Increased Magnetic Resonance On Pituitary Mri

[s-pot]

Hi all

Im asking loads of questions these days trying to figure this craic out!

An endocrinologist has just been around,(im in hospital) I saw him a year and half ago when i was chasing a diagnosis for my symptoms and he ordered a pituatry MRI. Which I only got about 3mths ago, well after diagnosis of POTS.

Surprise Surprise the results and report were only sought now that im in hospital. He has gotten a verbal report from the radiographer today so is remaining tight lipped about all info until he gets full written report.

He said the pituatry MRI showed an irregularity, an area of increased magnetic resonance...lesion??. Can be picked up accidently in pple sometimes who are aysmptommatic. However he is not concerned about this at all for me and thinks there is no cause for concern that this has shown up!

They have taken all my hormone/thyroid bloods again which will take ages to come bak...so he said he will see me in 3 months in the clinic .

Im just a bit annoyed tbh cos what CAN appear in some people and not affect them....may be something that is causing ME to feel rubbish . Its awful frustrating how the small things are dismissed as 'not concerning' and not added into the bigger picture to find out exactly whats goin on!

Do any of my fellow potsies have any info on pituatry irregularities? Does it tie in with POTS or any conditions related to POTS?

[derekliz]

I dont have this but I would be annoyed too! Too many things are dismissed...what if his or her spouse had this?? Ugh.....continue to be persistent! We are here to help and support you. Those labs should be back in less than 3 days!!

Good luck and i wish i had an answer for.you

Liz

[juliegee]

You have every right to be annoyed. You SHOULD have gotten those results back when you had the initial test. We assume that our doc's read those reports and will tell us if there is a problem. They should and too often just don't.

That being said, I've noticed that lots of us have enlarged pituitaries. I've been told I have microadenomas, tiny tumors on my pituitary. They say it is no big deal as long as they are non-producing. That is why it is VERY good that you had bloods taken to check for that. I was initially told to repeat my MRI every 6 months. I did. It was stable and I am no longer being followed.

I do find it odd that so may of us have this issue...

[s-pot]

Yes Macks mom it is good that they have sent the bloods off now, and im sure they will inform me if anything unusual comes bak too. It was just frustrating to see that it hadnt been reported and also that he was so quick to dismiss.

But I have researched it since then and althou he was a little bit shady with the details, what he was explaining to me in a very roundabout fashion sounded like what u have just said above Microadenomas....he said it is abnormal for them to be there but does not think it is of concern as in most people they have no effects.

However I prob wont be able to let it settle until I get all the blood results and waiting 3months for these is a bit ridiculous...ill try and pull the appointment forward when im discharged.

Less worried than earlier anyway! Docs also talking about starting me on Flucortisone aswell now, need increased doses of Midodrine and they are causing severe headache so hopefully a mix of the two shud help get me on my feet again!!

Thanks all

[Serbo]

diagnosed with central diabetes insipidus prior to pots diagnosis, pituatry MRI normal in my case. Sorry to hear they delayed your result.

[anaphylaxing]

There can be a lot of different causes of changes in signal in the pituitary gland ranging from incidental/nothing to lesions. Like others said, I would get my hands on the report. Call the radiology department if you have to to see what it says for yourself. Talk it over with your doctor or if they are unwilling try to find a new doc. Also important (but I'm sure you've had it ) to test you pituitary function. Also women of child bearing age often have "bulky" pituitary glands which can be a totally normal finding in the absence of a lesion or compression of surrounding structures.

[Katybug]

Your pituitary is a major player in your endocrine system so an abnormality could very well be affecting your POTS as it could affect both your thyroid or your adrenals ( really any hormone in your body). That being said, I don't know anything about what the MRI results mean.

I really hope you feel better soon,

Katie

[s-pot]

Eh still in hospital and today they discovered my blood sugars are running quite low!

Despite eating 3 jaffa cakes less than an hour before my blood sugar was taken....it was 2.6mMol!! 4.2 at the same time yday aswell. And i felt horrific!

Could be linked with whatevers on the pituitary and causing alot of symptoms ive been puttind down to BP!?? Either way a little picture is forming...may go nowher thou!!!

[s-pot]

diagnosed with central diabetes insipidus prior to pots diagnosis, pituatry MRI normal in my case. Sorry to hear they delayed your result.

Serbo what are your symptoms of Central diabetes insipidus, if ya dont mind sharing!??

[rubytuesday]

I was diagnosed in 1981 with pituitary tumor (chromophobic microadenoma surgically removed). My older sister said that my neurosurgeon told the family that it was hereditary but I never remembered that (but have more memory issues since all the syncopal spells). I never started the near syncope until Jan 2009 (new year, new you). I dismissed several episodes at first, rationalizing them to some reason or another until I had a more severe one with 5 year old g-son that landed me in hospital--but with all Rx failures and finally referral to cardiac specialist in dysautonomia when my cardiologist and PCP suspected POTS, specialist right off the bat found orthostatic hypotension. My heart rate is not longer responding by tachycardia when the BP plunges and he says to expect a pacer down the road. This was in 2011.

I think what threw a lot of my docs/specialists off was the focus on the effects of the pituitary surgery as cause of all of my symptoms all these years (despite repeated testing of endocrine functioning).

I also have Chairi I, fibro, EDS III, am immunocompromised, have multiple drug/environmental allergies, Delta Granule Storage Pool Deficiency and a host of other problems. I believe that all (but the fibro) can be inherited via genes. I am second oldest of 7 coming from a family that never believed in going to doctors--and ten years senior of youngest sibbling. As adults most of the ones with problems are not as severe as mine, and are insurance poor or have such poor ins. plans that they don't bother to get things pursued. There seems to be some correlation with EDS and dysautonomia and Chiari I, so why not the microadenomas, too.

I do remember the neurosurgeon telling me that the type of tumor (though benign--but can cause blindness and other problems) has a tendency to recur so I was to have CTs or MRIs about every 5 years to check. Thankfully I haven't had recurrence.