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In purgatory while waiting for an MRI

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  • fullonmonet
    replied
    If anyone was curious about my results here they are:

    Unremarkable craniofacial structures. There is small right maxillary mucous retention cyst or polyp. Normal orbits, skull base and craniocervical junction. Normal intracranial anatomy. No evidence of extra-axial fluid collection, mass lesion, hydrocephalus or brain herniation. Multiple irregular foci of subcortical and deep white matter signal changes scattered throughout both cerebral hemispheres. No acute ischemia or hemorrhage.

    Dedicated images of the pituitary fossa demonstrate slightly enlarged pituitary gland with well defined internal focus of CSF signal intensity located within the left parasagittal posterior adenohypophysis. The lesion measures approximately 4 mm long axis. No evidence of adjacent cavernous sinus invasion. Patent intracavernous internal carotid arteries. -

    IMPRESSION: Cystic lesion within posterior aspect of the adenohypophysis may represent cystic microadenoma or unusual location of Rathke's cleft cyst. Recommend correlation with clinical and lab data as well as 6-12 months follow-up. Multiple scattered subcortical and deep white matter signal changes with differential including but not limited to complicated migraines, sequela of prior trauma, infection, vasculitis or Lyme disease.

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  • Mamabug
    replied
    Originally posted by fullonmonet View Post
    Hi Mamabug,

    yes I did have my MRI yesterday. I am still waiting on results to be posted online and I have an appointment with my neurologist on the 30th.
    Great! I wouldn't know how to read my own results, but your neuro will hopefully do a good job of explaining in the 30th.

    Leave a comment:


  • fullonmonet
    replied
    Hi Mamabug,

    yes I did have my MRI yesterday. I am still waiting on results to be posted online and I have an appointment with my neurologist on the 30th.

    Leave a comment:


  • Mamabug
    replied
    Fullonmomet

    Yesterday was the 23rd. Did you have your MRI?

    Leave a comment:


  • fullonmonet
    replied
    Hi Pennstater,

    When I did the first MRI it was in El Paso Tx on Feb 2018. Since then I have moved to Northern Virginia. The neurologist I am seeing now can not see my old MRI only the report from the radiologist. I never thought to get a copy of my MRI on the disc because I was under the impression that Tricare (the insurance I use) is all connected and can see the MRIs from different military hospitals. That is the main reason for the new MRI that I am going to be doing on Jan 23rd.

    As for my symptoms, I don't notice them when I am doing activities like cleaning the house or walking my dog. But I notice them more when I am trying to relax by sitting down or when I am trying to sleep.

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  • pennstater
    replied
    Sorry to hear about your symptoms. I have numbness and burning, but I am not to point I will consider another med because of side effects. So for now, I just live with it and try not to focus on it.

    Do any of your symptoms get worse with stress, fatigue, heat or other activity? I have a baseline, but these other factors can cause it to increase.

    Did your neuro say he wouldn't read the new MRI or was he referencing that he only had the report for old MRI? Most places give you copies of the MRI on disk. If your neuro won't read the MRIs, I would consider another. Radiologist reports can be so variable.

    Hope you get answers following your next MRI.

    Leave a comment:


  • KoKo
    replied
    Originally posted by fullonmonet View Post
    To Koko:

    yes a pituitary tumor is the same as a prolactinoma. My doctor told me that about 20% of people have pituitary tumors but do not realize it because for the most part they do not cause any harm. But sometimes the tumor can make the pituitary gland release more hormones than the body needs. Pituitary gland releases prolactin, ACTH, LH, and FSH. With all the blood tests done it showed that the tumor was increasing my prolactin levels slightly above normal. High prolactin causes no menses, infertility, breast discharge, and low sex drive.

    I did not have any of those symptoms so I decided not to pursue treatment for it. If my pituitary tumor was larger than 10mm then maybe it could cause the headaches I feel and eye sight problems but since it measured at 3mm two years ago, it seems unlikely to be the reason for my growing number of symptoms. I will definitely update the thread when I get the results of my MRI
    Thanks for clarifying.

    Take Care

    Leave a comment:


  • fullonmonet
    replied
    To Koko:

    yes a pituitary tumor is the same as a prolactinoma. My doctor told me that about 20% of people have pituitary tumors but do not realize it because for the most part they do not cause any harm. But sometimes the tumor can make the pituitary gland release more hormones than the body needs. Pituitary gland releases prolactin, ACTH, LH, and FSH. With all the blood tests done it showed that the tumor was increasing my prolactin levels slightly above normal. High prolactin causes no menses, infertility, breast discharge, and low sex drive.

    I did not have any of those symptoms so I decided not to pursue treatment for it. If my pituitary tumor was larger than 10mm then maybe it could cause the headaches I feel and eye sight problems but since it measured at 3mm two years ago, it seems unlikely to be the reason for my growing number of symptoms. I will definitely update the thread when I get the results of my MRI

    Leave a comment:


  • KoKo
    replied
    Hello fullonmonet and welcome

    Sorry to learn that you have been dealing with various neurological symptoms, and that your MRI revealed a prolactinoma.

    I did a brief google of prolactinoma, and it seems to be the same as a pituitary tumor - is that correct?

    Also, if I'm understanding correctly, your symptoms are likely not due to this prolactinoma?

    Originally posted by fullonmonet View Post
    My MRI is on the 23rd of Jan but in the mean time i am dealing with residual symptoms. like the sympoms arent as bad as they were during the late november early jan time frame but i am still dealing with scalp pain and itchiness, burning legs and arms, and throbbing behind my eyes. Are there any home remedies to help soothe me while I wait?
    I don't know of any home remedies for your symptoms. Hopefully other members will have some good suggestions.

    I wonder if your doctor would prescribe something like Neurontin?

    In any case, good luck with your MRI, and let us know what you find out. Thanks!

    Take Care

    Leave a comment:


  • fullonmonet
    started a topic In purgatory while waiting for an MRI

    In purgatory while waiting for an MRI

    Hello everyone,

    I wanted to document my story as I think it would be good for me to get it all out and be good for anyone else that is in limbo.

    My symptoms began in Feb 2018 when I started having left leg numbness and brain zaps on the left side of my head. I immediately thought I had a blood clot because taking combination birth control can cause blood clots. I went to the ER and after an x ray and ct of my spine, some labs, and a CT and MRI with and without contrast of my brain. I was diagnosed with having a pituitary tumor.

    The radiologist in his report said that the pituitary tumor does not explain the symptoms I am having because the size is only 3mm and would not cause compression of any other nerves. I decided not to get the opinion of a neurologist or an endocrinologist because by the time I got my MRI results back (end of feb, beginning of march) my symptoms were gone. I decided to change my birth control to the mini pill and maybe that would resolve my symptoms.

    Ever since then I would get occasional leg numbness and brain zaps every few months for a few days. Recently I decided to start recording my symptoms.
    14th April 2019 - 20th April 2019 : Brain zaps triggered when I turn my head to the left, pain in right ear.
    September or October (i forgot to record it) : Pain when bending head forward only happened once or twice.
    25th November 2019 - 4th of Jan 2020 : Burning upper arm, pins and and needles in fingers, spine pain, muscle twitching, pain behind eye, burning scalp, ear pain, brain zaps.

    This recent flare up of symptoms triggered me to finally go to a neurologist and endocrinologist because the symptoms were never that bad before. Neurologist listened to my symptoms, ordered a brain MRI and an MRI of my pituitary and suggested that my symptoms might be from the pituitary tumor but it was hard for him to say because he could not look at my actual MRI just the report of it. The endocrinologist was pretty adamant that my symptoms in no way would be caused by a 3mm pituitary tumor and did some tests and found out that it is an active prolactinoma.

    Symptoms of a prolactinoma are no menses, low sex drive, breast discharge, and infertility. I have none of those symptoms so he suggested that I could either take medicine to get rid of the tumor all together or just wait and do a retest of my prolactin in 6 months. I chose to wait.

    It was nice to get the reassurance from him that I knew in feb of 2018 that my symptoms were not connected to my 3mm tumor but who knows it might have grown since almost 2 years ago. My MRI is on the 23rd of Jan but in the mean time i am dealing with residual symptoms. like the sympoms arent as bad as they were during the late november early jan time frame but i am still dealing with scalp pain and itchiness, burning legs and arms, and throbbing behind my eyes. Are there any home remedies to help soothe me while I wait?
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