary junction, seen only on the T2 fat saturation, image NO. 4 out of 30. Repeat imaging with gadolinium enhancment is recommended.
Let me know if that means anything to anyone. Thanks!

[HHJ]

Mommev 38.....
I can't decifer your MRI report, but I can sympathize with you. I too am waiting for my MRI report on my brain. My primary care physician sent me to a neurologist for what seemed like an ongoing migraine (for 5 or 6 months now). My pain is on one side of my head/face/eye. I also have pain in the hand and wrist on that same side and my nose runs on that side. Nothing even touches the pain. It hurts for me to put on makeup, and I can't even sleep for this pain. I quite often get my words mixed up...and I especially get left side and right side very confused for some reason. The neurologist told me that I have cluster headaches. He put me on prednisone, oxygen to inhale, lidocaine to put into my nose and numb it, Depakote ER, then Imitrex. Then he arranged for me to have an MRI of my brain. It was done without contrast; then when the technologist was finished, he turned around and injected me with the contrast dye and did it with contrast....so hopefully I won't have to go back. Right now, I just sit and wait. No news is good news; but then like so many others I sit here and wonder did the radiologist send my report, did it get lost, is the doctor in this week? Every time the phone rings I jump out of my skin. Out of all the meds, prednisone probably helps the best, but I don't want to live on it. I just want to be myself again.