MRI: With Contrast or Without

Hello Everyone.

Saw the neurologist today. Very nice man. Did all this stuff with a feather and a pin and NAD! Still giving me an MRI and a load of bloods.

I asked for the MRI with contrast. He said that for what he’s looking for, he does not need contrast, but I insisted, and he agreed.

Then I read what contrast involved - namely the injection of Gadolinium.

So now I’m thinking, “Do I really need contrast?”

If I don’t have to have an injection of Gadonlinium, I’d be happier, but if the MRI is really not effective without contrast, then I’ll have it.

Thoughts?

Thanks

Sarah

If your symptoms have been happening for a while (at least 2-3 months), then you don’t need contrast. Contrast is used to help spot lesions that are forming/developing. This info is useful for knowing if someone’s MS is currently active (important for drug decisions) and because new lesions can be too small to spot without contrast (and new patients may not have any visible lesions without these).

Most people are fine with gadolinium and the injection is nothing to worry about. Now the neuro’s signed off on it, there’s probably nothing to lose by having it done other than some time (more scans means that the MRI takes longer).

Karen x

Thanks Karen.

I had a episode similar to what I’m going through 10 years ago. If that was MS, then I’m presuming that it would have left lesions. My current episode started about three months ago with tingling in my left foot. It has gradually spread, and now I am in a state of exhaustion. I am hoping the current group of symptoms are reaching a climax, and it will be over soon!

After all the “feather and pin” tests yesterday showed no abnormality, I felt a bit of a fraud, but I know all of this is not in me head. At least, if nothing else, if I have a contrast MRI, and it shows nothing, I can feel I’ve done all I should, and will have to look elsewhere for answers.

Take care

Sarah

Over the past few months many of us have reported having MRI expecting to have contrast and it not being done.

When queried the people doing it say it wasn’t on the form.

My last one was done after the neuro saying he specifically wanted contrast, but it didn’t happen.so don’t be too suprised if you join a long list of us in the “its not on the form” brigade.

Good attitude you have to the looking elsewhere for answers,and not just accepting you have to put up with symptoms if ms is ruled out.

Pip

Hi Pip

I got the consultant to write “with gad” in front of my eyes, and then made the receptionist book me a “with gad” scan, but we’ll see when I get there.

As for looking elsewhere… Well the thing I don’t actually buy is that my B12 is not low enough to cause me problems. The consultant last night told me it had to be below <100pg/ml to cause neurological symptoms. In the UK the boundary for normal is around 188pg/ml. In Japan it’s 500pg/ml.

In Japan I think the doctor would look at my B12 of 180pg/ml and give me methylcobalimin injections. In the UK methylcobalimin does not even exist in the NHS prescription book! I am now sucking my way through a bottle of sublingual high dose Methylcobalimin and praying the MRI is negative and that B12 is my problem.

Take care

Sarah