Just Got My MRI results and SUPER confused.

[mechie94]

I have had MS for 20 years and I have been on Rebif for the past eight years. I just switched a week ago to Tecfidera. Today I got the MRI results from my doctor and it showed many new active lesions but I'm feeling absolutely fine. She thought it was strange that I wasn't having any symptoms whatsoever so she told me just let's continue the Tecfidera Bloodwork in a month and if that is OK we will repeat the MRI in six months .

She told me to try not to worry about it and continue doing what I've been doing. I just find it odd that it is showing active lesions but I am feeling absolutely fine.

Has anybody ever Had anything like this?

[rdmc]

Lesions can come and go without having any symptoms. I can't put the link in the forum (against the rules) but google More than Meets the Eye MS....and you'll find some fascinating MRIs.

They're time lapsed. 26 MRIs of the same man take over the course of one year...and the patient had no increase, or decrease in symptoms. When you see the MRIs you'll be amazed because lesions grow large, shrink and diminish, then grow again. Some are hyperintense and others not, they brighten and then dull out.

But it will answer your question about having lesions show up and not having any new symptoms as the patient with all the lesion changes experience no change in symptoms.

Just wondered, is there a rebound effect when stopping the interferons?

[mechie94]

When I had the MRI I was still taking the Rebif so it wasn't like I was not on any form of medication. Just trying not to be stressed over it.

[jreagan70]

Hi mechie:

The brain has a fair amount of redundancy and interconnection. It's possible for a lesion to be small enough that it doesn't affect enough nerves to cause symptoms. It's also possible for nerve signals to detour around lesions -- the signals still get to where they're supposed to go, so there's no onset of or increase in symptoms. That could be what happened with your lesions and why you didn't notice any symptoms.

The spinal cord, though, has very little redundancy or interconnection, so even small cord lesions tend to cause some kind of symptom.