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If you could spare some good thoughts and prayers

AimeeM

By AimeeM,
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AimeeM

AimeeM

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I went to see the neurologist my GP referred me out to. He looked concerned after the examination and ordered an MRI with, and without, contrast (which I had today). After I told my husband about the exam, HE looked concerned - and he generally isn't one to become concerned. 

 

 

I'm just a bit nervous. I'm sure it's just a disc or something, but the neurologist said that my legs had a tremor during one part of the exam and that there was something off about my walk, which I hadn't noticed (either issue, actually - my concern was only the vibrating sensation when I bend my neck, the fatigue and forgetfulness, headaches, and the constant tingling in my left arm).

 

I'm anticipating a return of the tests saying, "You need more sleep," lol. Which, of course, The Marvelous Flying Marco will pay no heed to and will continue to perform acrobatics in his bedroom at 3 am and talk to me, over the baby monitor, about Sick Bricks and Minecraft. I found him this morning wedged between the reading chair and his book case, trying to balance one leg on the book case and the other on the chair. 

 

 

Regardless, I'm sure it's nothing, but prayers are always a good thing, right? 

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creekland

creekland

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Sending prayers and hoping it's something easily fixable!

 

You're more patient than I am.  When I've had MRIs I've always requested discs and used google to teach myself how to read them.  Google is quite good.  Granted, it's not like I can do it for a living, but I can see what they've seen.

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AimeeM

AimeeM

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Sending prayers and hoping it's something easily fixable!

 

You're more patient than I am.  When I've had MRIs I've always requested discs and used google to teach myself how to read them.  Google is quite good.  Granted, it's not like I can do it for a living, but I can see what they've seen.

Hmm. DH said that we didn't have the program (or software) necessary for it to come up on my laptop. If you were able to, though, I might just try it, lol.

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creekland

creekland

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Hmm. DH said that we didn't have the program (or software) necessary for it to come up on my laptop. If you were able to, though, I might just try it, lol.

 

Mine come with the necessary reader on the disc.  You can check yours to see if it does.  It's not as good of a reader as the pros have, but it's adequate enough and fun to play with for measurements and things.

 

It will look rather odd without googling to know what you are looking for though.  Spines are easier than brains FWIW.  To get good tutorials I just did google searches until I saw some I liked.

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AimeeM

AimeeM

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Mine come with the necessary reader on the disc.  You can check yours to see if it does.  It's not as good of a reader as the pros have, but it's adequate enough and fun to play with for measurements and things.

 

It will look rather odd without googling to know what you are looking for though.  Spines are easier than brains FWIW.  To get good tutorials I just did google searches until I saw some I liked.

Yeah, this one is a spine. If he doesn't see what he's looking for, he wants a brain one... but I'm not really feeling another 30+ minutes in the MRI prison. I mean, I will if he feels it's necessary, but that wasn't what I was expecting (because I didn't realize he'd ordered a "no contrast" and a "contrast," which meant two sets, essentially).

 

I tittered with the CD for a bit. I tried to get my CD reader (it's a plug-in that DH got me, because my Mac Air doesn't have a drive on it) to read it, but it didn't even recognize it :(

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creekland

creekland

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Yeah, this one is a spine. If he doesn't see what he's looking for, he wants a brain one... but I'm not really feeling another 30+ minutes in the MRI prison. I mean, I will if he feels it's necessary, but that wasn't what I was expecting (because I didn't realize he'd ordered a "no contrast" and a "contrast," which meant two sets, essentially).

 

I tittered with the CD for a bit. I tried to get my CD reader (it's a plug-in that DH got me, because my Mac Air doesn't have a drive on it) to read it, but it didn't even recognize it :(

 

It's been a while, so my memory could be foggy, but I think hubby downloaded the necessary software onto my computer from the disc to see the images.  Mine wouldn't read it without that and I'm too technically challenged to have known what to do.  We work together as a team, so that's his part to play.  I figure out how to read them.

 

MRI prison?  Never thought about it that way.  To me, it's been one of the easiest tests to deal with.  We all have our own preferences though.  It probably helps that I'm not the least bit claustrophobic or needle shy.  

 

I mainly have issues with not knowing something (what tests reveal) or the cause of something (when stuff is wrong, but they can't figure out why).  My brain will go non-stop trying to work on those puzzles - hence - How to Read an MRI 101.

 

I also love our local blood lab.  We can get results from that online within 24 hours sometimes, 48 if they're a little delayed.  It sure beats waiting for Dr offices to call or appts.

 

The next thing I would love are "Order it Yourself" tests.  Then I could work far more quickly on puzzles and only have to wait on doctors when I finally had something figured out - or perhaps Google would give me "Fix It" answers at that point too.  There's a huge slow point waiting on doctors to begin with, then add to that if you have to convince them that something is wrong because they can't see it and there's no way to transfer to them what one feels.  Having tests that show what is out of line first would speed up that process.  Even tests not showing anything would speed up the process by allowing one to move on eliminating options.

 

But there's my Ideal World again - the one I'd prefer living in.  We get to deal with the Real World unfortunately.  That world has me stalling for another month (was 6 or 8 weeks) waiting on an appt to see what happens with A before deciding if I want to do anything about B or if it isn't worth it.  I could have moved B up sooner, but if it's not worth it 'cause A isn't looking good, why bother?

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AimeeM

AimeeM

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Just looking for an update - hoping things went well.

 

If not, you have friends... or a place you can vent.   :grouphug:

 

If so, would love to celebrate your news.

I'm feeling pretty neutral right now.

 

And like I want a second opinion.

 

The good news - there are no lesions in the spinal MRI. 

 

Why I want a second opinion... at my first visit, he was pretty insistent that after this spinal MRI, he would want a brain MRI and possibly a tap. After seeing no lesions on my spinal MRI, he thinks I have carpal tunnel? He did a complete 180. I have NO symptoms that would point to carpel tunnel (I know because my husband just had surgery for carpel tunnel and had suffered with it for years). I mean NONE. 

 

At my first visit, he seemed pretty insistent about these tests, even if the spinal MRI came back clear, and now, suddenly, he is going in an entirely different direction.

 

Oh, and he only received the report and scans literally AT my follow-up appointment time. He was 2 hours late seeing me and had only been handed my results THEN by his staff. 

 

I'm glad the scans were clear. Very glad. But I'm not feeling confident with the neurologist.

 

In the mean time, he noted a tremor in my legs, he noted an abnormal "gait,"  I have a constant vibrating sensation in my entire upper body when I bend my neck forward, and my left arm is almost always tingling. I feel like I have the flu - and have felt that way for months now. I'm tired. I'm only 31, in good shape, and relatively active. 

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creekland

creekland

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I'm glad the scans were clear. Very glad. But I'm not feeling confident with the neurologist.

 

I'm glad your scans were clear too, and I completely empathize with the latter bit.  I'm still trying to figure out how to convince doctors that something is terribly wrong even if they can't see it.  I have no idea if that "thing" is major or a minor thing that just needs fixing.  I only know it's progressing and is not the way things are supposed to be.

 

Now that it's gotten worse and more constant - way too constant (and worse) for my preferences - I might have made some headway - emphasis on might.  Otherwise, if you're female... it's just stress - or aging.

 

Honestly, I'm practically on the verge of giving up trying and figuring if it ends up being bad (or more than I can stand), they can figure it out in an autopsy.  There's one more appt in June that a bit will be hinging on.

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AimeeM

AimeeM

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Definitely 2nd opinion. If I remember recent posts, there has been a lot going on with your FIL and your son.

There is a lot going on. Which is why part of me wonders if it's just stress. Maybe it is. The leg tremor and the vibrations concern me more than the forgetfulness, honestly. I'm pretty scatterbrained by nature and I don't get much sleep - so the forgetfulness is completely explainable, lol.

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creekland

creekland

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There is a lot going on. Which is why part of me wonders if it's just stress. Maybe it is. The leg tremor and the vibrations concern me more than the forgetfulness, honestly. I'm pretty scatterbrained by nature and I don't get much sleep - so the forgetfulness is completely explainable, lol.

 

I bought the stress theory for 6 months or so before ditching it.  It can make sense in some circumstances, so shouldn't be tossed as an option - esp at the beginning.  If in doubt, you could give it a few months to see - but a second opinion sure wouldn't hurt, esp if the first is telling you carpal tunnel for a leg problem???

 

Bodies also can be fairly effective at fixing themselves.  It's what they're designed to do (whether one gives credit to evolution or God for the design doesn't matter - it's still there).  I always like to give the body time to see if it can do things itself.  I only check with a dr when I'm convinced that's not happening.

 

FWIW, now that doctors can see some aspects of what I've been talking about, they no longer tell me stress.  Instead, they take pics and say things like, "hmm, haven't seen this before."  (That was just the last guy - which is why there might be hope I've made headway, but it still bothers me that they wouldn't take my word for it.  That whole "catch things early" line is totally worthless for some of us in the real world.  It only works if what you're catching early is something common and identifiable.)

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