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        New Message Board Archives >> 2004 Cluster Headache Specific Posts >> MRI - should I expect anything?
        
(Message started by: BeermanIA on May 3^rd, 2004, 7:24pm)

Title: MRI - should I expect anything?
Post by BeermanIA on May 3^rd, 2004, 7:24pm

I just came from having an MRI done on my head (I can just see the jokes starting now at work). My PCP had requested them since I never had one done when I had my CH's before. Am I to assume that this is common practice? Somehow I really don't know that they'd find anything. Has anyone else had an MRI that was able to determine anything of value? Thanks.

Ernie

Title: Re: MRI - should I expect anything?
Post by UN_SOLVED on May 3^rd, 2004, 8:01pm

Clusters won't show anything 'abnormal' in an MRI. There is a need to do an MRI to rule out other things that could be life threatening, such as brain tumors and things. You shouldn't have to worry about this test.
IT SHOULD BE DONE AS PART OF A PROCESS IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF ANY NEUROLOGICAL CONDITION.

Unsolved

Title: Re: MRI - should I expect anything?
Post by Little Deb on May 3^rd, 2004, 10:50pm

yeah...what un_solved said! ;)

Title: Re: MRI - should I expect anything?
Post by mynm156 on May 3^rd, 2004, 11:40pm

Yeah it is just to rule out anyother cause of your headaches.

Good Luck

MYNM156

Title: Re: MRI - should I expect anything?
Post by BeermanIA on May 4^th, 2004, 7:10am

I'm not holding out any hope that the MRI will find anything. When I suffered with CH's for 10 years they never found anything before. I was just wondering if anyone ever found out anything from these tests.

Thanks for your replies, everyone.

Ernie

Title: Re: MRI - should I expect anything?
Post by sandie99 on May 4^th, 2004, 7:51am

I'm waiting for my MRI results, too! I was there last Wednesday. ;;D

Best wishes,
sandie99

Title: Re: MRI - should I expect anything?
Post by ExplodingEyeBall on May 4^th, 2004, 10:21am

At least you'll have some really cool pictures of your head.

My wife teaches 3rd grade and she uses my MRI pics when they start to study the nervous system and the brain.

The kids love the one where you can see my eyes. They say it looks like a crab.....As a matter of fact, my wife says I look like a crab too. But that was before the MRI.

UN_SOLVED had the good advice here. It is a MUST to have an MRI done first to see if there are any other problems before any treatment is given. Your doc may also insist on an EEG which my doc did. He found that I have seizure activity. With this information he determined exactly which treatments he could and couldn't use.

Title: Re: MRI - should I expect anything?
Post by notseinfeld on May 6^th, 2004, 11:24am

My opinion seems to part company here and I successfully avoided a bogus MRI (knowing they would find zilch) for about 5 years. Finally, and it's a long story, I was 'cornered' into getting one.

Guess what they found? Nothing. Big Surprise. Actually had an attack during the procedure and was squeezing that 'emergency' ball like I was trying to inflate a tire.
Did get a nice picture of half my head completely white and the other black from the sinus buildup.

Anyhoo, you may want to have some toe-nail fungus testing done to be sure that's not interfering with the CH pathogenesis. Afterwards maybe a heart monitor, or some ear wax studies.....

Title: Re: MRI - should I expect anything?
Post by BstnEagles on May 12^th, 2004, 12:54pm

I have had both an MRI as well as an EEG. Both came back negative and normal. These tests are for ruiling out abnormalities and for playing it safe. I did not get the dye injection with my MRI because it makes me nauseous.

Title: Re: MRI - should I expect anything?
Post by Pirateroth on May 12^th, 2004, 8:27pm

When I had an M.R.I done,.. all they found was a fat deposit in my head. Heck ask any of my ex-girlfriends they could have told them that. :)
Good luck!

Title: Re: MRI - should I expect anything?
Post by BeermanIA on May 12^th, 2004, 9:26pm

Thanks to all for your replies. The results were pretty much as I expected. They found nothing unusual outside of the sinus congestion that I've had for years.

On another note, it's been 3 weeks now since I last had a CH. Wierd. I don't have them for 3 years, then get them for 3 weeks straight, then they're gone again. It almost seems like just a bad dream, or some sort of bad 70's flashback.... ;)

Has anyone else gone through periods such as these? When I had them before for 10 years, I don't recall a respite as long as 3 weeks during that whole ordeal.