It's quite diff. from echocardiogram in what it can pick up.
What did they find? And related to which bugs?
Thanks!
Posts: 929 | From Massachusetts | Registered: Oct 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
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posted
- It will help to formulate replies if we know WHY you ask?
Did you have one done already?
If so, then that will mean we don't have to think so much about this, or search to learn more and give it some thought.
If not, is one scheduled for like, tomorrow? If so, we know the time frame.
Are you just wondering if this might be a valuable ?
Seriously considering this? -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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posted
- Just off the top of my head, I'm thinking that likely a doctor is suggesting this for you.
Other than my desire to never, ever have another MRI for anything (my ears just can't take it) . . .
If a doctor suggests this for any reason, it seems prudent to do so.
I would not assume it can possible link ANY specific infection at all. But it can show structure. Regardless of any reason for any abnormalities that may show, that could be valuable detail, especially since not everything is lyme.
Yet, even if some damage may have been or is being caused by lyme (other TBD or other chronic stealth infection), you have a picture.
But that picture cannot tell you everything about the heart works.
So, unless a doctor suggests this, AND your LLMD thinks it's necessary, I would not do pursue it.
Hearing damage (even if years later) can be caused by MRI machines (even if one wears hearing protection). The intense noise and vibration can go right through ear plugs and muffs (sound travels through the nose and through all the bones in our body, too).
For this reason alone, unless an MRI is the only way to discover what might be suspected, it's best to avoid. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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posted
- Did you do an ECHO both lying down and also STANDING UP?
That's very important to do, according to detail in one link here:
Topic: To everyone with CARDIAC symptoms please read!
As some of the links here are dated, be sure to web search authors' and find what updated works they may have. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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posted
- Chronic Chlamydia Pneumoniae should also be considered for anyone with heart issues.
The reason is that there is evidence I may have pretty serious pericardial problems, and cardiac MRI is a better eval. tool for this than echo. Plus both aortic valve issues (better evaluated on cardiac MRI than echo) and pericardial disease is in my family. That's why I'm asking -- it's not commonly ordered in TBDs I don't think, but that's exactly why I was wondering if anyone had had one -- as it can show unique things not always visible on echo testing.
And I actually tried to get a standing echo, but did have a sitting-up one as I remember and they couldn't do fully standing for some reason.
Posts: 929 | From Massachusetts | Registered: Oct 2007
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Keebler
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- Glad to see your reply but have to break it up to read it:
Hi all,
The reason is that there is evidence I may have pretty serious pericardial problems, and cardiac MRI is a better eval. tool for this than echo.
Plus both aortic valve issues (better evaluated on cardiac MRI than echo) and pericardial disease is in my family.
That's why I'm asking -- it's not commonly ordered in TBDs I don't think, but that's exactly why I was wondering if anyone had had one -- as it can show unique things not always visible on echo testing.
And I actually tried to get a standing echo, but did have a sitting-up one as I remember and they couldn't do fully standing for some reason.
(LymeCFIDSMCS in MA) -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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posted
- So sorry to hear of the complications. It seems that it would be a good idea to get the test, then.
Good you tried a standing ECHO. And also glad that if there was some reason that could not be done they at least compromised with a sitting one. I never would have thought of that.
Good luck with this. I hope others will be along with some specific experiences to help you as you proceed. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
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posted
- From an "Advanced" Google search: Borrelia "cardiac MRI"
posted
Thanks Keebler -- that is helpful! (And thanks for breaking up my post -- I forget sometimes).
I should also add there was also suspicion I might have bartonella myocarditis when I was in hospital (they put it on discharge papers, but I never got to bottom of it).
From what I read last night, cardiac MRI may actually show myocarditis, which is typically diagnosed through more invasive cardiac biopsies.
This link from Keebler's search seems useful b/c it includes free text and it's recent:
AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2011 Jul;197(1):103-12. Cardiovascular MRI for assessment of infectious and inflammatory conditions of the heart. Hoey ET, Gulati GS, Ganeshan A, Watkin RW, Simpson H, Sharma S.
Posts: 929 | From Massachusetts | Registered: Oct 2007
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posted
You are reminding me - I had a cardiac MRI done about four months ago and never returned for the results.
I was having a lot of other problems and was very sick, so that's why I didn't follow up. I will have to do that now.
The cardiac MRI was complicated and took a lot longer than a regular MRI. They also have to use a contrast agent (Gallium I believe) which is a heavy metal. It's considered a very specialized MRI and there was only one hospital in the area that could do it.
The cardiologist actually believed I had Lyme and said the MRI would show a lot of different data from the stress-echo I had. The stress-echo was normal.
I am baffled by your statement about the hospital putting possible "Bartonella Myocarditis" on your discharge papers. What sort of hospital knows anything about Bartonella, and would be willing to do that? I want to go to that hospital...
I have the worst case of Bart my LLMD has ever seen, and there is no doctor at any hospital around here who would even know what I am talking about. And I don't live in the sticks!
When I blacked out at home for over an hour in March and the heart problems began, the doctor in the ER made a big point of letting me know that "Lyme Disease does NOT affect the heart."
Posts: 443 | From The Wild West | Registered: Jan 2002
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When I blacked out at home for over an hour in March and the heart problems began, the doctor in the ER made a big point of letting me know that "Lyme Disease does NOT affect the heart."
- Boy, how STUPID was that!!? I never heard of a Dr who didn't know that Lyme could cause heart problems.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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posted
Hi Energy, I think the "bartonella myocarditis" remark was conveyed to the cardiologist from my LLMD who called in -- but there was one cardiologist there (the rest were doofuses, believe me) who was really open-minded and seemed to get it about my various diagnoses.
My heart too is super bad from bart though, so I think my LLMD at least got on board with this. Still trying to figure out what all is going on in there though!
The contrast they use is gadolinium. I had a brain MRI with the same contrast. My doc suggested taking cilantro tincture to get it out of my system afterward and that seemed to help.
Do you remember if they had you hold your breath at different points? Or do anything that would be considered a "stress" test (I'm not sure what they do for this, just read there is a stress MRI).
I hope you can find out results -- it would be interesting to compare/contrast to your other test but from what I have read cardiac MRIs do pick up a lot of things echocardiograms don't.
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