Now no abnormal cord signal seen. cured?

[candycane]

I'd appreciate any thoughts on this:

I was diagnosed RRMS over a year ago. On copaxone since. Taking vitamins, trying to move & eat healthy, etc.

I had a 9mm c-spine lesion (or "increased signal intensity") on my original MRI and a positive spinal tap.

I just had a repeat MRI & although it is limited by movement (I still have symptoms, a big one being twitching!) it doesn't show any abnormal cord signal. It is unremarkable with the exception of "broad disc bulging" at C5-6&6-7.


So does this mean I was misdiagnosed or I'm cured???
Wishful thinking, I know
Still feeling like crap & having all kinds of symptoms, but pleasantly surprised that the MRI doesn't look worse.

Thoughts?

[Bob698]

I'm kinda in the same boat. My first cranial MRI looked like someone parked a junk yard between my ears.
Six months after I started Beta, I came back "clean" with no signs of progression or enhancing lesions and have stayed stable since.
I take it day to day and I'm grateful for what I have right now.

[jessiesmom]

Good MRI results

You are certainly not alone in wishing that there would be a cure for MS. Unfortunately that is not the case as we well know.

It sounds to me like the Copaxone is doing its job for you Your MRI seems to show no new lesions and the previous one is inactive (if I understand you correctly). I don't think this means that you were misdiagnosed.

I was diagnosed with RRMS about 6 years ago and I get an MRI once a year. My last 2 MRIs showed no new lesions. I take that as a Rebif success and so does my neurologist.

[candycane]

no more increased intensity = no more demyelination?

Thanks for the responses.

The original reports from over a year ago (I had 2 MRIs to verify) showed increased signal intensity & that's what the neuro said was demyelination/lesion & it was inactive.

Now that the new report is saying the signal is normal throughout I'm assuming the demyelination is gone or there is no lesion. Would this be correct?
My appointment with my neuro isn't for a few weeks. I know it's not a good idea for us to try & interpret these reports ourselves but I'm a little concerned that he'll say I was misdiagnosed & take me off the copaxone (which I've had some side effects from but DO think it's working!!!)

[wheeliegirl]

Most likely you won't be undiagnosed . You had a lesion now it probably shrunk to a size that the MRI is just not picking it up . This can happen or so I've been told.
Usually the neuro that diagnosed you doesn't undiagnose without very good cause to . You've said that your spinal tap was positive ,positive prior MRI and relapse & remitting. ( I'm assuming) Sounds like MS to me. My neuro said that MRI's can change from month to month and its just one of the tools for diagnosing MS.

I would think if my doctor was going to undiagnose me he'd call and say I'd like you to come of the copaxone . There wouldn't be a need for you to be on it if he was going to take the diagnosis away.
I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure that you'll find that all is alright and the medicine is working just as the others have said here.

[kingrex]

I'd appreciate any thoughts on this:

I was diagnosed RRMS over a year ago. On copaxone since. Taking vitamins, trying to move & eat healthy, etc.

I had a 9mm c-spine lesion (or "increased signal intensity") on my original MRI and a positive spinal tap.

I just had a repeat MRI & although it is limited by movement (I still have symptoms, a big one being twitching!) it doesn't show any abnormal cord signal. It is unremarkable with the exception of "broad disc bulging" at C5-6&6-7.


So does this mean I was misdiagnosed or I'm cured???
Wishful thinking, I know
Still feeling like crap & having all kinds of symptoms, but pleasantly surprised that the MRI doesn't look worse.

Thoughts?

If there is motion on the spine images, it's nearly impossible to rule out a cord lesion. Motion destroys all detail in the cervical region. Your scan should be repeated.


rex

[Bob698]

Thanks for the responses.

The original reports from over a year ago (I had 2 MRIs to verify) showed increased signal intensity & that's what the neuro said was demyelination/lesion & it was inactive.

Now that the new report is saying the signal is normal throughout I'm assuming the demyelination is gone or there is no lesion. Would this be correct?
My appointment with my neuro isn't for a few weeks. I know it's not a good idea for us to try & interpret these reports ourselves but I'm a little concerned that he'll say I was misdiagnosed & take me off the copaxone (which I've had some side effects from but DO think it's working!!!)

This is a really simple explanation, but think of a leasion as a scar. What caused the scar may have stopped, but the scar will remain.
The inflammation that caused the leasion may have stopped or significanlty slowed down. That's a what the MRI and contrast dye shows.
From what I understand, the leasion may heal as long as the inflammation has stopped. It just takes a long time for this to happen (think on the order of 5 years or so).

Either way, what you got was good news.

[Alicious]

FWIW, I had a massive lesion in my c-spine that caused a heck of a lot of confusion 18 months later when a repeat scan was done and that lesion is utterly, utterly gone (well, gone as in it cannot be seen at all on the MRI. I'm sure some evidence of it exists in my body, but the scan of that area is clean). It happens sometimes; it's not common, but it happens. I definitely still have MS and my other lesions.

That being said, having a lesion heal up is awesome!

[kingrex]

Again, with motion there is no reliable way to evaluate the cervical cord. The cervical spinal cord is already an extremely challenging exam, due to swallowing and the movement of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) through the imaging plane. Those alone can make a scan non-diagnostic, but coupled with patient motion it's virtually impossible to evaluate the cord for abnormal signal.

So you really must have diagnostic T2-weighted sagittal and axial sequences before celebrating the disappearance of a spinal cord lesion. I'm sorry to tell you this, but as they say, it is what it is.


rex