Hi just wandering how often you get mri scans done as my neurologist doesn’t seem to see the need for them. I’ve had one a year ago before dx and before starting rebif but feel I need one now as I’ve had so many things going on since dx which apparently are not relapses cause not severe enough but just feels like I’m progressing slowly so surely if there was things going on and getting worse my Mri would show new lesions?
Why won’t he do Mri?
Is it money?
Thanks
Coleen
Oh with mine I would have one at the start of a DMD and one around a year later on it, if new I had new lesions he will straight away suggest upping the dmd to something stronger etc.
My last 2 MRI showed nothing new so hes left me alone now for 2 years with no MRI but he was not happy with me going on about stuff so hes moved me from Rebif to Gilenya though alot was moved to this so not sure if there was more to it.
Also if your having lots of problems how they going to know if you have inflamation or a new T2 lesion etc.
Can you change Neuro? I was told with my PCT a MRI is about £500 so its not much and a Hi Res one 2,400 slices was double that.
They was I understand it Coleen, is that you wouldnt really get an MRI unless there was a reason…it sounds like you have a reason - you could maybe ask him when you are next having one. For me - on Rebif I had an MRI every 12 months and now I am on Tysabri I have one ever 6 months.
Maybe it is money - who knows.
x
It is not common for people to be scanned routinely once they have a dx. Not much point in going to all that trouble only to find that you still have MS (surprise!), because you know that already.
They tend to be done by exeption (the neurologist decides that your MS is behaving in an unexpected way - i.e. not just active, but odd - and wants to check what’s going on under the bonnet) or if you are doing badly on a DMD and being considered for a stronger treatment, and they need to know whether there is active inflammation at work.
I have had follow-up MRIs for both those reasons (and I am sure that there are others), but had gone for many years after dx with no MRI.
Alison
I had two MRIs during the course of diagnosis but haven’t had another one since. I had two clear relapses last year and switched DMDs but still didn’t have another MRI which doesn’t seem to follow what has happened to other MSers. Perhaps my neuro didn’t feel the need as my symptoms were clear enough to prove the old DMD wasn’t working?
Tracey x
I had an MRI for diagnosis and another a year later because my MS was still very active even though I was on DMDs. So I had another which showed new activity and I was switched to a stronger DMD.
I haven’t had any relapses since (touch wood) so I don’t expect I’ll have another MRI unless things start happening again.