New lesions

Hi everyone,

I am a newbie and soo frustrated with doctors.  I had been getting nowhere for 7 years. Finally in May I got a new family doctor. I told him everything that I had been going through and he thought my problem was either ms or brain tumor. Had a basic mri that showed 4 lesions in white matter of brain. Was sent to a neuro who said that the lesions were new and that I should get another mri with contrast and spine as well to see old and/or active lesions.  Of course I forgot to ask questions that I wanted to ask!  What I am wondering is what is considered "New"?  Is it 1 year, 6 months?  Any help would be great. Thanks

[risnerrose]

Welcome!

If you go to the health pages (upper right), there is an article near the top about MRIs and lesions.  It does an excellent job explaining old and new lesions.  I hope this helps.

[jensequitur]

Basically new lesions enhance with gadolinium contrast, and old lesions do not enhance.  So I'm guessing your basic MRI included a contrast injection.

[Cre8_it]

Thanks for your reply!
This is why I'm confused. I only had a basic mri, no injection, yet the neuro said that these lesions are new, but then again, she also told me that pain is not associated with ms so mabey I have something els. You know the thought that came to my head was Whatever! And I did'nt object to her view because I'm on a path to somewhere at least.

[Cre8_it]

Thanks for the info!  I checked it out and ended up reading more than I should have (other links and stuff), now I don't even remember half of what I read. lol  Lack of focus, concentration, and memory. Right now I'm in a brain fog. Yesterday it took me almost a minute to remember that the sleeve on a shirt is called a sleeve. I love this site and reading about others who are going through the same things that I am, I now don't feel so alone in this. Thanks to everyone who shares thier experiences!

[Quixotic1]

Hi, Welcome to the forum!  You have found the right place to be with 7 years of looking for answers.  I hope we can provide so information, some friends and some comfort.

New lesions are basically ones that "light up" or enhance with the gadolinium.  A new lesion is one that is showing the inflammation of a new demyelinating attack on an area of nerves.  In general they say that a lesion will enhance for 4 to 6 weeks.  Another way of determining "new" lesions (a different use of the word "new") is to repeat an MRI after some time (typically 1 to 6 months) and any lesion that appears on the repeat MRI is called a new lesion if it is new since the first MRI.

Hot topic!!  No pain in MS?  We discussed this a few days ago.  Please copy and paste this into your address bar and read this thread:

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/612090

This is the discussion and my explanation about the doctors that says such absurd things about MS.  It is clear to me that any doctor that says this, read it in an article written by someone else that doesn't know anything about MS.  ANY doctor that treats MS KNOWS beyond a shadow of a doubt that MS can be a very painful disease.  In this thread I explain what I believe is the basis for this wrong belief.  Near the end of it I also placed the cite for a great article from the Consortium Of Multiple Sclerosis Centers on pain and MS.  This is a prominent international MS group.

It might be worth printing out this article and giving it to your neuro.  It's in PDF form and easily readable.

As to losing words, it happens to most of us.  I was writing a description of some the other day and couldn't find the word "programmer."  So I described them as the ones who write the computer code.  The word didn't come to me until the next day.  It does make you feel like a complete dodo.

Well, by now you have guessed that I am one of the local, unofficial medical people here.  I am a physician, disabled with MS.  We will be here for questions, commiserating, friendship and helping you guide your care so that you know what is happening.  I'm glad you found us.  Make sure you read that thread on Pain in MS.  Right now the thread is near the bottom of the front page of this forum.

If you click on the words Health Pages in the upper right hand corner, it will bring you to a list of tpics we have written up.  Things that people often want to know.  One of the first is called "How MRIs Show Lesions in MS."  It explains very briefly how MRI are used in MS.

Quix

[Cre8_it]

HI,

I wanted to say thank you to you for your caring and insight.  I have read a lot of things that you have written this past week before I joined up, and your very caring responses to people. You should be comended for all of the time that you put in and the help and support that the community receives from you is outstanding!  Thank You so much!

[starryeyes1]

Hi. I am new to this. I was recently dx with MS and it affects my balance. I have 4 lesions. I have dizziness and its hard to walk straight. It came on so suddenly. I cannot work now. The lesion is on the pons.I have a few friends who have MS and they lead normal lives.  Is there anyone else who has this problem and if so, how do you handle it?