Understanding MRI Results/Symptoms

New diagnosis and before diagnosis
1

Hi there!

I’ve been having a read on this forum for a little while now and have found the information very helpful.

I’ve very recently turned 40 and have always been in good health and physical fitness. But in 2017 I had a series of, what to me, were strange symptoms. Some of which lasted for about 6-7 months. I had humming and buzzing in my head, electrical swirling feelings in my ears, spasms in various parts of my body. I also had a feeling like cold water was being poured on my brain and also brief sharp ice pick like pains in my head. Thankfully most of these symptoms are now gone, I occasionally get a few twitches and a feeling like itching under the skin but nothing major. I’ve never suffered with migraines either really, I maybe have had 2-4 in my lifetime.

I saw a neurologist on the NHS who as a precautionary matter sent me for an MRI, the results of which were the following-

“There is patchy high signal change in the supratentorial white matter much which is subcortical in location, but there are a few larger deep white matter lesions. These appearances are nonspecific but unusual in someone of this age. Although they are not typical for inflammatory disease this should be considered. No other abnormalities”

I think the neurologist was surprised with these results (I wasn’t though as I knew something wasn’t right). I got lost in the system for about 7 months so have only just recently had another MRI, this time with contrast, which detailed the following-

“No new or enhancing intracranial lesions are demonstrated. The intracranial appearances are stable. No lesions are demonstrated within the spinal cord and there is no extrinsic neural compression.”

Going by Rizzo’s (Karen) rather excellent guide can I infer that these lesions are not “active”? AKA I’m alright at the moment!

Which begs the question, what caused them in the first place and was I suffering from some neurological episode? Am I now more in a risk category for MS? Having had a blood test in 2017, I think for a period of time my B12 was low and I know in some cases these can cause lesions and MS like symptoms. I’m not worried at this stage, more curious, I won’t see the neurologist again until September 2019.

Has anyone had similar symptoms/results? Any insight is greatly appreciated!

Thanks

James

2

Hello James

To be honest, I can’t answer your questions. It sounds to me as though you’re clear as far as MS is concerned.

As for whether you might be at risk of future MS, I wouldn’t have thought so (no more than the majority of the population that is). The reason is that your original MRI didn’t show anything inflammatory, so the symptoms you had then were not related to MS.

Hopefully all will be well for the future. It’s probably worth getting your GP to keep checking your B12 levels. But unless you have further symptoms but no B12 deficiency, I’d say you’ve dodged that bullet.

Check these questions out with the neurologist when you see him/her, just to be sure.

Sue

3

Hi Sue,

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply to me and giving me a bit of confidence. I obviously had something going on, but looking like it wasn’t MS. I was fully prepared that it might be MS and reading this forum made me think if I did have it, I’d just get on with it.

The very best to you Sue and stay well :slight_smile: