Hello everybody, I have a couple more questions whilst I’m trying to find out what’s wrong with me.
So, my symptoms are primarily pain behind my right eye and pulsing in my right ear when I lay down, bend over etc.
I had an MRI and an MRA scan on Sunday but I think they only used contrast for the MRA of my neck. I have been frantically ringing round private hospitals in the U.K. and all the radiologists are refusing contrast and saying that they can clearly see on an MRA without contrast. They say that they can use different sequences and so on. Has anybody else been diagnosed with an MRA without contrast?
Also, I noticed that there’s different strengths of MRI scanner, 1.5T and 3T. I am still waiting for my results but I am now concerned that I have been scanned on a 1.5T scanner instead of a 3T! Will this mean that things could be missed?
My anxiety is through the roof about this eye pain as I’ve read so many stories of it being somebody’s only symptom. I can’t think of what else it could be as it’s behind the eye and constant. I feel like I’m just destined to have bad luck. My half sister had a rupture in her late 30’s and now I’m going crazy thinking it will be me next, because of this eye pain. My vision is fine, I never usually get headaches and now I’ve had this pressure behind my right eye for nearly two months. I just keep thinking of more things of why this is a brain aneurysm or why the scans might miss it.
I had a CT scan which revealed a large mass which could have been a small tumour or a large aneurysm. Following that I had an MRI with contrast dyes. That test determined it was a large aneurysm which I had treated in Dec. with 21 coils and 2 stents. Before the treatment, I had a cerebral angiogram with contrast dyes. That test gave a very detailed picture of the aneurysm and the blood vessels leading to it. Hoping you get what is causing the pain behind your eye sorted out and treated appropriately. I can relate to your concerns. Waiting is hard. Ida (from Canada)
Hey Jen333,
I can completely understand your stresses, in fact when we are told that there maybe an issue our minds can run at a million miles an hour and often take us down the worst case scenario lines real quick. Well, mine did anyway.
There is a reason that " …the radiologists are refusing contrast and saying that they can clearly see on an MRA without contrast…" An MRI can show abnormalities within an organ. When an abnormality has been found on the scan and MRA can show a more refined image of the artery involved. If an abnormality is shown with an 1.5T then a scan with 3T will only show the same issue, hence the MRA will give a clearer image of what is going on. It is not the case that things will be missed.
The internet can be a fantastic resource BUT (and this is a BIG but) trying to draw parallels between one persons story and our own can be very difficult. Everybody’s stories/scenarios are different and often online tales can be of worst case scenarios and will only serve to stress us out even more than we are already, never a good thing. Having a family history can be of concern but in all honesty you NEED a neuro to examine the radiologists report and give you a professional opinion.