Brain Lesion Gone

On September 9th, I went to the emergency room with double vision, tightness in my left knee, problems walking and weakness in my left arm and hand.  The MRI showed a lesion in my brainstem and I was diagnosed with a high grade astrocytoma.  I was put on 12mg of decadron a day to reduce the edema but over the next three months, the lesion got smaller and smaller.  My neurologist said by my last MRI that although the lesion was the size of a pencil point, he considered it gone and said it was not cancer or MS.  He did say it was a demylinating lesion however.   The above symptoms continue to improve but still  remain.  My question is what else could this have been, and why does it take so long for these remaining symptoms to go away.  Thank you for taking the the time to read this.

[Lulu54]

Hi CC,
Welcome to the MS forum - ther are lots of knowldgeable people here to help as well as great Health Pages, written in plain language by our own members.

There is a health page about lesions - LESIONS COME AND LESIONS GO that answers your question.  

You can access the HP's on the upper right side of this page, a the yellow icon.

I hope these help and please come back and tell us more.

be well,
Lulu

[Quixotic1]

I'm afraid that none of us here could possibly know what that large lesion was.  I'm certainly glad that it resolved.  What kind of demyelinating thing it is I don't know.

My first thought was a disorder - possibly caused by a virus - was ADEM, Acute Demyelinating EncephaloMyelitis, but that condition usually (always?) causes multiple lesions like you describe.

I don't know how the doctor can say that it is not MS, though.

What kind of odd symptoms have you had with this and before, if any?

Quix

[currycollectables]

I did not experience any symptoms other than what I mentioned before the attack.  The lesion basically went away in three months on the decadron.  Also, as I mentioned, the symptoms I had have slowly gotten better as the lesion go smaller and continue to do so.  The last MRI is the one where he said that it was not MS.  If I remember correctly, he said that although I have not been officially diagnosed with MS, the lesion was a demylinating event.  Any ideas on why the symptoms take time to go away would be greatly appreciated.

[currycollectables]

one other thing I forgot to mention.  the radiologist's comments after my last MRI is that I most likely had a stroke. My neurologist, however, disagrees.