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MRI results & symptoms
Hello! I am a very healthy 29 year old woman. I am not an emotional or dramatic person and don't tend to have sensitivities or paranoia. I go to the doctor once a year for my annual exam. I am very active, enjoy using my brain, laugh a lot, very social, etc. I say all this to give you a brief idea that I have always been a very healthy and balanced person for the most part.
About 1 1/2 to 2 years ago, I suddenly began transposing numbers and letters which scared me (definitely not normal for me). I chose to write it off as a fluke or to stress. I have had headaches for quite some time, but wrote those off as well. (I tend to not make a big deal out of things.) Over the last year or so, my emotions/reactions have been sporadically different and I have found myself having a hard time making even basic decisions. People close to me have noticed my personality changing on occasion, but not permanently changing.
About 4 or 5 months ago, I began having all kinds of symptoms. I began forgetting important things, having even more problems making decisions, night sweats (yes they are definitely night sweats), nausea, ovarian cysts, exhaustion/fatigue, difficulty processing thoughts and focusing on tasks, easily overwhelmed by information, taking longer to read and having a harder time with comprehending (I am an avid reader..this is NOT normal), times when I have a hard time finishing a sentence or making any sense, forgetting what order to do things in, hunger goes back and forth from: I will eat and within 30 minutes to an hour my body is telling me it is hungry again..actual hunger pains... then there are days where my body never tells me I am hungry, I can literally feel my brain trying to process something but not quite making connections, I have forgotten the "name" for objects and tried to call them something else to the point my husband had to tell me what it was.
All of these things come and go. What I mean by that is my symptoms seem like they are constantly changing. Some last for a few days then go away for a couple of days or weeks. Others happen every couple of days. The night sweats for instance started out one every other week, then increased to one every 7 to 10 days, then I didn't have one for 3 weeks, then had 3 in one night.
The thing that bothers me the most is what is going on with my brain. When I couldn't remember the word "fan" and kept trying to call it a "lamp" or a "lantern", my husband and I decided it was time to get an MRI on my brain. I had an MRI without contrast done two weeks ago. We have had a hard time finding doctors in our area that have even a small sense of urgency to figure this out.
The MRI read (typed word for word):
There is a single tiny focus of anomalous signal and the right frontoparietal junction white matter which is a nonspecific appearance and likely represents a tiny focus of demyelinization, small vessel ischemia or gliosis, or idiopathic.
There is a teardrop shaped 1 cm anomalous focus within the anterior aspect of the right lateral ventricle which has the appearance of a cord plexus cyst.
There is no apparent mass or mass lesion or evidence of edema or asymmetry or other asymmetry. There is appropriate signal void within the central cerebral vasculature. There is no evidence of intracranial hemorrhage or detectable aneurysm. Regions of IAC's, middle ear structures, and mastoid air cells are appropriate.
IMPRESSION: 4 mm nonspecific anomalous signal focus white matter of the right frontal parietal region, idiopathic.
1 cm probable cord plexus cyst, anterior horn of the right lateral ventricle.
No acute intracranial process.
I apologize for the length of this, but can someone tell me what this all means....what are some possible causes...what direction I should head next? We live in a state that is EXTREMELY limited in their medical abilities so any recommendations for doctors would also be helfpul.
Thank you in advance for your help!
About 1 1/2 to 2 years ago, I suddenly began transposing numbers and letters which scared me (definitely not normal for me). I chose to write it off as a fluke or to stress. I have had headaches for quite some time, but wrote those off as well. (I tend to not make a big deal out of things.) Over the last year or so, my emotions/reactions have been sporadically different and I have found myself having a hard time making even basic decisions. People close to me have noticed my personality changing on occasion, but not permanently changing.
About 4 or 5 months ago, I began having all kinds of symptoms. I began forgetting important things, having even more problems making decisions, night sweats (yes they are definitely night sweats), nausea, ovarian cysts, exhaustion/fatigue, difficulty processing thoughts and focusing on tasks, easily overwhelmed by information, taking longer to read and having a harder time with comprehending (I am an avid reader..this is NOT normal), times when I have a hard time finishing a sentence or making any sense, forgetting what order to do things in, hunger goes back and forth from: I will eat and within 30 minutes to an hour my body is telling me it is hungry again..actual hunger pains... then there are days where my body never tells me I am hungry, I can literally feel my brain trying to process something but not quite making connections, I have forgotten the "name" for objects and tried to call them something else to the point my husband had to tell me what it was.
All of these things come and go. What I mean by that is my symptoms seem like they are constantly changing. Some last for a few days then go away for a couple of days or weeks. Others happen every couple of days. The night sweats for instance started out one every other week, then increased to one every 7 to 10 days, then I didn't have one for 3 weeks, then had 3 in one night.
The thing that bothers me the most is what is going on with my brain. When I couldn't remember the word "fan" and kept trying to call it a "lamp" or a "lantern", my husband and I decided it was time to get an MRI on my brain. I had an MRI without contrast done two weeks ago. We have had a hard time finding doctors in our area that have even a small sense of urgency to figure this out.
The MRI read (typed word for word):
There is a single tiny focus of anomalous signal and the right frontoparietal junction white matter which is a nonspecific appearance and likely represents a tiny focus of demyelinization, small vessel ischemia or gliosis, or idiopathic.
There is a teardrop shaped 1 cm anomalous focus within the anterior aspect of the right lateral ventricle which has the appearance of a cord plexus cyst.
There is no apparent mass or mass lesion or evidence of edema or asymmetry or other asymmetry. There is appropriate signal void within the central cerebral vasculature. There is no evidence of intracranial hemorrhage or detectable aneurysm. Regions of IAC's, middle ear structures, and mastoid air cells are appropriate.
IMPRESSION: 4 mm nonspecific anomalous signal focus white matter of the right frontal parietal region, idiopathic.
1 cm probable cord plexus cyst, anterior horn of the right lateral ventricle.
No acute intracranial process.
I apologize for the length of this, but can someone tell me what this all means....what are some possible causes...what direction I should head next? We live in a state that is EXTREMELY limited in their medical abilities so any recommendations for doctors would also be helfpul.
Thank you in advance for your help!
I am 49 years old and I am having these same symptoms. Difference is I had an abusive husband and believe truly that I have had at least 6 concussions. I have always been very sharp, especially with spelling, but now find myself transposing letters sometimes. Maybe had a mini stroke? I don't know. Scared. Before putting me through costly tests, my doctor and I decided to true adderol (?). First day, helps inmmensely. But I still know I should have tests done soon. Any input/advice?
No problem:) Interesting stuff about being left handed. Good points. I understand about being persistent when you don't feel well, it's kinda hard to be on top of things when you can't even think straight. The speech pathologist doesn't just deal with the forming of words, but also the cognitive process of speech and language. For example, when someone has a stroke in the speech center of the brain, they know exactly what they want to say but can't exactly express it in words. Others may not know what to say, but can draw it, etc. The brain is so strange, one never knows. A good SLP could give you some evaluations to objectify the trouble you are having. Having it on paper makes you less likely to be brushed off as just "stressed" or "depressed". Be prepared for that mess. A good neurologist should be your next step, if not already. Take care and keep me posted!
Hope
Hope
Thank you Hope for your encouragement and time in replying. The Dr. who ordered the MRI is my gynocologist (because we initially were thinking hormones could be the cause of everything). As far as being persistant, I do the best I can on the days I feel competent enough to be persistant. When my brain is having trouble thinking through things, it is exhausting trying to understand everything and think through what the next step should be.
From what I can tell in reading brain functions online, because I am left handed, the front part of the right side of my brain is considered dominant and handles my language & writing. In addition, the frontal lobe controls intellectual functioning, thought processes, behavior, & memory. (I am copying that directly from the internet to insure it makes sense. haha) That is the region where both the cyst and the white matter "thing" are located. As far as speech, thank you for the suggestion. I am not really having problems with actual speaking. It is the thought process while speaking. I will keep that in mind though if they help with "word-finding".
Thank you so much for your kindness, thoughts, help, and encouragement!
From what I can tell in reading brain functions online, because I am left handed, the front part of the right side of my brain is considered dominant and handles my language & writing. In addition, the frontal lobe controls intellectual functioning, thought processes, behavior, & memory. (I am copying that directly from the internet to insure it makes sense. haha) That is the region where both the cyst and the white matter "thing" are located. As far as speech, thank you for the suggestion. I am not really having problems with actual speaking. It is the thought process while speaking. I will keep that in mind though if they help with "word-finding".
Thank you so much for your kindness, thoughts, help, and encouragement!
Your case is interesting, but unfortunate and I'm sorry you are not feeling at the top of your game. I posted on this forum and happened across your post. I am wondering if you could get an evaluation with a speech-language pathologist? A good SLP can perform cognitive function tests and the fact that you are having word-finding difficulties sounds like a job for an SLP. I've had several MRIs of the brain for what seems to be (after 3 yrs of wondering) Lyme disease, so I do notice when people speak of lesions on their MRI. I'm not a MD, but it seems that your MRI has a couple of things that could be important, or they could be completely benign. My unprofessional thought process is that the speech region of the brain is in the left hemisphere, which appears to be normal on MRI.
Did you have follow-up on the MRI results with the ordering Dr.? I am just wondering what they will say and what is this doctor's specialty, if any?
Good luck and I hope you find some relief/answers soon. I would be a little more insistent on the time issue, however. I know you don't have a history of making a big deal of things, but sometimes it's appropriate to make a big deal, especially when it comes to your health.
Take care,
Hope
Did you have follow-up on the MRI results with the ordering Dr.? I am just wondering what they will say and what is this doctor's specialty, if any?
Good luck and I hope you find some relief/answers soon. I would be a little more insistent on the time issue, however. I know you don't have a history of making a big deal of things, but sometimes it's appropriate to make a big deal, especially when it comes to your health.
Take care,
Hope
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