Comment from: loving life, 35-44 Female (Patient)Published: May 17
Postpartum, I encountered body numbness without the ability to move my entire left side except my face. They sent me to see a neurologist first. That doctor said I am sure it is nothing, but let's do a MRI. Through this, I was diagnosed with a very large arterial venous malformation in my brain that was inoperable related to its location. This would never have been diagnosed without a MRI, and I probably wouldn't be here today to tell you.
Comment from: prissy, 35-44 Female (Patient)Published: November 10
I have had a headache every day for a year. I thought it was stress. Then my doctor ordered an MRI. I had a ruptured disc at c4-c5. It was pinching my spinal cord in half its size. I had to have a bone fusion and instrumental. The headaches went away, but I still can't do certain things, like holding my head down while I read or keep my head turned to the side for long. Now I have DDD in my lower back and am getting ready to have more tests done for that area. MRIs are great! I think anyone having pain should have to get one!
Comment from: KSim, 35-44 Female (Patient)Published: February 18
I was going through fertility process and was given an ultrasound that showed I had 2 fibroids. The nurse suggested surgery which I did not want to have. So I resolved to live with the 2 fibroids until some months later I heard about another procedure that is non-surgical that can eliminate fibroids. The doctor automatically requests an MRI. To my shock and amazement, the MRI showed that I didn't just have 2 fibroids, I have approx. 15!!!! The doctor said the surgery she suggested was a myomectomy which would only have allowed them to remove a few fibroids at once in order to sew my uterus back together. But he said it is possible that once they got in and saw how many there were they may have performed an entire hysterectomy because there are so many. I am just so thankful that he ordered the MRI and I was able to see this has been causing me problems for years and I did not know this. It's important to be proactive with your own health because many times some doctors are not concerned with taking the next step to properly diagnose you.
Comment from: Elephas522, 19-24 Male (Patient)Published: February 01
Hi, I am 24 and a survivor of 2 unavoidable car accidents. My initial MRI showed I had 2 bulging discs from first accident in 7/06. After 3 years of physical therapy, pain meds and the feeling of things not improving, I was sent to have a follow up MRI. My back had literally degenerated with now 3 degenerated discs, spinal canal stenosis in 2 joints, a hypertrophied ligament, in one of the joints with stenosis, 2 Schmorl nodes, and 3 bulging discs. Needless to say if it weren't for the MRI in just those 2 times help me to get dramatic treatment options, as of late I had a Radiofrequency Ablation on nerves that go to my spine to prevent pain signals to return to the brain, I'd be in unbearable pain for life. Though I still have pain it has been reduced somewhat I have a fighting chance.
Then due to 2nd accident in 12/09 MRI detected a herniated disc in my neck and since I have nerve damage in my hand diagnosed by my EMG I had just undergone MRI for my wrist and elbow. I have EXTREME Ulnar nerve damage and the EMG cannot determine where if not more than one place my nerve is damaged. I am waiting for the results currently so that my Orthopedic Hand Surgeon can accurately know where he needs to operate on my arm/hand in order to prevent further UNREPAIRABLE damage that occurs from my impingement. I AM SO THANKFUL I live in an era that has the ability to see these problems otherwise my hand would be clawed and eventually become utterly useless for the rest of my life yet alone unable to ever return to any possible thought of a life at all. And MRI is the only tool that will be able to detect wear my nerve is being pinched other than cut and search. Unfortunately my muscle loss in my hand is very significant already and is more than probable to be permanent, the speed and accuracy of the MRI allows to prevent further loss from occurring and get me REQUIRED SURGERICAL help a-sap. God bless magnets and the beautiful scientist who engineered this medical miracle. I am forever in gratitude for all it's done for me alone. If it were up to me Full body MRI should be part of a yearly physical due to the amount of medical information it provides doctors and the ability it has to diagnose so many conditions early on that could give SOOO much preventative care and health tactile offense. Though I've never played any physical sports in my life any one knows the BEST DEFENSE IS A GOOD OFFENSE. Medically that is spelt MRI.
Comment from: Antigone2, 55-64 Female (Patient)Published: May 17
I was having serious pain down my leg and into my foot. At first, I was treated with steroids, as the doctor thought that I might have an inflammation of my sciatic nerve. The pain persisted and I started to have weakness in my toes. I was examined by another doctor who detected the weakness. She ordered a MRI of my spine. The MRI showed that a ruptured disc had broken, and fragments of the disc had migrated into my sacrum. Surgery did remove the fragments and prevented further damage but could not undo the damage already done to my nerves. Without the MRI, it probably would have been impossible to diagnose this problem.
Patient Discussions are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your physician or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on MedicineNet. The opinions expressed in the comments section are of the author and the author alone. MedicineNet does not endorse any specific product, service or treatment.
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Suggested Reading on MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scan) by Our Doctors
Abdominal pain is pain in the belly and can be acute or chronic. Causes include inflammation, distention of an organ, and loss of the blood supply to an organ. Abdominal pain can reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the abdomen such as the appendix, gallbladder, large and small intestine, pancreas, liver, colon, duodenum, and spleen.
Sciatica pain, caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve, typically radiates from the low back to behind the thigh to below the knee. Disc herniation is usually the cause of sciatica. Medication to alleviate pain, physical therapy, and bed rest are treatments for sciatica.
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Gallstones are stones that form when substances in the bile harden. Gallstones (formed in the gallbladder) can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball. There can be just one large stone, hundreds of tiny stones, or any combination. The majority of gallstones do not cause symptoms.
A pinched nerve can be caused of a variety of conditions, for example, carpal tunnel syndrome, herniated disc, sciatica, arthritis, spinal stenosis, trauma, and more. Common symptoms of a pinched nerve include pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness. Treatment of a pinched nerve depends on the cause of the pinched nerve.
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If you think you have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.
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Postpartum, I encountered body numbness without the ability to move my entire left side except my face. They sent me to see a neurologist first. That doctor said I am sure it is nothing, but let's do a MRI. Through this, I was diagnosed with a very large arterial venous malformation in my brain that was inoperable related to its location. This would never have been diagnosed without a MRI, and I probably wouldn't be here today to tell you.
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