Latest MRI results are in

I picked up the results of my latest MRI from the VA while up there for eye clinic appt today. There were also some issues with the eye exam that I wish to hear impressions about. Hopefully Quix can give her thoughts on this one?

I'll start out with my wildlife report for Lulu. For the longest time today I thought I wasn't going to be able to report anything this time. On the way to Nashville I saw not one animal. not even a crow or turkey which are always seen on the Trace. But then about 15 miles before my exit on the way home I spoted 2 does and a yearling about 8 feet from my pick up. Then about 1 mile from my exit I spoted the tail end of two deer. It was getting quite dark out so that all I could see were their tails. When you think about it mather nature pulled a cruel trick on the deer. They raise their tails when danger is around which in effect is like raising a white flag to say "Here I am, come and get me".

I go through the eye tests first and then the MRI. First off for some reason I could not open my eyelids far enough for the feild of vision test so the tech taped them open. That was a first for me and felt really weird. During the test I also had trouble with pressing the button when I saw the light flashes. Every once in a while when I pressed the button I had a horrible time releasing it again. I had to concentrate real hard to get my thumb to move. The results for my right eye were fine, but the left eye test was usless because my eye kept darting about during the test even though I was stareing at the central dot like I was suppose to. Then during another test wher the Dr. was puting a contact like thing in my eye she was not able to complete that test on my left eye as it would not stay still. My thinking is that both of these left eye problems are related to MS as it is my left eye that I have most of my visual problems with.

Now for the MRI results. My previous MRI was 10 months ago. The first thing I noticed was at the very top of the report stating DIAG. CODE ABNORMALITY ATTN NEEDED. All of my other MRI had stated NORMAL.

FINDINGS:

The degree of history rule out to theis failry extensive and severe for patient age 59 years. I HAVE NO IDEA OF WHAT THIS MEANS?

Multifocal punctatefoci of increased T2-weighted singlare seen within this renal white matter bilatereally, primarily in a subcortical distribution. ????

Differential considerations include demyelinating condition such as MS verse Lyme's disease or post infectious demyelinating conditions. among others. Additional considerations would include chronic microangiopathic white matter ischemic disease and vasculitis.

Gadolinium enhanced images reveal no evidence of enhancing lesions or active enhancing plaques. Diffusion weighted images reveal no evidence of restricted diffusion or acute ischemia.

Fairly advanced cerebal atropy for patients age.

Also have yet another sinus infection.


Dennis

[Quixotic1]

Hi, Dennis.

I don't know what the eye movements mean, other than you have some movement disorder involving the ocular motor nerves.

The first sentence of the MRI is hopelessly garbled, except that they see something that is inappropriate for your age.

You got lots of small pinpoint lesions which are mostly in the area just below the cortex.  This is an area frequently hit by MS lesions, and is also the prime target for tiny vessel ischemic (lack of blood/oxygen) disease.  The radiologist lists the common other things that would cause this.  Generally, (but it's not a rule) they list the most likely things first.  

"Multifocal punctatefoci of increased T2-weighted singlare seen within this renal white matter..."  Huh?  This is a garbled sentence that sounds like the transcriber could not understand what the radiologist was saying.  Renal means kidney, so that is a mistake.  Basically it is talking about lots of spots.

Cerebral atrophy is much greater than you would extpect for age.  Basically, though a person does statistically have some shrinkage of the brain by age 59, it is not something that is visually obvious.  The amount of brain matter that you have lost is striking to this radiologist.  That speaks to a lot of little lesions and neuron loss over the years.  I'm really sorry about this.  It angers me that the docs stood by giving you double talk while your brain was shrinking.  So, much for malingering and stress!

You doc should return this report and ask that it be corrected to read what the radiologist intended it to read.

Here is your smoking gun.  

Have you had good testing  for Lyme, with Western Blots?

Quix

[Sailorsong]

No wonder I could not figure out what was being said. I guess that should be expected with the VA. This is the same place that stated an MRI of my left knee was of my right knee.

Yes I have had several tests for Lyme including the western blots. The last one was about 10 or 15 years ago (I have trouble with time frames). But I have been biten by ticks several times last spring and summer. I did not develop the tell-tale bullseye rash with any of them and got them off of my body within a short period of time. I have mentioned the tick bites to my doctors.

Dennis