Any advice for getting my MRI brain scan and cervical spine plex?
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Hi,
Welcome to the forum. Sorry youāre going through such a lot of stress.
Obviously, the people on here, who might respond to your post, will generally be people who do have MS - since itās an MS forum. So youāre not going to get a balanced picture of āwhat happens after being referred for an MRIā.
The best source of information is your neurologist. Unfortunately, itās pretty frustrating to be told: itās probably not MS (but it just might be). It leaves you wonderingā¦ exactly how likely is it, then? Can the internet tell you, somehow, what is wrong, given all the information out thereā¦? Itās so hard to be worried about what might be wrong with you and to be left just waiting. MS is difficult to diagnose and it can take several scans and appointments.
How can you cope meanwhile? A few ideasā¦
Firstly, keep your mind occupied if you can, with other things that take up your attention.
Secondly, get some physical exercise. It may help you cope. Itās good for people with (and without) MS. Neurologists often recommend people with MS take vitamin D. You could check what the NHS recommends as regards vitamin D ā¦check what is safe for you with a pharmacist/GP.
Third idea: write down your symptoms, your fears. That way, when you eventually get to a neurologist, you have it all to hand.
Fourth idea: At your appointment, if relevant, be ready to ask what the next steps are and how long that will take. Ask how to get in touch if things change between appointments.
If your own neurologist says itās unlikely you have MS, I think you just have to accept that as the best information you have.
I donāt think thereās much you need to do except wait for the scan results. Thatās going to be very helpful information for you and your medical advisors.
Donāt worry about the problem of distinguishing between āhardā symptoms and āall in the mindā symptoms. I think most of us have struggled with that - weāre all one organism and everything is connected to everything else, so the distinction (if there even is one) between mind and body isnāt always helpful.
Slight tangent, but not entirely unrelated: I was hearing on the radio today that the the microbial tenants in our guts are a vocal part of the feedback loop that decides what weāre going to eat and what sort of mood weāre in. And the really clever thing is that we still feel that weāre in charge or choosing which sandwich!
Against this background figuring out for ourselves what neurological symptom is a ārealā symptom and whatās an āall in the headā one is a forlorn hope, isnāt it? 
But the scans are as close to cold, hard fact as we can get. Theyāre not perfect, and neither are the people who report upon them, but theyāre very, very good.
Hi there. Iām not quite sure what your question is. Are you seeking advice on how to get a scan, what the scanning process is like or on how to deal with the results?
Just wondering what to expect!
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From the moment I was told lesions were found on my brain and there is a possibility of MS, it was as if something had changed to my thinking. I purposely avoided negative situations. I worried myself sick what will happen next?
I suppose what I am trying to say is there is no particular way to knowing what to expect. Your whole story already is different from mine. You just have to wait and see what unfolds, whether it be a MS diagnosis or not. I know not knowing what to expect is hard. You may as well walk into a room full of strangers in an unfamiliar place. Good luck x
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This is exactly where I am nowā¦ lesions found and seeing an MS specialist soon.
I thought I was just reading my own message reading yoursā¦ Crazy to think thereās someone else going through the exact same thing at the exact same time!
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Iād say expect the unexpected and donāt hold out for all the answers to all your questions. I was fully expecting an MS diagnosis a year ago but it took another year to get it. 
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