Topic: Does CT scan of brain reveal anything about lyme?
Vermont_Lymie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9780
posted
My NP is insisting that I get a CT scan right away due to a recent head injury.
Because it is a busy time for me and also I am a bit leary of unnecessary radiation, I am wondering if this is really necessary right away or if it can wait a week. I have been getting better since the injury last week.
I am more inclined to do this if it can also serve the purpose of telling me something about lyme's effect on my brain -- I have not had a SPECT scan or MRI.
Could one see lesions with a CT, or other lyme related neuro-changes?
thanks for any info from you experts -- VL
Posts: 2557 | From home | Registered: Aug 2006
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sometimesdilly
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9982
posted
hi Vermont gal-
CAT scans are not the preferred way to go for lyme. a SPECT is. mri's are mostly useless- mine was normal while my SPECT clearly showed significant swelling and brain damage. a mri only shows physical deformaties/injuries. SPECT's show blood flow.
that said, you've had a head injury and the doc's advise to get a CAT seems reasonable. maybe this isn't the time to try to snag a 2-fer.
i seem to remember from being advised about the SPECT's radiation- the amtof rads per scan isn't hugely significant, but it is cumalative. so, just don't make scans a hobby..
good luck- hope you're not still hurting so much...
dilly
Posts: 2507 | From lost in the maze | Registered: Aug 2006
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Vermont_Lymie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9780
posted
Thanks dilly for the kind words and information! Really appreciated.
Yikes, I am sorry to hear that your SPECT revealed brain damage. You are so smart that is hard to believe
Of course there is no good time to have a concussion, but this has been a rough month for me. On the positive side, I am now seeing the llmd you recommended, and really glad about that!
I will try to do this CT tomorrow afternoon if I can. As if lyme wasn't enough, I have had some (new) memory issues since getting hit in the head. Like yesterday, could not remember whether it was february or march (or maybe january?), for a brief time.
take care and thanks for all the great info, VL
Posts: 2557 | From home | Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
Agree with dilly -- CT scan would be unlikely to show any Lyme damage. Hubby had one a couple of weeks ago -- completely normal. MRI a week later showed "a few" white matter lesions.
CT scan would show a tumor or swelling of the brain from a concussion if it was severe I think.
Bea Seibert
P.S. MRI does not involve radiation, but uses magnets. Is more expensive and harder to get insurance to approve if preapproval is required.
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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5dana8
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7935
posted
If you have had a recent head injury a CAT or a MRI is a good thing to be on the safe side but not good at detecting Lyme.
I had a MRI & a CAT done at my worst-almost catatonic & it was normal.
posted
Hi VL, I was having neurological issues, one of my first symptoms. Family doc ordered a cat scan (these are low cost and family docs can order them in Canada... MRIs usually have to be ordered by a neurologist.
My CAT scan showed numerous white areas of hyperintensites and lesions similar to MS or some demylinazation problems. Excuse spelling.
This scan was sufficient to get me to a neurologist for MRIs. And there they got a better picture of multiple lesions. They were also able to determine that it was not MS but some other undetermined problem (a stroke or some other demylanazation problem, cause unknown at this time.) My LLMD got a copy of the MRI on a CD and noted that what he saw is very similar to other MRIs he sees with lyme patients.
This coupled with his understanding of my clinical, more subjective symptoms, gave me a diagnosis which was later proved by my IGENIX test.
So I think an CAT scan would be a good first choice, especially if the doc wants one. It certainly was a good diagnositic tool for me.
sorry for the misspeillings....I definately notice a backsliding in my speech and cognitive abilities lately. Was hoping things were getting better and would stay better for me.
Good luck to you....go for it.
Posts: 190 | From BC Canada | Registered: Jul 2004
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sometimesdilly
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9982
posted
Vermont gal-
neuro-stuff, including impaired memory, is so scary, isn't it? hopefully what you're experiencing now is extremely short-term. it makes sense that it is related to your accident, and is not a new twist of lyme bearing down on you at just this moment. hope the CAT scan goes well and you are reassured by the findings.
and, BTW, thank YOU for the kind words.
for the past few years most people i meet in person and speak to for any length of time probably think I am slow at best and more likely, just plain stupid, so it is especially nice to hear someone somewhere thinks i'm smart.
take care- dilly (glad you like the llmd!)
Posts: 2507 | From lost in the maze | Registered: Aug 2006
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