Brain MRI

[Le1890]

Hi
Just wondering if anyone has
Any experience of these or knowing people who have them?

I have been gettting various symptoms for a while including headaches and visual symptoms. I had a brain MRI last week and was told all was normal. No tumours, inflammation, stokes or ms. The consultant said 'its one of the cleanest MRI scans I've ever seen'.

Here is the issue, I suffer with anxiety so I'm worried a tumour has been missed? Can anyone rationalise with me or have any thoughts? I didn't have it with contrast but the consultant explained that the MRI sees the abnormality and then a contrast scan would have been ordered to look at it in more detail and diagnose etc. i have had an MRI of my liver and I do have a benign cyst that is only 1.4cm and was seen on an ultrasound then an MRI with constrast to get a good look at it. I digress.

I'm torturing myself with this instead of just moving on and accepting the good news.

Anyone?x

HinDraylon
I am in a terrible state. I just can't stop worrying a tunour has been missed.

I can't understand why I would have these symptoms and recently I feel like I'm waking up seeing flashing lights and weird sensations and now thinking it's seiszures I'm having?

Could they have missed it?x

Thanks. It just hard to believe.

Surely I can't be having a seizure every time I'm asleep?

Have your eyes been checked? It may be a PVD, or a small tear in the retina that is causing the flashing lights.

I'd go and have your eyes checked by an Optometrist. We can also often see signs of brain tumours at the back of your eye.

www.rnib.org.uk/eye-health/your-guide-posterior-vitreous-detachment-pvd/posterior-vitreous-detachment-PVD

One other thought....there's a type of acute glaucoma (intermittent angle closure) that causes headaches and occasionally flashing lights, the optometrist can also check for that too.

Hi Karoleann

Thanks. I did have an optician test this was how all this started as my visual field test said outwith normal limits. It kept coming it saying I had clicked excessively and was unreliable. The results were different both times I did it. This freaked me out and I took myself straight to hospital.

The MRI scan was done and I had told the consultant I was so scared about a brain tumour. I was admitted for 3 days and had the scan as an inpatient. The consultant was originally going to do a CT scan then said she had decided to do an MRI as that shows everything. Then when she came with the results she said it was absolutely normal and infact one of the cleanest MRI scans she had ever seen.

The flashing light thing only happened when I was waking up out of sleep. I'm just so confused whether it's anxiety causing it as I have a severe anxiety disorder but that doesn't explain the visual field test. :(

I'm having a follow up app with a neurologist as I still have the symptoms.x

P.s the rest of the eye exam was absolutely normal no swelling back of eye etc etc.

A tumour would not have been missed, mri's are very sensitive. Try not to worry, it's good news. I have health anxiety and had a time where I convinced myself I had ms and I had tingling and numbness in my arms and face for a few months but it was all caused by anxiety.

Thanks.

I had a follow up appointment yesterday with a neurologist. He said he had gone through my MRI scan and it is definitely normal. He the did various tests with me including eye tests and looking at back of my eye, then reflex tests etc. He said he can't find anything neurologically wrong with me. He said he thinks I have migranes and hormone imbalance from having just had a baby. It's so worrying a still have the symptoms. Mainly the brain fog is stressing me out just now and feel like my memory just not as sharp. Don't really know where to go from here. Can this really all be anxiety x

Thanks.

I just don't see how the MRI could have been normal because I have a few major symptoms of a brain tumour. I just can't help but think something has been missed??

Would a head MRI have seen if there were tumours in the sinuses? I am sure they said they would check for an acoustic nurenoma. I just can't stop worrying about why I have the pressure around my eye and vision issue along with the brain fog, difficulty concentration and memory issues. I'm worried my facial nerve is being pressed on as feel my eye is drooping a bit more on same side. Consultant said the MRI ruled out stroke, brain tumour, inflammation, blood vessel issues and ms.

I have an outpatient opthamology app but not until Feb time as it's a 12 week wait.

Le - it's unlikely just one person looked at your MRI scans and I'd doubt more than one person missed something as obvious as a tumour in the brain - don't forget an MRI takes slices of images so it's a 3D image, and loads of slices so it's unlikely on all those images theyd miss something
Also radiographers are qualified doctors and they see brain tumours very regularly so they would definitely see something wasn't right if there was a problem I'm sure, as well as the MRI operator, who would probably have noticed during your scan and flagged something up to the radiographer
I suffer somewhat with health anxiety and my body does react t my anxieties, do you think it might be this? You should see your GP again as I'm sure they'd prefer you spent five minutes with them to help talk you through any issues you have rather that you worry

I'm sorry you're so anxious ,must be especially tough with a baby .

My own twopennyworth is that when I had a baby and now when I'm tired I do see flashes of light .

With regard to the eye test being unreliable ...I think it's very common with this sort of test that people keep pressing the button too soon .It does mean that they can't rely on the test ,but it's nothing sinister IYSWIM .

I honestly think you need to trust the MRI scan ,it would have highlighted any tumours .

I hope you feel better soon .

More than one person checks out the MRI results for them to be checked off. They don't just have one person look at the results, hence you don't hear back for weeks. Well I didn't get my results for weeks anyway (not brain, bowel).

Hi OP, I can't really add to what others have said but totally sympathise. I had a seizure (I think they call it tonic clonic) earlier this year and since then have had both MRI and EEG scans with nothing showing up. Absolutely clean as yours was. I also get flashing lights but mainly when I am really tired. I was for a while quite nervous walking around on my own in case of a repeat, but was greatly reassured talking to my niece, a doctor, who told me that something "unexplained" and similar happens every day at least once in every hospital. The brain is so complex that in almost all cases there really is nothing wrong - I've not had any further ill effects.

However, I really sympathise with the anxiety. Mine is about my teeth - I have huge anxiety that they will spontaneously fall out or that I will have another seizure and knock them out. I'm trying to work on the anxiety aspect because if I am logical and rational, I know that all tests have been done, that MRI scans are very thorough and that they are definitely viewed by more than one person and (cynically) that hospitals do anything to prevent mis diagnosis for their own reasons as well as looking after patients.

Hope you feel a bit better soon.