2nd mri results

[jazzfunkanne]

Hi i got the results of my 2nd scan today since the op (18 months) the ist scan at 8 months showed no sign of residual tumour, when i asked today about my 2nd scan he said he thinks its post op effects of the op they can see, ie scarring , the tissue and muscel he used to fill the hole, now i am worried. he says he will scan me in another year too put my mind at rest, but defo said there is no tumour growth, could this tissue and muscel hes referring to be hitting on my nerves? plus whats the scarring hes talking about, many thanks

[Jim Scott]

Anne:

Scarring usually refers to the area that remains after the tumor has been removed, sort of like a scab on a cut.  It usually dissolves over time.   I wouldn't allow myself to become overly anxious about this MRI report, especially since your doctor has assured you that there is no tumor growth.  You have to trust him or he is worthless to you.  I doubt the tissue and muscle he referred to is touching any nerves, but that is a question for the doctor.  You should  also request a copy of the MRI report, which may answer some of your questions, although you may need a translator to decipher the language, which is usually dense with Latin/medical terms. 

Please try not to allow yourself to become unnecessarily upset over this MRI.  It probably isn't anywhere near as ominous as you seem to think.

Jim

[Tumbleweed]

Did you have a translab surgery? The "tissue" might be a fat graft used to plug up the area post-op to prevent cerebrospinal fluid from leaking down the eustachian tube and out the nose. That is standard operating procedure (no pun intended).

I'm not sure what your doctor is referring to when he talks about "muscle," however. I've never heard of muscle grafts being used in AN surgery before.

I would follow up by asking your doctor directly to explain everything in layperson's terms.

Bottom line: it sounds like your recovery is going great and you have nothing to worry about. But you should still ask questions to give yourself peace of mind.

Best wishes,
Tumbleweed

[jazzfunkanne]

Many thanks Jim and tumbleweed, i always think of the questions to ask once am out the consultation, in scotland we dont get access to mri reports. I know he is a busy man i waited 2 hours to see his yesterday but i think i will email him today and ask him to explain again.

[Cheryl R]

The Univ of Iowa uses temporal muscle as their graft for mid fossa so yes muscle is used by some drs.        They use fat for the translab.                              I have had both done there and it was used that way on me.
                                                  Cheryl R
                                       

[leapyrtwins]

Cheryl -

thanks for explaining the muscle vs fat "plug" (as Tumbleweed called it).  I, too, was curious about this since I'm a "fat-head" and have never heard of anyone being a "muscle-head"   

Anne -

hang in there until you get some answers from your doctor.  I'm hopeful you have nothing to worry about.

Please keep us posted,

Jan

[Tumbleweed]

I'll echo Jan's thanks to Deb for the information on muscle grafts. That's a new one for me.

The combined knowledge of everyone on this board is amazing and one of the best reasons for its existence, the other being the emotional support we all receive from each other. Kudos to all of us for sticking together and supporting each other. We're all better because of it.

Best wishes,
Tumbleweed