Need insight - MRI.

[GreenEyedTeacher]

Hi all. I am a 45 year old mother, wife and teacher. I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus in 2010, but am beginning to doubt that I have it. My tests have been good (or were last summer). However, about a month ago, my left eye started blurring in and out. I have become clumsy; reaching for things and knocking them over. I have moderate to severe hearing loss in my right ear for which the doctor could find no physical reason. I have been dizzy. I have had colon stasis. I am slurring and mispronouncing words to the point that it is noticeable when I teach. I have little to no short term memory. My husband, who teaches across the hall from me, came in one day and had a worksheet right in front of my face, explaining something to me in great deal while I am looking right at him and I went to his room not 3 minutes later asking him what to do. I don't even remember him being in there. My primary care physician asked me if I had ever been tested for MS, and I had not. She ordered an MRI without contrast. The results are this:

There is mild prominence of the perivascular spaces.
Small, tiny foci of T2 bright signal predominantly in the white matter.
Signal changes within the brain involving the frontal lobe
parietal lobe and temporal lobe but with slightly more prominent appearance in
the frontal lobes.

Radiologist suggested migraine headaches, but I do not have migraine headaches. On the long list of complaints I have, headaches are just not that frequent.

Today, I worked outside in the nice, warm spring air and my body feels as if I'm wearing a lead suit when I'm walking. I lose my balance sometimes, too.

I will take all thoughts on this. I feel as if something is going on here and it is not migraine headaches. I have had head pain, but not headaches. I am just so tired of going round and round in the medical community.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

[GreenEyedTeacher]

Thanks all. I do appreciate it.

[SarahL2491]

I'd still look for a neurologist who specializes in MS to have him look at the MRI results.  Between him and your rheumatologist they should be able to come to mutual assumptions.

[Dagun]

Hi GreenET, I´m sorry about all that is going on with you. But is it quite enough to have lupus, so I agree with JJ, this is most likely the lupus attaching the nervous system. The MRI seems to show lesions but they come with lupus also. You should talk to your rheumatologist.

My best wishes,
Dagun  

[supermum_ms]

Hi and welcome to our little MS community,

Lupus is another difficult condition to diagnose (dx), and like MS it can also take years for the evidence of Lupus to show up in testing and for it to make sense of all that the person experiences. I would have to assume because you already have the dx of Lupus, that your test evidence and main symptoms (sx's) are positive for Lupus.

A more likely explanation of what you've mentioned would be, that it's all inter-related to the dx condition, that is unless test evidence discovers an alternative cause unrelated to the dx condition, so an additional separate medical condition and unfortunately with autoimmune conditions, its not uncommon to have more than one or a secondary condition co-morbid to the primary.

MS has many mimics and Lupus is suppose to be an MS mimic but the major difference being positive test evidence of Lupus and the neurological clinical signs of MS and it's supportive test evidence eg MRI's, LP etc. To be honest there really isn't anything that specifically stands out to me, that couldn't already be associated and explained by your dx of Lupus eg fatigue - slurred speech, balance/falls, heavy feeling, clumsy, cognitive confusion etc worsening in the sun or heat, bowel issues, and even tremors.

I think it would be a good idea to be making an appointment with your treating rheumatologist, to help sort out if this is all related to the Lupus or not. You may even be experiencing a Lupus flair and or something else is going on but i think who you see for your Lupus, would be the doc you probably should be discussing these 'new' issues with.  

Cheers...........JJ  

[GreenEyedTeacher]

Not to mention the chronic colon stasis. Would migraines cause that?

[GreenEyedTeacher]

I am still waiting for the referral to the neuro. I have not discussed any type of neuro Lupus with the rheumatologist. She decided I was in remission last summer and I haven't seen her since. I got the impression that even she was doubting the Lupus.

I forgot to mention that I do have tremors, as well. I didn't know that you could have migraines and not know it. Good grief. I feel as if I'm going downhill fast and if Migraines is all that it is...what am I going to do? Losing my balance, too.

[Pantx]

Are you being treated for Lupus? Do you have Lupus Vasculitis or any suggestion of Neuro Lupus?  Lupus DX isn't usually made lightly. You can have migraines without the headaches, sometimes migraines occur with neuro symptoms. I am not a doctor but recommend that you visit with a Neurologist. Bring your MRI report and films with you.