Well I received a letter from my consultant on Saturday.It was quite brief saying that “You MRI brain and cervical scan results are now to hand.The scan reveals areas of high signal within the brain which might be suggestive of inflamation.Hence to look at it further I am requesting a lumbar puncture and some blood tests”
The letter doesn’t say much more other than the admissions co-ordinator will be in touch to arrange the tests and that he will see me as previously arranged to discuss the results.
What do “areas of high signal mean?” I had almost convinced myself that I was imagining it all as my symptoms are currently the ‘best’ they have been for months!. Does this mean that I am not imagining it?
Any words of wisdom please?
If you can dig your way through the length of her post, a former member of the Forum called Rizzo wrote a beginners guide to the brain. See A brief beginner's guide to the brain and MRI - New diagnosis and before diagnosis - MS Society UK | Forum In this guide, there is a section about MRI tests and the results. It seems that high signal can denote white spots which could be lesions.
So what I think your neurologist is saying is that s/he wants to check out your cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in a lumbar puncture and take some blood tests to rule in or out various causes of the potential inflammation in your brain. One possibility of these tests could of course be MS. But by no means is that the only possibility and your neurologist is not saying that they are looking for evidence for or against such a diagnosis.
Have a look at the MS Trusts booklet on LPs: Lumbar puncture | MS Trust
And meanwhile, try to to get too stressed by the letter or a potential diagnosis it may never come to that.
Sue
Thanks Sue,I will take a look x