MRI Results...
...as told to me from my neurologist earlier today on the phone.
(I typed it as he told me so it's probably messy & all over the map but I can type fairly fast
so you all will have to just try & get the gist of it... enjoy!)
first MRI in June of 04 had large enhancing lesion (something that is active at the time) that is now gone.
there is another lesion that is new that is in front of that that is not enhancing that it came sometime between then & now but it's not currently active.
and it's smaller in size.
the size of the ventricles in the brain are slightly bigger, that's not good. that means that my brain is shrinking a little bit
some of the previous lesions now actually look smaller but that's because where they were before, that part of the brain is shrinking because of the old MS lesions that weren't active in June of 04 are shrinking.
this is not normal and it's one of those things we look at in MS to try to determine how we're doing with treatment, sometimes there's nothing we can do about it but when investigators are looking at MS they look at a lot of things, how I'm doing , my MRI scan etc... & one of the things they're looking for is if the brain is shrinking & if it's not, they consider that good.
the shrinkage usually occurs where there are old lesions (old scar tissue) it's getting smaller cuz it's contracting a little bit, so it's area of previously damaged brain where there were old abnormalities & the fluid space next to that area gets a little larger.
It often happens with MS & when we have a medication that's working we expect to see less shrinkage then you would have if you were on no medicine.
So it's now a question of how much shrinkage.
It's in the area where there were old lesions & it's probably expected shrinkage, it's unfortunate but expected so not really to worry & nothing to do about it.
continue on the same meds
goal was to keep the new lesions down & have no new inflammation
so the medication is working but there is one new spot.
the one new spot means that the rebif is not working 100$ but that's not a surprise cuz we know that the meds never work 100%.
with an MRI we try to determine whether or not the spots are worrisome, & we don't think these are but we'd rather not see any obviously.
so overall synopsis: keep the same course & I'll see you in may.
(I typed it as he told me so it's probably messy & all over the map but I can type fairly fast
so you all will have to just try & get the gist of it... enjoy!)
first MRI in June of 04 had large enhancing lesion (something that is active at the time) that is now gone.
there is another lesion that is new that is in front of that that is not enhancing that it came sometime between then & now but it's not currently active.
and it's smaller in size.
the size of the ventricles in the brain are slightly bigger, that's not good. that means that my brain is shrinking a little bit
some of the previous lesions now actually look smaller but that's because where they were before, that part of the brain is shrinking because of the old MS lesions that weren't active in June of 04 are shrinking.
this is not normal and it's one of those things we look at in MS to try to determine how we're doing with treatment, sometimes there's nothing we can do about it but when investigators are looking at MS they look at a lot of things, how I'm doing , my MRI scan etc... & one of the things they're looking for is if the brain is shrinking & if it's not, they consider that good.
the shrinkage usually occurs where there are old lesions (old scar tissue) it's getting smaller cuz it's contracting a little bit, so it's area of previously damaged brain where there were old abnormalities & the fluid space next to that area gets a little larger.
It often happens with MS & when we have a medication that's working we expect to see less shrinkage then you would have if you were on no medicine.
So it's now a question of how much shrinkage.
It's in the area where there were old lesions & it's probably expected shrinkage, it's unfortunate but expected so not really to worry & nothing to do about it.
continue on the same meds
goal was to keep the new lesions down & have no new inflammation
so the medication is working but there is one new spot.
the one new spot means that the rebif is not working 100$ but that's not a surprise cuz we know that the meds never work 100%.
with an MRI we try to determine whether or not the spots are worrisome, & we don't think these are but we'd rather not see any obviously.
so overall synopsis: keep the same course & I'll see you in may.
3 comments:
It almost sounds good right?
I'm thinking it sounds more good than bad....?
I'm thinking that it isn't 100% good, but pretty darn close... especially since you are keeping to the same course until May?
Anne
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