Post by jamesoliver on Jan 19, 2018 18:35:10 GMT -6
Hi, folks; I'm a new member to the forum and this is my first post. The story is that almost six months ago I got an MRI for an unrelated issue and the doctor who interpreted the MRI scan made an accidental discovery of an intramedullary cystic expanding lesion (possibly an ependymoma) at the level of C7-T1.
I consulted with a neurologist very shortly after that and at the time I didn't have any symptoms at all. He said that he couldn't tell from the MRI what the mass was and explained that it might only be fluid build-up. Because I wasn't displaying any symptoms at all and the MRI showed it as localized and not particularly interested in travelling around, he said that the most responsible thing to do was leave it be and we'd do another MRI in six months.
My next MRI is coming up in a few weeks, so I'll be glad to get a better answer than I had in August, but I'm concerned because since December my hands and feet have been "falling asleep" and getting the pins-and-needles of lost sensation. I don't have anything that feels waxy or thick, but the little finger, ring finger, and thumb on both hands haven't felt right since before the New Year. The feet aren't as bad and it's a very subtle sensation only in the big toes of both feet. I find that the falling-asleep / pins-and-needles is worse depending on how I sit or lay.
I know nobody in here can offer me anything like a diagnosis, but I'm not sure what to think about this. Some people are telling me that this is just something that happens when you're under stress, but these sensations are persistent and seem like they're gradually becoming worse as time goes on. I don't have any shooting pain down my limbs.
Is this something that happens with spinal cord tumors? I'm struggling to figure out if this is just something that happens when I'm feeling stress, or if it's related to the tumor. Has anybody else experienced the same? Are there other warning signs I should beware of? Or am I just being overthinking every little sensation I'm feeling? Am feeling anxious and uncertain.
I consulted with a neurologist very shortly after that and at the time I didn't have any symptoms at all. He said that he couldn't tell from the MRI what the mass was and explained that it might only be fluid build-up. Because I wasn't displaying any symptoms at all and the MRI showed it as localized and not particularly interested in travelling around, he said that the most responsible thing to do was leave it be and we'd do another MRI in six months.
My next MRI is coming up in a few weeks, so I'll be glad to get a better answer than I had in August, but I'm concerned because since December my hands and feet have been "falling asleep" and getting the pins-and-needles of lost sensation. I don't have anything that feels waxy or thick, but the little finger, ring finger, and thumb on both hands haven't felt right since before the New Year. The feet aren't as bad and it's a very subtle sensation only in the big toes of both feet. I find that the falling-asleep / pins-and-needles is worse depending on how I sit or lay.
I know nobody in here can offer me anything like a diagnosis, but I'm not sure what to think about this. Some people are telling me that this is just something that happens when you're under stress, but these sensations are persistent and seem like they're gradually becoming worse as time goes on. I don't have any shooting pain down my limbs.
Is this something that happens with spinal cord tumors? I'm struggling to figure out if this is just something that happens when I'm feeling stress, or if it's related to the tumor. Has anybody else experienced the same? Are there other warning signs I should beware of? Or am I just being overthinking every little sensation I'm feeling? Am feeling anxious and uncertain.
