HELP with this MRI report?

[Nenee36]

Hi all.....hoping to get help with maybe a little understanding of my MRI report......I am 52 and initially went to the doctor for headaches and blurred vision......I have extreme fatigue and pins and needle sensation in arms, hands and legs. The pins and needles sensation is off and on...fatigue is absolutely awful.....I was SHOCKED when the doctors office told me the result of the MRI that I had done. I am awaiting an appt. with a neurologist that specializes in MS..I am praying I donot have MS... nor the other disease they said is possible..

There are scattered T2-hyperintense foci in the periventricular and subcortical deepwhite matter tract areas that in a patient in this age group may be evidence of demyelinating process such as multiple sclerosis. Findings could also represent early signs of microvascular ischemic disease.

Can anyone tell me about this? I donot know a person with MS so I donot know a thing about it other than what I have researched....I so hope I donot have MS I seem to have many of the different symptoms that a person can have....so so hoping its not MS or the other disease I try to stay on an exercise schedule at the gym and I try to eat healthy foods and strive to be healthy as many of us do.......I am suffering from terrible fatigue now....I am depressed about it...thanks

[22cyclist]

Nenee36: Welcome to MS World. I am sorry for the reason, but glad you joined us. Your MRI reports lesions in many of the areas, periventricular and subcortical deepwhite matter tract, where MS likes to go. They also said it could be microvascular ischemic disease, but that seems less likely since your symptoms point more towards MS.

Your neurologist will go over the results with you, none of us can diagnose you here, but since they mentioned specifically MS in the report...you may have it. Depending on how many lesions you have, and how many episodes of this tingling, and double vision you have had. For example: you had it in August, it lasted 2 weeks, it went away, then you had it again at the end of October and it lasted 6 days etc. That would count for 2 separate episodes. They have to be separated by 30 days at least for RRMS, or have an insidious progression over time for PPMS.

Anyway, I wish you the best from here forward. The next step is to take a ton of blood if they haven't already to rule out mimics (Lyme disease).

Take care and let us know how it goes.

Lisa
Moderation Team

[Nenee36]

ty for the reply!

I have not had anymore test yet. I see the MS neurologist on nov 18. In the past, I have fought the fatigue for weeks at a time and then it went away. The blurred vision has been a problem lately as well( I really notice just how bad the blurred vision is when I can see so clearly on other days). The pins and needles sensation, Ive had lots lately.It is happening in my legs and arms, which I wondered why? I was thinking perhaps, that I have another disc issue but in my neck and back at the same time? Its not very likely, I wouldn't think anyways.... I had a neck fusion and back fusion from degenerative disc disease ( years apart) so I just thought it was from that. I look back at things that has occurred and I wonder now if it was MS related? I was going to PT for my back, after my back surgery and, I had a strange thing happen during that time that I am thinking is MS related....I was doing a stretch or exercise and my leg started shaking terribly and even the therapist wasn't sure why.....also, my hamstring muscles were so tight that they had a hard time helping me due to that alone. They are still tight but I figured it was due to my back. I have never really recovered from the back surgery and to this day, have muscle spasms in both my back and neck. I took yoga class and other classes at the gym trying to help myself but still where I was pretty much...it helped a little but still having spasm's...I am still in shock at the thought of possibly having MS...scared of having a spinal tap for sure although Ive had many epidural steroid injections prior to back surgery....I donot think I'll ever get used to or like needles going deep into my back ugh( I am sure nobody does)......I am trying hard to not convince myself I have MS...I think too many of the times after being told we possibly have a disease, we start convincing ourselves before we actually know for sure? I am praying I donot have MS or the other possible disease...I strive so hard to be healthy but lately, the fatigue has done a seriously bad number on me to the point of NO gym.....I participated in my first 5K last December and was hoping to do many more but at this point, I am not conditioned enough to do it. Will the MS neurologist be able to tell how old those lesions are? The report did not say how many, just scattered.......TY so much for replying, I have been reading many post on this forum and so many helpful and nice people do help by encouragement and repling......I hope so much I see this doctor on nov 18 and he says NO MS! I will be so relieved but crushed if he tells me I do have it...I will eventually pull myself together and try to continue to live a healthy life...I know it could always be worst?

[22cyclist]

Well, your back problems and neck problems plus surgeries could give you the tingling symptoms, however, they can not give you lesions in your brain. Lesions in your brain can also give you tingling symptoms. It will all be up to the MS specialist as they can actually see the MRI and make a better informed decision. They will also do a total neurological exam on you and see if you pass or fail. They are not able to tell if the lesions are old or new. They can only tell if they are active or not by seeing if they are lit up be contrast.

I think you are doing a good job managing your expectations. Try not to worry about it until you get there, because it may be nothing, and you will have done all of that worrying for nothing. Worry when you need to worry.
It seems like you are doing a pretty good job with that.

Take care, and let us know how it goes on the 18th.

Lisa
Moderation Team

[Tiber2011]

Tight hamstrings can happen to anyone who sits a lot, or has loose ligaments and is super-flexible.

About your leg shaking: mine shake when doing squats. That's a sign the thighs just need to be pumped-up like Mr. Schwarzenegger.

Can you walk stairs? Try stretching, and then try doing steps. If not, do lunges in your living room if you can.

As for the findings: they aren't super-indicative of MS at this point in the MRI. The numbers you have are seen in people who are already diagnosed, but that doesn't mean you may have it.

As we get older, there's going to be degeneration everywhere. It may not be a demylenating condition, but maybe you're at risk for TIAs, etc.

Did you always have blurry vision? Are you nearsighted or farsighted? Our eyes are changing by age 52.
Do you use eyedrops? Those can help. I'd go to an opthamologist. They can look right away behind your eye and see if you have ON.....or anything else that can give blurry vision, like migraines, or glaucoma (very common for your age group and very treatable).