What does this MRI result mean and was it caused by the lipo?\n \nMultiple foci of high signal intensity in the sacral ala, sacral vertebra compatible with hemangioma or focal fatty deposit\n \nCould this be caused by the liposuction?  Could the fat that broke up from the lipo travel to the sacral and turned to little tumors or blood clots.  Thanks.
127569
If you hadn't just had the lipo on your back, then it would be possible that you have a tumor. If the pain started soon after the lipo, I'd guess you have a bruise or blood clot or rearranged lump of fat that is showing up on the MRI. Only a Dr can definitely answer your questions and even he might need to do further research.  Good luck.
206762
I am a radiologic technologist, and I do a whole lot of MRIs.  Weekly, I scan people who have already had the spinal surgery which is going to make them "all better."  Yet, here they are back at radiology having more scans because they are no better off and sometimes even worse off.  I do not see the same phenomena with neck surgery.  But, for some reason, lumbar surgery has a high rate of failure.  I also have 3 HNPs with DDD and spinal stenosis.  The only time I would consider lumbar spine surgery is if I thought only death could be worse.  I would make sure I have tried EVERYTHING else....physical therapy, exercise, water aerobics, massage, acupuncture etc.  Once you have spinal surgery, you cannot "take it back."  You are stuck with your decision.  Of course, I could be biased, because I never see the patients who have had successful surgery.  They don't come in for scans because they are "better."  But I have seen enough to know that I would really have to be bedridden and totally out of options to consider surgery.  Good luck to you!
626542
Sounds like it. Look into steroid injections.A lower back is a TFESI...trans foraminal epidural steroid injection. My wife just had one yesterday as a matter of fact. They work really well for us.
403041
Sometimes it means exactly what it means- non-specific.  It means that they see an area that looks abnormal and they cannot tell what it is- that is why they are getting an MRI.  It could be cancer, a tumor, bleeding, or nothing at all- just a shadow... good luck.  It usually takes a day or two to get results from these tests back to the doctor- so wait until at least the day after before you call him.  I do not think he is hiding anything from you- it is just that he needs further testing before he can tell you what it means.
666419
I had it done in my endocrinologists' office .It was over quickly and relatively painless. There was no bleeding ; and the nodule shrunk on my last visit .It does tend to make you nervous; but I learned they are very common .Mine turned up on a routine series of preventative exams .
218611
Yes, I have had an FNA (Fine Needle Aspiration) on my thyroid.  That's just a fancy term for a biopsy.  They told me that I had a 4cm sized nodule on my thyroid and that I would have to get a biopsy.  I was so scared.  The only part that hurts is when they numb the thyroid before performing the actual biopsy.  It feels like a burning bee sting. Then, you can feel nothing.  It's realtively short and sweet, and all that's left on your neck is a tiny, tiny hole.  It's less than when you get blood drawn because the needles (yes they will use several needles on your neck to take samples, probably about 4 or 5) they use are so small. I waited a week to get my results and they told me that they didn't get enough samples and I would have to repeat the procedure.  Apparently, this is common.  So, I went in again, and the doctor told me that there was nothing there to biopsy.  Apparently what the ultrasound people saw was not a real nodule, but was actually inflammation, and with use of the Synthroid, they had gone down.  I was beyond relieved.  He said that the tissue of the thryoid is so different from any other tissue in the body, that sometimes what they think they see as a nodule is not really a nodule.  During all this though, I did a lot of research, and I found that having more than one cancerous nodule, is not common.  If you have more than one nodule, then it is usually inflammation.  Don't quote me on that though, that's just what I remember.  My advice to you though, is to ask whomever is performing the biopsy their opinion on your nodules.  Do they really think that it's a nodule, or does it look more like inflammation? They might go ahead and perform the biopsy anyway, just to make sure, but at least you can be comforted in getting different opinions as to whether they think it's cancerous or not.  Don't worry, it's not too painful, it's just uncomfortable.
574403
woah! woah! woah!  "simple hysterectomy"?  Who's your doctor?  Frankenstein?  Have you had a cervical freeze or LEEP procedure yet?  I'm just recovering from cervical cancer myself.  It took one year and three procedures but I just had a normal pap smear.  Please email me and give me more details...I really think I can help you.  My email is murph_ltt@yahoo.com
667083
From an ER nurse, and someone that has suffered with this as well (lost 60lbs after having 2 babies 360 days appart), once you loose the weight, you can have the fat sucked out, but what about the left over skin?  I had a tummy tuck and that was the only option for me - lots of flab.  My surgeon was great!  I trusted him 100%!  Food for thought.
190769
Hi Toodle. I am a retired Chiropractor.  I am sorry to hear about your situation.  Clearly you are in significant pain.  Your overall description of your spinal health indicates that you have very serious, and very advanced degenerative changes present.  \n\nLiterally, any of the spinal problems you have can be causing your symptoms (which clearly are related to nerve compression).  Sadly, it is very likely that several of your conditions are contributing to your pain and numbness.  None of your conditions can be readily 'cured'.  But a better understanding of the specifics as they relate to your current symptoms is needed to even begin to try to help you.\n\nSo, here is what confuses me about your explanation.  1)  What type of doctor/doctors are you seeing?  2) What has their physical examination of you indicated? - this is almost always more important/useful than the expensive, high tech, imaging tests (the imaging tests are helpful too, but not without a quality physical exam, which is becoming a lost art!). 3) Why 'can't he give you a scan'?  and 4) Why have you not sought a 2nd or 3rd opinion?\n\nLastly, be very careful of any surgeon who wants to operate on you.  This 'magic placebo' is often not helpful and can make matters much worse.  Having said that, if you have a very clear-cut indication for an easily fixable condition through ONE surgical procedure, then that certainly should be considered - just be sure to have 2nd/3rd opinions that agree about the surgery.\n\n\nLastly, as a Chiropractor I would obviously suggest a chiropractic evaluation.  However, I do not expect chiropractic treatment to be a 'miracle cure' for you.  So, just as with surgeons, be wary of any doctor that promises too much!\n\nBest wishes and good luck!
556814
The surgeon  I work for has done about 15 x stop implants, all of our patients are doing well.. one got no relief so he removed it and did a laminectomy.. the traditional surgery for stenosis and now she is doing well...
578267
Try checking out spine-health.com. I've had sciatica which is when the sciatic nerve is pinched or impinged upon sometimes by normal wear and tear and sometimes by a strain/slight injury (even without realizing it). It can also be caused by a disc problem. The pain is real and it usually effects the upper thigh and sometimes the hip and can radiate downwards. I use ice and Motrin. Of course your mom should check with her doc to make sure she can take an anti-inflammatory if indeed that is what it ends up being. That spine-health.com has a list of issues dealing with bulging discs, herniated discs etc. The bulging disc can range from mild to severe but there are treatments available that are successful. Also there is a ligament (can't remember the name of it at the moment) that runs outside and just below the hip through the outside of the buttock to the thigh that even if just strained can cause much pain. It's good she's getting an MRI to determine whether it's actually disc involvement or muscular in nature. I'm not a doctor, just played a lot of sports so have a bit of experience with some of these. Good Luck.
131156
I would recommend getting another ultrasound from another doctor.  This same thing happened to my wife when we were in college.  We saw several doctors until finally one thought they saw stones on the ultrasound.  She was scheduled for surgery and when they got in there they found a lot of necrosis around the gall bladder and the gall bladder itself was severely damaged.  I know this sounds weird but the next time you have a bowel movement check your stool and see if there is a mucous like (snot) substance in it.  The gall bladder is used to store bile that is made in the liver.  It is the bile that is released from the gall bladder that allows us to break down fats from our diet.  If the duct is blocked or the gall bladder is working improperly then you will see fat in your stool because your body is unable to break it down and use it for energy.  Hope this helps.
407629
OMGOSH!!! I totally have the same problem! I tell people...family, boyfriend...about it and they don't get it. I went to the doctor the beginning of this year and they said it was nothing that could be found. I had an ultra-sound, still nothing. I'm not sure what a 'lipoma' is but it sounds scary. I've had these pains for over a year expecting them to go away. I'm planning to schedule a doctor's appointment this month sometime, but I moved to Ohio so hopefully that won't be a problem. \nThanks for the info!
189691
It's not necessarily a question of "coming back," but rather of "was it actually removed."  More often than not, even well-meaning surgeons do not recognize the disease in all manifestations and/or leave implants behind because they do not feel confident in treating them (for example, on the bowel).  The other point to consider is whether the disease was treated through ablation or other superficial surgical means (fulguration, coagulation, vaporization, etc.).  Studies show if not completely and thoroughly excised (very different from ablation, etc.), symptoms will recur rapidly because the disease was only superficially treated.  Best bet is to seek out a qualified surgeon who treats Endo through surgical excision.  Feel better and remember you're not alone!
5515
Take a look at the websites below for more information. I can decode some of that for you. I can't tell you how serious it is...you need to find a doctor who will talk to you and explain things. \n\nLeiomyosarcoma is a rare cancer that affects smooth muscles. Low to intermediate grade is not as bad as advanced, so that part sounds positive. Focal necrosis means there is a part of the tissue sample that shows cells that are dying. I can't tell you what that means in the overall picture. The mitotic count is a measure of how many cells in the sample are dividing. HPF means high power field. I'm taking this to mean that when they looked under a high power microscope, 2-3 out of 10 cells were dividing. I can't give you a reference number for what is normal, but in general, more cells dividing would indicate the tumor is growing faster than a low number. \n\nImmunohistochemistry means staining the cells in the sample with markers to see what kind of cells they are. CD34 is a marker for undifferentiated cells. S-100 is another marker, but I can't tell you exactly what it indicates. The presence or absence of markers can mean either good or bad news, but I don't know exactly how these are used here and I don't want to guess.\n\nThat doesn't really answer your questions, because you really need a doctor who knows this case to tell you what to expect. I hope that makes it a little less mysterious, but I'm afraid it's not much help. It makes me sad to think that someone would just hand you this report and not give you some help in understanding what is going on. Sometimes hospitals have a social worker who is there to translate the medical jargon into things you really want and need to know. Ask if there is someone like this. I hope it's a good outcome. Good luck.
131457
There is only a certain amount of fat that a Dr. will remove at a time. It is not intended as the answer to weight-loss. People must be careful about the foods they eat and exercise in a healthy fashion. \nDepending on where the liposuction is done on the body, the patient will be required to wear an compression garment for approximately 6 weeks. This helps to control the swelling associated with liposuction, and also helps the skin to maintain its elasticity. Lipo isn't an instant fix..you WILL have swelling and it can last for months.\nIf you are seriously considering liposuction, be sure to select a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who has done hundreds of liposuction procedures. One should never go to an E.N.T. Specialist although some Dr.'s are performing plastic surgery when in fact, it isn't their field of specialty. Stay with the Specialist. He/She has trained and perfected that area of medicine.
449435
There is a lot more to this story than you understand, wrote, or were told.  The condition you describe is called cardiac tamponode and it is not a complication that I have ever heard of from angioplasty...ever.  Additionally, I have never heard of doing a pericardialcentisis and re-injecting the fluid (which almost certainly is not pure blood) directly back into the patient's blood stream.  It usually is sent to the lab for evaluation to help determine where the fluid is coming from.  That part of the evaluation is key to treating the condition.  With the use of steriods it sounds like the doctor is treating pericarditis - an inflammatory condition of the bag that surrounds your heart insulating it from the chest wall.  Pericarditis can be an uncomfortable condition that usually responds to steriods or anti-inflammatories or both.  \n\nI agree that it may be time to seek additional help.  If you doctor is truely baffled I would think he would welcome additional input.  Consider going to a university center for a full evaluation - even if it means traveling.  You only get one heart.  Good luck.