The Aword

Ann is my ears and eyes on the net and she sent me this link today.
www.fda.gov/cdrh/safety/neurostim.html
This link alerts to patients who have implants and the dangers of MRI.
Will put this link on the MRI article now
Kim

I can only speak for myself but I insisted with my neurosurgeon for the hospital to give me an MRI as it was the only way I could prove I had Adhesive Arachnoiditis, I have a Medtronic pain stimulator and went through the MRI with 2 men from Medtronic there me with no adverse results.
I now have a morphine pump and I know that with the morphine pump I can no longer have an MRI so I am glad I went through with it.

This is good information becuase maybe there is a difference between stimulators and pumps. In another life I had been told someone with a stimulator could not now have an MRI to confirm, so maybe this is being used as another excuse not to diagnose!
Anybody know anything different?
Kim

I am new to the forum but have had an MRI with the morphine pump and it showed AA. A seven hour surgery yesterday resulted in three neuro surgeons \"untangeling\" the catheter tip, nerves and scar tissue. The MRI with contrast showed it somewht, but the surgeon said once I was opened up it was worse then the MRI showed.
Marti

Hi Marti
Really confusing stuff on who and who can't have an MRI.
But the best news is that it shows that MRI cannot tell the whole story.
This may well explain why so many people are not diagnosed simple by MRI but like the Doc says you have to take into account the clinical history as well.
I hope they managed to sort you out with the pump and you have recovered well
Best wishes
Kim

Hi Kim,
They removed the pump, added extra flesh to the dura to make it larger, removed as much scar tissue as possible and sewed me back up. I have to meet with my Doctor next week to get more details. I feel as if I understand so little about this disease. I am hoping to get up to Brigham and Womens hospital and see if a team approach to pain management might be my best bet. Do AA's have the pump installed as a last resort or do some of us not wrap all foreign bodies in scar tissue? When I had the MRI the pump and catheter did get very warm and the titanium seemed to blur the images on the film. This is the 2nd day after surgery and things are as bad as before the surgery. I hope the inflmation subsides and with it the numbness and pain. Does anyone know of any team approach clinics in New England?
Marti