Brain Shrinkage

[PomMom]

I know it is normal for all people to have brain shrinkage as they age, I also understand that it may occur more quickly with MS patients. My question is, why in the world would your neuro tell you that you have some mild brain shrinkage, but "don't worry about it"! Is she kidding me?

Had MRI in first place because of increased cognitive difficulties, vision problems and speech problems. Informed me that the large lesion on the left side of my brain got "slightly larger" and my brain had some "mild shrinkage". I am 41 years old and was dx two years ago. My last MRI was 8 months ago. It just seems like in eight months I shouldn't even have mild shrinkage. I'm just saying.

[Redwings]

My question is, why in the world would your neuro tell you that you have some mild brain shrinkage, but "don't worry about it"!

This is one of those areas where doctors are damned if they do and damned if they don't. For every patient who is surprised/confused/angered that their doctor told them something, there's another patient who found out something (say, from a radiology report) and is incensed because their doctor didn't tell them. Your doctor might be one who doesn't want to be/is tired of being accused of "intentionally withholding" information from a patient.

[JoanFrances]

I think that Redwings may be right, but, being told something like that and told not to worry can be frustrating.

Why not talk to your doctor about why you shouldn't worry about this. And also ask if there is anything you can do to decrease the rate of shrinkage. I have seen games out there that are supposed to help people to stay sharp and keep their memory when they are having difficulties. An active mind is a healthy mind from what I have been told.

From what I remember the brain although complex it is a muscle and if we don't exercise our muscles we loose them right? Just a thought

[0485c10]

I think Redwing is right too. I am someone that it is better to tell everything because what I imagine is much worse than reality, so if a doc paints a rosy picture for me my imagination kicks in. And its bad!

I know there are people who are naturally optimists so telling them bad news is not better for them...for them no news is good news. Just as no news is very bad news for the pessimist, without some bad news there has got to be something worse going on. For the pessimist NOT telling them any bad is worse, their imagination kicks in and terrible things are imagined.

So I too think docs can't win.

But wrt to brain shrinkage, I have read the brain shrinks naturally with aging. With MS it shrinks at twice the rate of a healthy person...and not too many people have lived a healthy life... the majority smoked, drank alcohol, did some kind of illegal drugs-marijuana being known as a large factor. All these help accelerate brain shrinkage in a healthy person. MS just causes the brain to shrink at twice the rate of a health person living a healthy life. All those unhealthy life choices are in between I think?

I have read the brain can shrink to 40% before visible and permanent results happen. The brain is very plastic and as the brain loses tissue it reroute to unused areas of the brain. And there is a lot of unused brain tissue. The brain has a lot of tissue to reroute to.

At 40% shrinkage I have read there is no longer spare tissue to re route to and it starts to cause visible effects.

Sign me,
Pessimist whose gonna imagine the worst unless I find reality is better!

[0485c10]

Rerouting can be enhanced by exercising the brain.

II have seen games out there that are supposed to help people to stay sharp and keep their memory when they are having difficulties. An active mind is a healthy mind from what I have been told.

From what I remember the brain although complex it is a muscle and if we don't exercise our muscles we loose them right? Just a thought

Redwings & Joan called it IMO. Rerouting signals to unused areas of the brain can be helped by exercisi the brain, all those brain excersizes or just doing things using your non dominat hand. The most publisized one is using your left hand top brush your teeth, if you normally use your right hand. Or writing with your non dominate hand---all these activities force the brain to reroute signal and use the brain tissue that is available.

[Pom Mom]

Thanks for the answers. I think I was just blowing off some steam. My neuro is famous for telling me stuff about my MRI months afterwards. I found out I had multiple lesions on my second MRI when she told me they shrank from the first. Only problem is she never told me I had more than one lesion! Lol, "hey good news your lesions shrank" doesn't go over as well when you didn't know about them. I am stuck with a neuro I don't like or trust because of insurance, but am grateful I have insurance, so I guess it all evens out.

I'm over it. I hate it when people whine about things, guess I was having a pity party. When all is said a done, brain shrinkage sure makes for some fun party conversation!

[mjan]

Well...sorry for your experience.

Oddly, I had just told my new MS doc that when I met my 1st MS doc's PA (phy asst)..he came in the room with a big smile..shook my hand saying the doc would be in following him. He sat down and said, "Do you know that your brain is atrophying??" HUH???

So I told her..it now makes me laugh. NO one seems worried about it..good? Not good???

I ALWAYS GET MY MRI REPORTS/CD'S before I see any doctor. That way I am prepared..and can ask good ques.

Good luck to you,

Warmly, Jan

[0485c10]

Brain Atrophy = Brain Shrinkage?

Pom Mom & mjan thank you, the two of you have me thinking about something I hadn't thought before.

What do you know of the difference? Brain atrophy is the death of brain cells, and I think the brain absorbs dead brain cell and shrinks?. ?

I had in my written report widening of the ventricles and sculsi folds, which I looked up to mean brain atrophy.

I get a CD of my MRI everytime I get one. I used to ask for a copy of the written report from the doc office, but I stopped doing that. It stays pretty much the same..but I continue to ask for that CD because active lesions are easy to see and I know I have them 15 minutes after the MRI when I pop the CD into my computer & look.

At first I didn't know I could get them. Then on a message board I found I could. So I called the MRI center a long time after my MRI and asked them to mail a CD and a copy of the written report. They said sure and mailed it to me. No charge for the CD, just came postage due & I was happy to pay mailing cost.

Now when I go to get a MRI I ask when I get there if I could have a CD. They have me wait an extra five minutes in the waiting room and bring it out. But if I want the written report I have to call the doc office and ask for it a week or two after the MRI. That MRI from a year ago, the MRI mailed to me without an issue.

But newer ones they want the doc to see first, so those I get from the doc office. (written report-cd no wait immediately when MRI domne. The written report has interpretation and they want the doc to see it b/4 the patient. The CD is just raw data that has no interpretation, so the patient can get it right away.)

I wrote all that for Pom Mom because she has a doc she can't trust to provide all info. Get copies of your past MRI and copies of current MRI's at the time.
when I look at the CD I don't always se whats in the written report so it is good to have both.

And what do you all know about the diffrernce between Brain Shrinkage & Brain atrophy? Are they the same?