This video was incredibly helpful in understanding MRI’s. Thank you so much!! I’ve learned a TON from your videos (it can be difficult to find a reputable, understandable, and scientifically correct source online), and MRI’s are the last hurdle to comprehension of my disease for me personally. I’ll probably watch this one several times and each time I get an annual MRI. Lots of good meat here! Thanks again for everything you do to educate the MS community. I don’t think you can possibly understand how far your work extends. Education is so important! I routinely refer people to your channel in various MS forums because your videos cover so many topics. Your passion for helping people is very encouraging and contagious. Thanks for being YOU, Dr. B!
@@AaronBosterMD does m.s cause body and hand shaking and tightness around torso and right side feels numb and tight cosbi keep getting this for 8 months now on and off but past few days I've had it more regular also numb toes and tingles I can't walk properly as well thankyou
Thank you for saying the word “brain damage” when explaining lesions, it makes it real. Thank you for the honesty. I never thought of it that way, but I guess I’m not alone.
I'm my neurologists favourite MRI topic because I have pretty much no lesions on my brain. I don't think I'd even have been diagnosed as having MS if it weren't for the fact that there's loads of them on my spine (sadly). He even talks about me at conferences. I'm so proud! 😆 😆
Alison, were the spine leisions picked up with an MRI? My daughter has so many symptoms and the wait to get into a specialist is very long. No leisions on her brain and the radiologist refused to use the contrast.
Hi Alison, I was just diagnosed last year AND I'm the opposite of you. SEVERAL Lesions on my Brain & 0 on my Spine. I'm sorry you have Spine Lesions & hope you are doing well 😊 God Bless 🙏
I've posted a comment before but I never said this. I am so thankful for this channel and you. You don't make things scary. You're straight forward, humourous and kind. Humour is VERY important. The first time I ended up in hospital and they did my first proper MRI, they scared the heck out of me. Had no compassion at all. I felt very alone. I'm English and it was an English nurse that helped me. She KNEW I wasn't a faker and I will never forget her. But my real point is, they told me about lesions, in a dismissive and patronising way. I investigated. I researched. I got a sense of humour to make it easier on my loved ones, by saying my English heritage was stuck in my head because I had my own Roman lesions!!! It helped my youngest son and was a great starting point. But you have definitely helped us all. You educate and help and make us smile. If I never posted again, which I doubt, I wanted you to know, you truly do have a tremendous impact, on so many lives. I am thankful and grateful. And had to let you know. Thank you. Especially for the smiles. It's easier to learn, with a smile. 🌞
My 52 yr old son, diagnosed with MS, almost 17 years ago. He has been to numerous pain Dr's, for the constant pain he has experienced for almost 17 yrs. Theft him on various narcotics to relieve the pains he's experiencing, then they take him off the meds, then 3 to 6 months later they'll represcribe the pain medication, again. Why can't they just leave him on the meds that relieve his pain?? It's horrible to see my son suffer so much w/o the pain meds. He simply cannot function when he's in so much pain. All he can do is "try" to sleep.
@@martibee4140, hey there, I know this was a long time ago you typed. I wanted to just say you are so amazing as a mom and an MS friend. Can I ask how he is doing? And how are you?
When I first got diagnosed I had to sit down with my own scan and a whole bunch of academic journals and brain diagrams to figure out what was going on and what functions the affected areas control. I picked up more useful tips on this channel in 2 days than I have from my own doctors in 2 years! 😂🤦 Thank you for taking the time out to educate us! 👏❤️
This video was insanely informative 😆 thanks again, Dr B! I think our neuros should absolutely go over our MRI’s with us! The more educated we are as patients, the more we can understand our disease and educate our friends and family.
You are a genius. I have always learned so much from you. Whether it be in clinic or now that we are in FL I have to settle for TH-cam. 😉 Thank you for sharing your time & knowledge with us so freely. You truly are a blessing to me as a MS patient & to the MS community as a whole. Thank You is not enough. God Bless you & your family.
Thanks Dr. B! Yes, I do think annual MRIs are important to help monitor the progress of MS. I am a bit concerned with the contrast though. Could you talk a bit about contrast, what kinds there are, and the safety of it?
That is my concern as well. The radiologist scheduled 2 consecutive MRI with contrast (one of brain on day 1 and C-spine day 2) that I was so concerned with I rescheduled a week apart. Also flushed my body with water afterwards.
I can just kick myself , I totally missed this video Dr Boster and I’ve got a question featured in it . Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions .
Dr. B, my MS journey is long as most people with this condition. You are by far the best “presenter” I have ever heard. While I may never need long term health, I am wondering if some training be given nationwide to neurologists about advising patients before diagnosis to seek buying good quality health and long term health insurance? This journey would have been a lot easier to have had this kind of knowledge in my late twenties early thirties: my neurologist said there would be a cure in my lifetime. He also never said all the things that could possibly go wrong - MS hug; choking on water / food; etc. thank you for these you tubes. I just found you!!! Maybe you already have a post on insurance?!?!
Another great video, thank you. I don’t even look for any other information about MS. I spent hours of my life trying to understand my MRIs. In 16 minutes I now understand what the “BIG” words mean. Please keep making videos I am able to speak with my neurologist with actually understanding what he’s been saying.
My doc is disinclined to do MRI that often as I've had MS for 20 years and enhancing lesions no longer show up. My last MRI was > 2 years ago. Thanks for this video, all the previous videos, and your continuing to be just plain awesome. Well done sir, well done.
Thanks brother for all the valuable info. I have spinal cord lesions and I’m due for my yearly mri, and yes I’ve been excited that my Lemtrada treatment stopped the ms from spreading further . My immune system hasn’t bounced back yet after 2 years but no COVID, praising Jesus.
I just got some disturbing news today.. That my brain MRI was ABNORMAL. I am being referred to a Neurologist specialist to determine if I have for sure MS or some other movement disorder. But my current neurologist is leaning towards MS. I am meeting with my Specialist in January, 2021 to discuss what's next... Very nervous and upset. But I love your video. Thank you. You explain everything so I can understand. Hopefully, I will be able to start some medicine that will help my terrible symptoms. I wish everyone the Best. And stay Strong. Nancy
I've been recently diagnosed with MS , you are a God send, thanks for so much for so much more, clear and understandable information to the regular Joe
Thank you very much Dr. Boster for sharing so much of your knowledge. More doctors need to watch your videos & learn from you.. I've shown no lesions in my brain for 2yrs in a row & my neurologist made me feel as if I was crazy for feeling the way I do. Within the 2yr period I've been blind in my left eye for 2dys, blurry eyed in the right eye for 3dys. Symptoms of vertigo where I fell to my bed & slept off & on for 2dys. I've had my right side of face muscles painfully pull. Which looked like bells palsy without the drop in face. My foot kinda dropped, I couldn't wear sandals & on top of all that I've been partially paralyzed 2x where I just drop to the floor with no warning. Now I'm having sensations of spinal seizures/tremors & partial toe curls with nerve pain in fingers & toes. With electrical shocks down spine fingers & toes.. 5:48 Not everyone has noticeable lesions..You made me feel sane!! Thank you!!!
thank you!! My lesions disappear and re-appear dependent on their moods lol. I currently have no noticeable lesions on my MRI; however I am still exhausted, have numb toes and regular "foot drop" in both my feet! I have also been made to feel like I don't have MS due to the lack of lesions. So again, thank you :)
Hi Dr B. I agree. I believe it's important to have annual MRIs and to compare them to the previous year and then discussing any changes with my neurologist to possibly make a change in DMT if needed. Insurance companies would benefit in knowing why it's important for us to have them each year. They don't always understand the stress involved in getting the approval that can affect our well being. It would be a win win if they did imo. Cheers!
I was just diagnosed with RRMS December of 2020. I'm an active 57-year-old woman. thank you for all the TH-cam information you are giving us Dr. My significant other and I watch your videos together thank you again.
Annual MRI: I've watched many many of your excellent videos and I've been grappling with the very question you posed about having annual MRIs. I asked my clinic for an MRI as the last one was in 2014 and I've never had one at my current clinic. I live in the UK, so medical care is free at the point of delivery, but I cannot have an MRI at this clinic. I offered to pay because you can here, but they can't even offer me one privately. Insufficient scanner capacity. I moved to this clinic around 5 -7 years ago because it was a bit closer, but I'm in the process of returning to my former one. This week I got a phone call from the medical secretary there, as they know I'm coming back and she says I will be having a full head and spine MRI in September, followed by a consultation! Clearly I should never have left. It's what I've been wanting for ages. I'm 72, female, with RRMS for decades and I run most days and sea swim 2-3 times per week and have very little trouble from MS. I really really want to reacquaint myself with my old friend, my brain, and see how it's getting along inside my cranium. I'm hoping for NEDA.Your videos regularly recommend annual MRIs to enable comparisons to be made year on year. By the way I've learned so much more about MRI through you Dr B. You're absolutely ace.
I'm so glad to have found this channel. I've been having symptoms that I have thought are due to diabetes and having had covid 19 - numbness in my feet, balance issues, walking issues, bowel issues, "cog fog", weakness, lack of energy, impaired sense of smell and taste (smell and taste(olifactory nerve) impaired from having covid in February 2021). The videos I have been watching here match up to a lot of my symptoms.
To answer your question; annual MRI's would be good given your explanation. My experience has not measured up though as not all Dr's are analytical nor do they possess the ability to communicate effectively with the patient. I'm on my third Neurologist and my first neurologist didn't look at my second MRI for my follow up visit. My second neurologist read a report from a radiologist and the nurse called me to tell me the results; which contradicted what I knew to be true and I have an appointment with the third one to review my latest MRI. Thanks to your channel, I will be much better able to have a meaningful conversation and this MRI is a "benchmark" one and included my spine which was a first.
Thank you so much Aaron Boster, listening to you makes me miss being a Medical Assistant, I just started thinking about it the other day because I was I was wandering if it had been too long to get CEU' S to get it back but unfortunately it's been 17 years and I had not even realized that 😪. But, it's okay, I have been praying about it if I should go back to school and God will show you signs, the next day I went to Church and it just so happened that a lady was giving her Testimony and it so happened she was the Registered Nurse Instructor at the College . I'm not putting up about God for anyone to get offended, that is just my belief, but, I also know I need to stop smoking and start eating better and I used to be one that worked in Nursing Homes before Medical Assistant and I used to tell patients to move it or lose it so I knew enough about how important it is to stay active but I'm not doing it like I should. Thank you for all your videos, and, I got the question right 😉😊
Hi, this video helped me, I had a larger lesion on my brainstem and I don't have all of the feeling in my face and have a lot of n&t in my legs. I do agree on a yearly MRI.
Hi Dr. Boster Great Video. To count the typical locations of lesions/spots: 1. Next to the ventricles or the fluid (CSF) spaces of the brain 2. Next to the cortex or the brain's protective layer (bark) 3. The brain stem 4. The spinal cord 5. The optic nerve And all I need is 1 MRI yearly to survey my 5 locations. I'll take that over a brain biopsy any day!😊
Was in hospital this past May with a relapse, my face felt wet, felt clumsy, dizzy and my speech was coming out gibberish when I stood up from a resting position. They couldn't find anything on the MRI. In July I was still having problems, so Dr ordered new MRI, and this time showed large enhancement on cerebellum. I asked Dr if he had compared to the MRI done in hospital in May, as maybe it was missed, and he said No. Not very happy with this Dr! Thank you for making these videos!
Yes Aaron I agree with the yearly MRI’s. After listening to you it really makes more sense. We had to move last year to North Carolina. I was so dead set against it. I had been with Dr. Doug Stuart at MS Center of Atlanta since I was diagnosed in 1998. The reason I was so against the move is I hated the thought of new doctors. But I ended up with a great PCP and Neurologist both in the same building and under the same medical umbrella. I love having them in the same office because my neurologist had me wait while she talked to my PCP that can really be handy.
Thanks a lot for this information! Radiology ist still difficult to understand, but with video I finally got it. I have an apointment at the neurologist in 2 days time to find out whether or not I have MS. There are a couple of dark spots periventricilar which were explained to be migraine-associated. But with weakness of right foot and newly onset of hypaesthesia in the left leg, I believe I do have MS. My cousin got diagnosed with MS 2 years ago, and she is fine. Still does farming in Russia.
Yes it is important because it's necessary to know and realize how much damage is happening over time in the brain and spinal cord regions to enable a prepared strategy for anyone who has multiple sclerosis.I have it but hopefully It is not horrible right now.
Great again Doctor B ! Thanks. And to answer your question, yes, absolutely people with MS should be getting yearly MRIs and having them thoroughly compared to previous examinations. Its crucial in the prevention of progression and proper treatment 🧡
Thank you so much! You answered so many questions that I had. In some future video, could you perhaps talk about the MRI contrast, gadolinium? I’ve heard it might be toxic, and that there’s some research showing that certain trace amounts of it can still be found throughout the body a long time after it was used.. I know that some people with MS even go through detox regimens to get rid of it as well as certain heavy metals such as mercury which their bodies might have accumulated due to fish consumption, etc. I’m a bit confused, and not sure if it’s complete quackery or not. It would be awesome if you could address it. Thanks!
Hey Dr. Boster, I agree with you. I think MRIs are a good tool to monitor MS. And every year I go through the 2 hour ordeal in the tube so that the disease can be tracked. Thanks for your videos!
Wow! I will definitely need to rewatch this video as it has lots of great information. I am going to start to tell people my Medulla is broken and see how they respond. 🤣 I think the local MS clinic sees people 1x per year. I hope they also do yearly MRIs.
Fist off, thank you Dr. Boster for giving everyone an opportunity to dig deeper & learn more with what's going on for those of us living with MS. Watching these videos I find to be very helpful & my wish is that the more that many learn, the closer we'll get to solving this mystery that's been around for hundreds of years. I do realize that not everyone is able to get yearly MRI. Thankfully I am able to do MRI's....actually because I'm on Tysabri, my neurologist now has me doing 2 mri's a year & yes I Totally agree that MRI's are essential in helping everyone getting closer to understanding things better.
Aaron Boster MD Is it possible for someone on one of the highly effective treatments (Tysabri for me) to have clear brain MRI’s but to still have new lesions on the spinal chord? I know that brain MRI’s are generally used for monitoring disease progression, but should the spinal chord also be monitored? Is it common to have activity in one but not the other?
I have a "extensive confluent regions of FLAIR hyperintensity within periventricular white matter" -- can you say anything about why this confluence happens and what it means for brain health?
Very informative, I found a copy of my MRI and followed along with what you were saying. I do think MRI tests are important although as you said, it is just one aspect of the bigger picture. I was dx with MS over five years ago, I have had no changes to my MRI although progressive worsening disability. I sometimes question why I even need another MRI. I think its important that the results of the MRI are not considered more important than what the patient is experiencing! Thanks for all you do for the MS community 😁
Thank you Dr. Boster for putting so much effort to make such an informative video. And to answer your question, I agree that comparison of old and new MRI images is important to monitor disease progress.
I had a lesion in my Right Pons area and they diagnosed me with a Right Pons Stroke and I lost my whole left side of my body. I was sent home the day after diagnosing with the stroke. I had to have a couple family members help me get up the steps and into the house. I told family members to take me back to the emergency room the next day because I couldn't do therapy and get around to other places. Atleast the hospital has wheel chairs to help me get around at first and therapy as well. It took me over 70 days to get my life back to a sorta normal with most of me back to a normal I was use to. Will I have problems from that area later in life because of the damage done from the MS? Thanks Tim
Good morning Dr. B...QUESTION unrelated to this topic..perhaps address this in a future topic. General anesthesia used for a colonoscopy: I’m aware of temporary amnesia after anesthesia....what about how anesthesia affects MS such as balance being off more then usual post procedure? Does this dissipate?
I agree that the minimum should be a MRI scan every year if the person presents as stable. If the person is having new/worsening symptoms then a repeat should be done sooner.
Thank you, so helpful in determining what controls what and where the problem stems from. Are areas not in the brain and spinal column with T2 hyperintensity such as the jaw, connected to MS lesions? Was surprised to see this on bilateral jaw MRIs and wondered if there is a connection.
Thank you, I was diagnosed with ms at 19 and 27 years later = numerous MRI’s, numerous relapses. You have explained all the terminology fantastically. It’s probably my fault for not questioning what all the jargon meant. Treatments have changed dramatically over this time frame but also how things are explained and I’m included my own medical choices. 27 yrs ago you simply did what you were told.
Good stuff Dr.! Can you make a video of MS and being JC virus positive. My loved one is on the fence with medication because they hear MS medication can make it worse or have more of a chance getting PML.
Thanks, Dr. Boster! As far as frequency of MRI, I think once a year is great. My neurologist likes to spread them out if/when they are stable, to every 18mos. Scary to not see if there’s activity, but I understand.
grate video i love your videos if you ever get a change could you do a video on dawson fingers ....... how they might effect a person, dose a dawson finger lison make for worse disability and how do they correlate to a ms diagnosis cuz its the lison that got me my diagnosis mainly one touching the corpuss colossum interface and close ones
I agree on the annual MRI. 👍 In my case I have more spinal lesions. I had cspine & tspine imaging recently, too. I have minimal brain lesions (yeah) and plenty of spinal damage (boo). Thanks so much for all of your videos. I appreciate your passion & care for the MS community. I love this village!! 😍👍❤ Go team!!
Hi, Dr B! Thank you for yet another helpful and informative video. How I wish you were my doctor. My question is with regard to contrast enhancing lesions - how long do new lesions typically enhance for? P.S. I’m in the UK and get an annual brain MRI, but only because I was treated with Lemtrada.
I agree with you that yearly MRIs are an incredibly useful tool. My question is: if you know you have had brain stem and/or spinal cord lesions, should you be getting MRIs there as well?
I’m going to the neurologist to get a mri done tommorw and I’m worried because I’ve been having a lot of numbness in face and tingling in feet. Also headaches and eye pain. I’m praying nothing is wrong but idk cause it doesn’t get any better
Thank you so much for your channel. I have had symptoms for years and my initial MRI in 2019 showed a lesion (I’m going to go back and check type now- if it even says in report). My neurologist wrote it off because I had several years of migraines. Still had issues the following year and they only did a cervical mri and it didntshow any lesions. My last appt was basically a tech doing range of motion and the doctor stated I don’t have MS. I have lost 75% of the hearing in my left ear, vision worse in let eye and about two weeks ago I had a scary situation where my vision was blurry for 2 days. Eye doc said it isnt optic neuritis but loosely diagnosed me with glaucoma. I’m 50. Ugh, have follow up with ophthalmology next week and also with neurology end of month. My biggest question was why since 2020 have they felt like a follow up mri isn’t necessary. I know MS is hard diagnostically but my symptoms haven’t gotten better, in my instance I feel like they want to wait until things get so bad it will be obvious. I opted not to get a spinal tap because I was afraid of getting migraines and at that there is no definitive guarantee that you have it, why risk it. It’s all very frustrating, having my vision fail was very scary. I am going to advocate for the follow up mri. I do believe this is important and doctors keep saying ‘I don’t want to radiate if I don’t have to’….
Thank you for this video. I am 41 and was diagnosed last week with MS. I had MRIs on brain and spine and only 1 lesion was found in the thoracic spine. From your research would that indicate a worse prognosis? I did have a spinal tap that confirmed ms as I had 5 bands.
Thank you so much for the informative videos you share with us dear Dr. Brandon, they are all very informative and I really enjoy your simple and friendly attitude to clarify this complicated and sometimes scary situation or if I can call it disease. I have recently found out about several lesions which have opened a place in my brain, and spine They are too many in my brain about 15-20 ! However I think I was lucky they haven’t tried to attack me badly! I just feel numbness in one of my legs and hands and having problem with walking, The fatigue and dizziness is sometimes so bad, but I m not still on my medication I have been recommended Tysabril and I’m still waiting for the approval, Do you think having this number of lesions in brain critical?! This video was really helpful and very informative, thank you 🙏🏻
Thank you for taking the time to create and share such a helpful video Dr. Boster. My neurologist in Toronto does exactly as you described, studying my annual images very intensely while rubbing his chin and adjusting his glasses. A+ specialist and care provider!
What an incredibly informative video. My doctor does do MRI tests once a year on me. She's a fantastic neurologist. My questions to you is, how deep are the lesions? Are we able to see if there is damage deep into the grey matter? Or does it just affect the top layers of the brain
Hello from 🇦🇺. Very Grateful for sharing your knowledge abundantly.👍 Q: How does a PwMS ask a treating MS doctor for a written timeline history of Disease Progression, as annual MRI appointment conversation, can be difficult to memorise for some PwMS. Best wishes 🙏
The question :i agree, and in Norway we take, at least one MRI a year to see if our treatment is working (medications like Tysabri, gilenia etc) if the MRI is showing New lesions from the previous year, we have to change medication. (its woulenteraly if we want to take DMTs)
Hi, i got diagnosed with MS about 4 years ago and me and my wife are trying to get pregnant. Is there any chance that our child will get MS as me? My mom has MS to, and my cousin on my mothers side. Also, i only have lesions in my spinal cord and my doctor says thats unusual, is she correct? Thx for a great youtube channel!
Hi Dr.B. there is places in the world where it can be very long to get to see a neurologist and having the appointments for all the test and then waiting again to see neurologist for results. When no lesions are find in the brain and neurological symptoms keep coming and going... If the GPs do a quick neurological exam and see obvious abnormalities is there a reason to let the patients suffer all that time without treating the symptoms ? Could it make it harder to find a diagnosis ? Thanks !
Very helpful! Thank you. I have a question... if there are "spots" on the brain and the doctor says it is from hypertension or migraines.. how does he know that? (Other than the history of those)
This video was incredibly helpful in understanding MRI’s. Thank you so much!! I’ve learned a TON from your videos (it can be difficult to find a reputable, understandable, and scientifically correct source online), and MRI’s are the last hurdle to comprehension of my disease for me personally. I’ll probably watch this one several times and each time I get an annual MRI. Lots of good meat here! Thanks again for everything you do to educate the MS community. I don’t think you can possibly understand how far your work extends. Education is so important! I routinely refer people to your channel in various MS forums because your videos cover so many topics. Your passion for helping people is very encouraging and contagious.
Thanks for being YOU, Dr. B!
+Megan D you’re welcome Megan! #WeHaveMS
Ditto 🤙
So so helpful. Open, clear and honest. Very thankful, from the UK.
@@AaronBosterMD Can i have MS with one lesion ???
@@AaronBosterMD does m.s cause body and hand shaking and tightness around torso and right side feels numb and tight cosbi keep getting this for 8 months now on and off but past few days I've had it more regular also numb toes and tingles I can't walk properly as well thankyou
Thank you for saying the word “brain damage” when explaining lesions, it makes it real. Thank you for the honesty. I never thought of it that way, but I guess I’m not alone.
I'm my neurologists favourite MRI topic because I have pretty much no lesions on my brain. I don't think I'd even have been diagnosed as having MS if it weren't for the fact that there's loads of them on my spine (sadly). He even talks about me at conferences. I'm so proud! 😆 😆
Alison, were the spine leisions picked up with an MRI? My daughter has so many symptoms and the wait to get into a specialist is very long. No leisions on her brain and the radiologist refused to use the contrast.
@@emilykrarup you have to ask them to check the spine also. They don’t always include that
Hi Alison,
I was just diagnosed last year AND I'm the opposite of you.
SEVERAL Lesions on my Brain & 0 on my Spine.
I'm sorry you have Spine Lesions & hope you are doing well 😊
God Bless 🙏
I've posted a comment before but I never said this. I am so thankful for this channel and you. You don't make things scary. You're straight forward, humourous and kind. Humour is VERY important. The first time I ended up in hospital and they did my first proper MRI, they scared the heck out of me. Had no compassion at all. I felt very alone. I'm English and it was an English nurse that helped me. She KNEW I wasn't a faker and I will never forget her. But my real point is, they told me about lesions, in a dismissive and patronising way. I investigated. I researched. I got a sense of humour to make it easier on my loved ones, by saying my English heritage was stuck in my head because I had my own Roman lesions!!! It helped my youngest son and was a great starting point. But you have definitely helped us all. You educate and help and make us smile. If I never posted again, which I doubt, I wanted you to know, you truly do have a tremendous impact, on so many lives. I am thankful and grateful. And had to let you know. Thank you. Especially for the smiles. It's easier to learn, with a smile. 🌞
other MS folks should see this too!
My 52 yr old son, diagnosed with MS, almost 17 years ago. He has been to numerous pain Dr's, for the constant pain he has experienced for almost 17 yrs. Theft him on various narcotics to relieve the pains he's experiencing, then they take him off the meds, then 3 to 6 months later they'll represcribe the pain medication, again. Why can't they just leave him on the meds that relieve his pain?? It's horrible to see my son suffer so much w/o the pain meds. He simply cannot function when he's in so much pain. All he can do is "try" to sleep.
@@martibee4140, hey there, I know this was a long time ago you typed. I wanted to just say you are so amazing as a mom and an MS friend. Can I ask how he is doing? And how are you?
When I first got diagnosed I had to sit down with my own scan and a whole bunch of academic journals and brain diagrams to figure out what was going on and what functions the affected areas control. I picked up more useful tips on this channel in 2 days than I have from my own doctors in 2 years! 😂🤦 Thank you for taking the time out to educate us! 👏❤️
Oh wow! Thank you!
This video was insanely informative 😆 thanks again, Dr B! I think our neuros should absolutely go over our MRI’s with us! The more educated we are as patients, the more we can understand our disease and educate our friends and family.
Glad you dig it, took me a while to make!
You are a genius. I have always learned so much from you. Whether it be in clinic or now that we are in FL I have to settle for TH-cam. 😉 Thank you for sharing your time & knowledge with us so freely. You truly are a blessing to me as a MS patient & to the MS community as a whole. Thank You is not enough. God Bless you & your family.
Thanks Dr. B! Yes, I do think annual MRIs are important to help monitor the progress of MS. I am a bit concerned with the contrast though. Could you talk a bit about contrast, what kinds there are, and the safety of it?
That is my concern as well. The radiologist scheduled 2 consecutive MRI with contrast (one of brain on day 1 and C-spine day 2) that I was so concerned with I rescheduled a week apart. Also flushed my body with water afterwards.
I can just kick myself , I totally missed this video Dr Boster and I’ve got a question featured in it . Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions .
You're welcome!
Dr. B, my MS journey is long as most people with this condition. You are by far the best “presenter” I have ever heard. While I may never need long term health, I am wondering if some training be given nationwide to neurologists about advising patients before diagnosis to seek buying good quality health and long term health insurance? This journey would have been a lot easier to have had this kind of knowledge in my late twenties early thirties: my neurologist said there would be a cure in my lifetime. He also never said all the things that could possibly go wrong - MS hug; choking on water / food; etc. thank you for these you tubes. I just found you!!! Maybe you already have a post on insurance?!?!
Yes annual MRI is a must
Another great video, thank you. I don’t even look for any other information about MS. I spent hours of my life trying to understand my MRIs. In 16 minutes I now understand what the “BIG” words mean. Please keep making videos I am able to speak with my neurologist with actually understanding what he’s been saying.
My doc is disinclined to do MRI that often as I've had MS for 20 years and enhancing lesions no longer show up. My last MRI was > 2 years ago.
Thanks for this video, all the previous videos, and your continuing to be just plain awesome. Well done sir, well done.
Can you please share what you did to improve your MS prognosis?
Can you share about your ms story?
Excellent video! You give volumes of information!
giftboutiq Thank you! My goal is to empower, energize and educate those impacted by #MS!
Thanks brother for all the valuable info. I have spinal cord lesions and I’m due for my yearly mri, and yes I’ve been excited that my Lemtrada treatment stopped the ms from spreading further . My immune system hasn’t bounced back yet after 2 years but no COVID, praising Jesus.
I agree that the MRI should occur once a year . I was behind till last November because of COVID. Luckily that was corrected.
I'm still confused but this has helped. Thank you. Think I'll have to watch many times to really get it.
I just got some disturbing news today.. That my brain MRI was ABNORMAL. I am being referred to a Neurologist specialist to determine if I have for sure MS or some other movement disorder. But my current neurologist is leaning towards MS. I am meeting with my Specialist in January, 2021 to discuss what's next... Very nervous and upset. But I love your video. Thank you. You explain everything so I can understand. Hopefully, I will be able to start some medicine that will help my terrible symptoms. I wish everyone the Best. And stay Strong. Nancy
How are you going Nancy? Currently waiting to see neuro to and scared its Ms :(
Did they use contrast or without contrast ?
I've been recently diagnosed with MS , you are a God send, thanks for so much for so much more, clear and understandable information to the regular Joe
Yes I totally agree. I get an MRI every year and we compare it to my last one.
Thank you very much Dr. Boster for sharing so much of your knowledge.
More doctors need to watch your videos & learn from you..
I've shown no lesions in my brain for 2yrs in a row & my neurologist made me feel as if I was crazy for feeling the way I do.
Within the 2yr period I've been blind in my left eye for 2dys, blurry eyed in the right eye for 3dys. Symptoms of vertigo where I fell to my bed & slept off & on for 2dys. I've had my right side of face muscles painfully pull. Which looked like bells palsy without the drop in face. My foot kinda dropped, I couldn't wear sandals & on top of all that I've been partially paralyzed 2x where I just drop to the floor with no warning. Now I'm having sensations of spinal seizures/tremors & partial toe curls with nerve pain in fingers & toes. With electrical shocks down spine fingers & toes..
5:48 Not everyone has noticeable lesions..You made me feel sane!! Thank you!!!
thank you!! My lesions disappear and re-appear dependent on their moods lol. I currently have no noticeable lesions on my MRI; however I am still exhausted, have numb toes and regular "foot drop" in both my feet! I have also been made to feel like I don't have MS due to the lack of lesions. So again, thank you :)
I'm sorry that you had to go thru all of that. How are you now?
Hi Dr B. I agree. I believe it's important to have annual MRIs and to compare them to the previous year and then discussing any changes with my neurologist to possibly make a change in DMT if needed. Insurance companies would benefit in knowing why it's important for us to have them each year. They don't always understand the stress involved in getting the approval that can affect our well being. It would be a win win if they did imo. Cheers!
I was just diagnosed with RRMS December of 2020. I'm an active 57-year-old woman. thank you for all the TH-cam information you are giving us Dr. My significant other and I watch your videos together thank you again.
You are so welcome!
Annual MRI: I've watched many many of your excellent videos and I've been grappling with the very question you posed about having annual MRIs. I asked my clinic for an MRI as the last one was in 2014 and I've never had one at my current clinic. I live in the UK, so medical care is free at the point of delivery, but I cannot have an MRI at this clinic. I offered to pay because you can here, but they can't even offer me one privately. Insufficient scanner capacity. I moved to this clinic around 5 -7 years ago because it was a bit closer, but I'm in the process of returning to my former one. This week I got a phone call from the medical secretary there, as they know I'm coming back and she says I will be having a full head and spine MRI in September, followed by a consultation! Clearly I should never have left. It's what I've been wanting for ages. I'm 72, female, with RRMS for decades and I run most days and sea swim 2-3 times per week and have very little trouble from MS. I really really want to reacquaint myself with my old friend, my brain, and see how it's getting along inside my cranium. I'm hoping for NEDA.Your videos regularly recommend annual MRIs to enable comparisons to be made year on year. By the way I've learned so much more about MRI through you Dr B. You're absolutely ace.
I'm so glad to have found this channel. I've been having symptoms that I have thought are due to diabetes and having had covid 19 - numbness in my feet, balance issues, walking issues, bowel issues, "cog fog", weakness, lack of energy, impaired sense of smell and taste (smell and taste(olifactory nerve) impaired from having covid in February 2021). The videos I have been watching here match up to a lot of my symptoms.
To answer your question; annual MRI's would be good given your explanation. My experience has not measured up though as not all Dr's are analytical nor do they possess the ability to communicate effectively with the patient. I'm on my third Neurologist and my first neurologist didn't look at my second MRI for my follow up visit. My second neurologist read a report from a radiologist and the nurse called me to tell me the results; which contradicted what I knew to be true and I have an appointment with the third one to review my latest MRI. Thanks to your channel, I will be much better able to have a meaningful conversation and this MRI is a "benchmark" one and included my spine which was a first.
Thank you so much Aaron Boster, listening to you makes me miss being a Medical Assistant, I just started thinking about it the other day because I was I was wandering if it had been too long to get CEU' S to get it back but unfortunately it's been 17 years and I had not even realized that 😪. But, it's okay, I have been praying about it if I should go back to school and God will show you signs, the next day I went to Church and it just so happened that a lady was giving her Testimony and it so happened she was the Registered Nurse Instructor at the College . I'm not putting up about God for anyone to get offended, that is just my belief, but, I also know I need to stop smoking and start eating better and I used to be one that worked in Nursing Homes before Medical Assistant and I used to tell patients to move it or lose it so I knew enough about how important it is to stay active but I'm not doing it like I should. Thank you for all your videos, and, I got the question right 😉😊
When you are bored and twiddling your thumbs, would you please do part 2 of neuro anatomy? This is really helpful!👍👍
Yes, please, I am waiting for part 2
I do agree with you about having a MRI once a year. Thank you for the vidios, Terri from Michigan.
Yes I agree that mri’s done every year to 1 1/2 yrs & compared side by side to the previous one is a very good way to monitor the ms in a patient.
Hi, this video helped me, I had a larger lesion on my brainstem and I don't have all of the feeling in my face and have a lot of n&t in my legs. I do agree on a yearly MRI.
Hi Dr. Boster
Great Video. To count the typical locations of lesions/spots:
1. Next to the ventricles or the fluid (CSF) spaces of the brain
2. Next to the cortex or the brain's protective layer (bark)
3. The brain stem
4. The spinal cord
5. The optic nerve
And all I need is 1 MRI yearly to survey my 5 locations. I'll take that over a brain biopsy any day!😊
Off topic, THANK YOU! ❤ I am a VERY autodidactic person and love getting information . You make it easy to understand in a casual way!
Was in hospital this past May with a relapse, my face felt wet, felt clumsy, dizzy and my speech was coming out gibberish when I stood up from a resting position. They couldn't find anything on the MRI. In July I was still having problems, so Dr ordered new MRI, and this time showed large enhancement on cerebellum. I asked Dr if he had compared to the MRI done in hospital in May, as maybe it was missed, and he said No. Not very happy with this Dr! Thank you for making these videos!
Yes, I agree that yearly MRI’s are important.
I watched this with my significant other. Thank you for making something that demystifies the scans.
Dr. Boster, Thank you so much for your videos! Appreciate the information.
Yes Mri is super important 😊 I currently have them every 6 months
Thank you Dr. Boster for another well researched, well presented aspect of MS.. Mike Zozulia
Yes Aaron I agree with the yearly MRI’s. After listening to you it really makes more sense. We had to move last year to North Carolina. I was so dead set against it. I had been with Dr. Doug Stuart at MS Center of Atlanta since I was diagnosed in 1998. The reason I was so against the move is I hated the thought of new doctors. But I ended up with a great PCP and Neurologist both in the same building and under the same medical umbrella. I love having them in the same office because my neurologist had me wait while she talked to my PCP that can really be handy.
Thanks a lot for this information! Radiology ist still difficult to understand, but with video I finally got it.
I have an apointment at the neurologist in 2 days time to find out whether or not I have MS. There are a couple of dark spots periventricilar which were explained to be migraine-associated. But with weakness of right foot and newly onset of hypaesthesia in the left leg, I believe I do have MS. My cousin got diagnosed with MS 2 years ago, and she is fine. Still does farming in Russia.
Diagnosis yesterday. Staggering like a drunk - sober! Visual loss in right eye.
I believe that is a good thing to compare the two side by side
Yes it is important because it's necessary to know and realize how much damage is happening over time in the brain and spinal cord regions to enable a prepared strategy for anyone who has multiple sclerosis.I have it but hopefully It is not horrible right now.
You are so well informed thank you for this channel I've learned more from you than I ever will from my neurologist
Great again Doctor B ! Thanks. And to answer your question, yes, absolutely people with MS should be getting yearly MRIs and having them thoroughly compared to previous examinations. Its crucial in the prevention of progression and proper treatment 🧡
Thanks Dr B. You're a legend. 🧡🏴 #WeHaveMS #MSVillage
Thank you so much! You answered so many questions that I had. In some future video, could you perhaps talk about the MRI contrast, gadolinium? I’ve heard it might be toxic, and that there’s some research showing that certain trace amounts of it can still be found throughout the body a long time after it was used.. I know that some people with MS even go through detox regimens to get rid of it as well as certain heavy metals such as mercury which their bodies might have accumulated due to fish consumption, etc. I’m a bit confused, and not sure if it’s complete quackery or not. It would be awesome if you could address it. Thanks!
AM N Great question! I’d love to know the answer too 🙂
Me to like to know more
Hey Dr. Boster, I agree with you. I think MRIs are a good tool to monitor MS. And every year I go through the 2 hour ordeal in the tube so that the disease can be tracked. Thanks for your videos!
Yes, MRIs should be done yearly, the least invasive way to track disease progress. Provides both patient documentation and, research data.
Wow! I will definitely need to rewatch this video as it has lots of great information. I am going to start to tell people my Medulla is broken and see how they respond. 🤣 I think the local MS clinic sees people 1x per year. I hope they also do yearly MRIs.
Fist off, thank you Dr. Boster for giving everyone an opportunity to dig deeper & learn more with what's going on for those of us living with MS. Watching these videos I find to be very helpful & my wish is that the more that many learn, the closer we'll get to solving this mystery that's been around for hundreds of years. I do realize that not everyone is able to get yearly MRI. Thankfully I am able to do MRI's....actually because I'm on Tysabri, my neurologist now has me doing 2 mri's a year & yes I Totally agree that MRI's are essential in helping everyone getting closer to understanding things better.
Yes I Agree that Yearly MRI's are Important!
Still have questions about MS MRI LESIONS? Please leave them below!
Aaron Boster MD
Is it possible for someone on one of the highly effective treatments (Tysabri for me) to have clear brain MRI’s but to still have new lesions on the spinal chord? I know that brain MRI’s are generally used for monitoring disease progression, but should the spinal chord also be monitored? Is it common to have activity in one but not the other?
can lesions be so small that the MRI doesn't pick them up? Also, is it a good sign when a t2 hyperintensive lesion is getting smaller?
I have a "extensive confluent regions of FLAIR hyperintensity
within periventricular white matter" -- can you say anything about why this confluence happens and what it means for brain health?
there are situations where spinal cord monitoring is important for sure!
Hi Dr Aaron,
My question is, is it possible to have MS with no visible lesions? Thank you for the help!
Very informative, I found a copy of my MRI and followed along with what you were saying. I do think MRI tests are important although as you said, it is just one aspect of the bigger picture. I was dx with MS over five years ago, I have had no changes to my MRI although progressive worsening disability. I sometimes question why I even need another MRI. I think its important that the results of the MRI are not considered more important than what the patient is experiencing! Thanks for all you do for the MS community 😁
Thank you Dr. Boster for putting so much effort to make such an informative video.
And to answer your question, I agree that comparison of old and new MRI images is important to monitor disease progress.
Yes I do think an annual Mri to compare annual MRIs
Thanks, you are wonderful. Your explanation is explicit.
Question: as ms patients should you worry about the role of inflammatory response from exercise weather it’s weights lifting or aerobic
Thank you
Dr B .. you always help me understand the complexity’s of this darn MS.. 👍👍👍👍
Yes, a yearly MRI is important to monitor MS activity.
Hi Aaron I think MRI are very important the problem is finding a neurologist who will give one yearly. It has been 2 1/2yrs for myself
I had a lesion in my Right Pons area and they diagnosed me with a Right Pons Stroke and I lost my whole left side of my body. I was sent home the day after diagnosing with the stroke. I had to have a couple family members help me get up the steps and into the house. I told family members to take me back to the emergency room the next day because I couldn't do therapy and get around to other places. Atleast the hospital has wheel chairs to help me get around at first and therapy as well. It took me over 70 days to get my life back to a sorta normal with most of me back to a normal I was use to. Will I have problems from that area later in life because of the damage done from the MS? Thanks Tim
Good morning Dr. B...QUESTION unrelated to this topic..perhaps address this in a future topic. General anesthesia used for a colonoscopy: I’m aware of temporary amnesia after anesthesia....what about how anesthesia affects MS such as balance being off more then usual post procedure? Does this dissipate?
Yes I definitely think a annual mri is critical to monitoring MS even with the presentation of new symptoms.
right on!
I agree that the minimum should be a MRI scan every year if the person presents as stable. If the person is having new/worsening symptoms then a repeat should be done sooner.
I agree that both breakthrough clinical attacks and breakthrough MRI lesions are actionable!
Thank you, so helpful in determining what controls what and where the problem stems from. Are areas not in the brain and spinal column with T2 hyperintensity such as the jaw, connected to MS lesions? Was surprised to see this on bilateral jaw MRIs and wondered if there is a connection.
Thank you, I was diagnosed with ms at 19 and 27 years later = numerous MRI’s, numerous relapses. You have explained all the terminology fantastically. It’s probably my fault for not questioning what all the jargon meant. Treatments have changed dramatically over this time frame but also how things are explained and I’m included my own medical choices. 27 yrs ago you simply did what you were told.
Good stuff Dr.! Can you make a video of MS and being JC virus positive. My loved one is on the fence with medication because they hear MS medication can make it worse or have more of a chance getting PML.
Thanks, Dr. Boster! As far as frequency of MRI, I think once a year is great. My neurologist likes to spread them out if/when they are stable, to every 18mos. Scary to not see if there’s activity, but I understand.
Yes, very important to have MRI's to see the change from year to year.
grate video i love your videos if you ever get a change could you do a video on dawson fingers ....... how they might effect a person, dose a dawson finger lison make for worse disability and how do they correlate to a ms diagnosis cuz its the lison that got me my diagnosis mainly one touching the corpuss colossum interface and close ones
What is a black hole and smoldering MS?
Very informative. Thank you. Can i ask Why does the titer in JC virus test chages? Sometimes is higher and sometimes lower. Again Thanks!
I agree on the annual MRI. 👍 In my case I have more spinal lesions. I had cspine & tspine imaging recently, too. I have minimal brain lesions (yeah) and plenty of spinal damage (boo). Thanks so much for all of your videos. I appreciate your passion & care for the MS community. I love this village!! 😍👍❤ Go team!!
What kind of Mri do they do ? Is it contrast or no contrast
Hi, Dr B! Thank you for yet another helpful and informative video. How I wish you were my doctor. My question is with regard to contrast enhancing lesions - how long do new lesions typically enhance for?
P.S. I’m in the UK and get an annual brain MRI, but only because I was treated with Lemtrada.
Thank you... I’ve never seen a MRI of my brain and I’ve been dx since 2001
I think this is my favorite video of yours (So far 😉)!! Thank you for always explaining things in terms everyone can understand!!
Excellent video, Dr. B. Thanks! Can MRI show no new lesions but the patient is worse on exam? Why would that be?
I agree with you that yearly MRIs are an incredibly useful tool. My question is: if you know you have had brain stem and/or spinal cord lesions, should you be getting MRIs there as well?
I’m going to the neurologist to get a mri done tommorw and I’m worried because I’ve been having a lot of numbness in face and tingling in feet. Also headaches and eye pain. I’m praying nothing is wrong but idk cause it doesn’t get any better
Thank you so much for your channel. I have had symptoms for years and my initial MRI in 2019 showed a lesion (I’m going to go back and check type now- if it even says in report). My neurologist wrote it off because I had several years of migraines. Still had issues the following year and they only did a cervical mri and it didntshow any lesions. My last appt was basically a tech doing range of motion and the doctor stated I don’t have MS. I have lost 75% of the hearing in my left ear, vision worse in let eye and about two weeks ago I had a scary situation where my vision was blurry for 2 days. Eye doc said it isnt optic neuritis but loosely diagnosed me with glaucoma. I’m 50. Ugh, have follow up with ophthalmology next week and also with neurology end of month. My biggest question was why since 2020 have they felt like a follow up mri isn’t necessary. I know MS is hard diagnostically but my symptoms haven’t gotten better, in my instance I feel like they want to wait until things get so bad it will be obvious. I opted not to get a spinal tap because I was afraid of getting migraines and at that there is no definitive guarantee that you have it, why risk it. It’s all very frustrating, having my vision fail was very scary. I am going to advocate for the follow up mri. I do believe this is important and doctors keep saying ‘I don’t want to radiate if I don’t have to’….
Thank you for this video. I am 41 and was diagnosed last week with MS. I had MRIs on brain and spine and only 1 lesion was found in the thoracic spine. From your research would that indicate a worse prognosis? I did have a spinal tap that confirmed ms as I had 5 bands.
Thank you so much for the informative videos you share with us dear Dr. Brandon, they are all very informative and I really enjoy your simple and friendly attitude to clarify this complicated and sometimes scary situation or if I can call it disease.
I have recently found out about several lesions which have opened a place in my brain, and spine
They are too many in my brain about 15-20 ! However I think I was lucky they haven’t tried to attack me badly! I just feel numbness in one of my legs and hands and having problem with walking,
The fatigue and dizziness is sometimes so bad, but I m not still on my medication I have been recommended Tysabril and I’m still waiting for the approval,
Do you think having this number of lesions in brain critical?! This video was really helpful and very informative, thank you 🙏🏻
Thank you so much for sharing this information Dr. Boster! I just had an MRI with little explanation afterward. This was so valuable and helpful. 🙏🏻
Thank you so much for all the efforts you put into these videos.
Another awesome video thank you Dr Boster and yes I agree MRI is an essential part of monitoring disease activity and effectiveness of DMT.
I learn so much from your videos. Thanks so much!
You are so welcome!
Thank you for taking the time to create and share such a helpful video Dr. Boster. My neurologist in Toronto does exactly as you described, studying my annual images very intensely while rubbing his chin and adjusting his glasses. A+ specialist and care provider!
What an incredibly informative video.
My doctor does do MRI tests once a year on me. She's a fantastic neurologist.
My questions to you is, how deep are the lesions? Are we able to see if there is damage deep into the grey matter? Or does it just affect the top layers of the brain
Hello from 🇦🇺. Very Grateful for sharing your knowledge abundantly.👍
Q: How does a PwMS ask a treating MS doctor for a written timeline history of Disease Progression, as annual MRI appointment conversation, can be difficult to memorise for some PwMS.
Best wishes 🙏
Another brilliant video. Thank you sir.
Very welcome
The question :i agree, and in Norway we take, at least one MRI a year to see if our treatment is working (medications like Tysabri, gilenia etc) if the MRI is showing New lesions from the previous year, we have to change medication. (its woulenteraly if we want to take DMTs)
Do you always go for a contrast mri
Thank you so much 🙌🏼 I loved watching this video 🎉 Your energy is awesome ❤
Hi, i got diagnosed with MS about 4 years ago and me and my wife are trying to get pregnant. Is there any chance that our child will get MS as me? My mom has MS to, and my cousin on my mothers side. Also, i only have lesions in my spinal cord and my doctor says thats unusual, is she correct?
Thx for a great youtube channel!
Hi Dr.B. there is places in the world where it can be very long to get to see a neurologist and having the appointments for all the test and then waiting again to see neurologist for results. When no lesions are find in the brain and neurological symptoms keep coming and going... If the GPs do a quick neurological exam and see obvious abnormalities is there a reason to let the patients suffer all that time without treating the symptoms ? Could it make it harder to find a diagnosis ? Thanks !
Thank you for the information you give us. It clears up a lot of questions
I miss your videos Aaron. I was forgetting I had MS. Until I had to go to the hospital.
Very helpful! Thank you. I have a question... if there are "spots" on the brain and the doctor says it is from hypertension or migraines.. how does he know that? (Other than the history of those)
Id like to know this to
Interesting video. Thank you Doc for your time!~John
Yes Dr. Boster, I agree on an annual MRI. BTW thanks for the video