Mal's Gherkin Pram: MRI Scan and Lesions

I had a brain and neck MRI scan in December 2017, to see if they could find a cause for some weird effects I was experiencing at the time.

They immediately identified demyelination in my spine (in my upper neck), as well as some small "lesions" throughout my brain.

These were classic markers for MS, my neurologist finally concluded, after many and varied tests.

The name "multiple sclerosis" refers to the scars (sclerae – better known as plaques or lesions) that form in the nervous system - in particular in the white matter of the brain and spinal cord. Mine are mainly in my neck and small fragments in the brain.

The small white lesions look something like this in my brain (nb. not my MRI scan).

I may have had these small brain lesions for years, she said, and not even been aware of them or their effects. My long-time slight hand tremors may have been one of those - but we'll never know!

It was absolutely fascinating seeing my own MRI brain scan results! My neurologist showed me what was happening, as she took me level-by-level through the pictures of my brain! A very surreal (yet positive) experience.

I'll need an ongoing MRI scan every c.2 years or so, unless there is a flare-up.

I appreciate a lot of people do not enjoy the whole MRI experience - tho I have always found them to be stress-free. In fact, the whole whirring/clunking/clicks they make, make me laugh, as they sound like bad 'Kraftwerk' techno music or something! [laffs]

Now they let you wear a pair of small headphones that play music to drown out the sound - nice!