Scans for lesions

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I have migraines that are worsening (stress, but I won't say this), so I have a valid medical reason for getting an MRI to check for "tumors." I don't think I have these; however, I would like to check for the presence of lesions that may be behind my lifelong NLD and autistic symptoms. I have a statistically significant 44-point gap between my verbal and nonverbal abilities and specific social and motor deficits, which could indicate a right-brain lesion or white matter abnormalities. I'd like to find out what the issue is -- for the purposes of considering stem cell therapy at some point in the future.

Is there a specific type of MRI or CT scan I should get?

As for stem cell treatments for white matter lesions in Asperger's or NLD, if it works for the more severe Multiple Sclerosis, it's not implausible that it could work for NLD or Asperger's as well in specific instances where physical damage is present-- though it may have to be done abroad currently.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 83470.html (proposal)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2706928/
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00273364

Last edited by Tyri0n on 27 Jun 2013, 7:04 am, edited 3 times in total.

I don't understand what you mean by this bit:

You won't tell your doctor? Why not? It might give you more reason to get the scan.

I don't know the answer to your question as I'm no expert, but MRIs should be able to pick it up if it's there, and you might investigate something called FMRI (although I might be talking rubbish as I think that's functional MRI, it might not be the right thing I just remember reading the name, it actually sounds like it's talking about how your brain works not what's on it).

Yeah, someone else suggested an fMRI; unfortunately, I don't really have an idea of how to get insurance to pay for it, though in light of my performance deficits, maybe. I might have to embelish the recency of these symptoms, though.

I just don't think telling the truth and saying I'm investigating stem cell therapy would cut it.

I actually think you have something there. For example, I received a concussion as an adolescent that causes me migraines when exposed to sunlight. Getting down to the culprit is the right attitude... Though the cost of an MRI could be a pain.

Key is a valid excuse to get insurance to pay for it. Anyway, the struggle will be to get a type that insurance will pay for that is also useful for its actual purpose. Is it fMRI or some other kind?

There's a study from PubMed I got off my uni's database. Wish I could link it, but here's the abstract:



Another one, which is just a case study:



I have worse NLD than the kid with lesions. Much, much worse, in fact. My VIQ is higher, but my PIQ is 17 points lower.

I it is very unlikely you will be able to get insurance to pay for it. In order to get an MRI, you may have to go to one of those private clinics where you pay out of pocket. Why? Because doctors must order tests within the parameters of medical billing codes. They won't order a test unless it is justified under the diagnosis that they give you. They may even be curious themselves about what the results of a particular test would be, but even they can't order tests based on their curiosity, let alone based on your curiosity.

If you present with migraines, they are obliged to start testing and treatment based on it actually being migraines. Ruling out brain tumors is something they do only if they have a clinical suspicion. Even if you google why doctors might suspect your headaches are caused by a tumor (and I suppose you already have) if what you have doesn't present as tumor symptoms, there is no justification for ruling out a tumor. For one thing, the headaches of a brain tumor are usually caused by intracranial pressure,, which is different from what causes the headaches of a migraine (dilated blood vessels and chemicals released). So if you are already under treatment for migraines, there isn't much reason for clinical suspicion. Which is not to say that a person with a migraine couldn't also get a brain tumor, but there needs to be clinical suspicion on the part of the doctor.

I once got a doctor to order a glucose tolerance test by exaggerating how many times a day I peed (I was worried about diabetes but she wasn't). However, the bar is probably an awful lot lower for such a cheap test as compared to an MRI.

How about headaches combined with severe cognitive impairments? I know these visual-spatial issues have been stable & around forever, but the earliest RECORD i have is from 5 months ago. That, and my depression has worsened and I've been having anxiety attacks I did not have before. Is this enough?

Since insurance paid for my ass burgers diagnosis, why not this?

Is it enough to make a neurologist order an MRI ? I don't know. (I'm not a neurologist.) What needs to happen for you to get an MRI for this is for your doctor to have a reason to refer you to a neurologist (if you don't already have such a referral) and for that neurologist to have sufficient clinical suspicion that you have lesions to order an MRI. That's the tricky part. What causes you to suspect it isn't going to be the same as what causes a neurologist to suspect it. By now, doctors are well aware that most of their patients with internet access will attempt a self diagnosis via internet before making an appointment. I tried it myself in thinking I had a fungal infection via posted photos of fungal infections I saw. But I was wrong. An Aspergers self diagnosis may be on firmer ground just by the nature of how clinicians diagnose it- some of which can be done to some extent by self-analysis and those web tests. Not to say it's always accurate, but the odds are higher than self diagnosing brain lesions.

So what would cause a neurologist to suspect brain lesions? I don't know (but you could always google). But one thing I know for sure is that you are wasting your time trying to figure out which test is best because that is entirely out of your hands unless you pay out of pocket at a private clinic.

Why would insurance pay for an Aspergers evaluation but not this? Because whoever ordered that evaluation had a clinical suspicion which justified (to the insurance company) them ordering the test. Clearly you are wondering if you have brain lesions. Will a doctor wonder too if you present with headaches and specific deficits? I don't know. Because I'm not a neurologist, I don't know what they would specifically be looking for in terms of symptoms and what timeline they might expect and how prior diagnoses (such as migraines) could figure into it.