Today I had another MRI of my C spine done, 3 months after the last one. This time it was done on a T2 machine- what a difference! In the first, inhomogeneity was noted in the spinal cord, so the radiologist could not rule in or out any lesions. Highly recommend going for higher resolution machines; even without a radiologist report yet, I can see no spinal lesions.
Tests to date:
Brain MRI’s show numerous lesions which the neuro says are not typical of MS (pix are posted in my profile).
LP came back clear, with no O bands. Comprehensive panel ruling out many mimics.
Spinal MRI does not appear to show any lesions (pix are so clear on the most recent that I feel comfortable making that statement before receiving the radiologist’s report).
Visual Field test- normal
Blood tests- normal, rule out many mimics.
Post might be long as I’ll be giving history to ask for guidance.
On the most recent MRI, I can see much clearer now compression on the spinal cord. My neuro thinks that a lot of my sx are due to degenerative disc disease in the C and L spine. I also have cysts in the L and T spine that impinge on nerves. Last L spine MRI was done years ago, so I don’t know how much more nerve damage has taken place which might explain increasing weakness and pain in my legs over the last year.
DDD would definitely fit the picture for some of my sx, but not all and does not explain why I have so many lesions on my brain.
DDD would/could explain:
Paresthesia- numbness and tingling in right hand, weird sensations on lower legs.
L’Hermittes sign
Gait and balance problems
Bowel changes
Pain
DDD does not seem to explain:
Lightheadness/dizziness (one of my major complaints that has caused me to miss many days of work due to being unable to drive)
Blurred/double vision that is episodic
Language problems- slurred or stumbled speech, using wrong words and now problems with written language
Headaches- tend to be episodic, occurring daily for prolonged periods and following the same pattern.
Memory problems
Fatigue
I am 54 years young and underweight. I have a history of DVT (hereditary) and lead poisoning. I also went through menopause at a very young age (43) and now have osteoporosis. I have been under considerable stress for a number of years and my BP goes all over the map; this is most likely stress related as no tests indicate a cause for this. I am a smoker (tsk, tsk…. would love to quit).
There is something nagging me in the back of my head that this may be related to lead poisoning that happened while I was pregnant and nursing my son from 1990 to 1992. My sx started in 2002 when I hit menopause, which creates all kinds of hormonal changes in the body as well as the bones.
So far I have been pleased with the neuro that I have been seeing since March, yet at the same time, I’m concerned that she will focus on the DDD and not go deeper into the other sx. What would your suggestions be in terms of asking her to probe deeper and what tests might I request?
Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions offered.