Hoping I can calm down....

[Julia33]

Hello to you all,

I am a busy 37 year old married mum of two wonderful children. Since I have had my children I have worried about something happening to me, which I think is normal for most mums and dads. Anyway, for the past year I have had a pain in my side (I am a runner and it did not make a difference if I ran or rested, the pain was still there). The doc put me in for an MRI and said it was probably muscular......but whe I had the MRI done, I could tell there was a bigger problem. By the evening I had a neurosurgeon on the phone who said I had a tumour on my spinal cord. Thank goodness, he told me straight away that it was benign. I had an op two days later where they took bones out of my back and removed the tumour. I felt fine after the op and recovered over the next few months. I am running again and feel great......apart from....demanding a brain scan to rest my mind that there was no tumour in my brain. I had the results which stated "no tumour or lesions" which was fabulous news...but....it also said "evidence of abnormal t2 signals in the medulla (the top of spine into brain). I freaked out with the doc. Don't know what this means and neither did she. The radiologist said I had a choice if I wanted another scan...the doc said to make another appointment for one to put my mind at rest. I am soooo anxious over this. I have no other symptoms at all and generally feel good apart from a bit of tinnitus. My friend said it could be abnormal from the major spine op I had...what do you think?????

Sorry to bombard you with this straight away, but anxious over it.....

Julia xxxxx

[Annie0904]

Hi :welcome: I would agree with your friend but I'm not a doctor so don't really know. I can't understand your doctor saying she didn't know what it was and leaving it there..I would ask to be referred back to the neurosurgeon so that he can explain it to you and reassure you. :hugs:

[nomorepanic]

Hi Julia33

We just wanted to welcome you aboard to NMP. We hope you enjoy your stay here and get all the support and advice you need.

Please take some time to read the website articles on the left as well for loads of advice and tips.

[Julia33]

Thanks, Annie.

I am so pleased that there is no tumour or lesions but so worried about the abnormal t2 signals......in the one image they said it showed nothing but when taken using a different angle they thought the t2 signals were abnormal. I see the neurosurgeon who did my op on 16th oct and my next scan will be done on 11th oct. Will obviously ask neurosurgeon about results. My stomach flips when thinking about it! I can't see it being anything major as they would have had me in straight away and not said on the report "reasonable to request another scan"......

[Annie0904]

Yes I am sure if they thought it was serious you would have been seen by now, the neuro surgeon should be able to put your mind at rest about it. You have been through a lot recently so can understand you being so anxious. Try some Bach rescue remedy (you can get it on this site or from the chemist) it is really good to help calm you down.:hugs:

[Julia33]

Thanks so much for your support. I have read about mini strokes on here and holes etc.......yes, been through a lot but I feel physically great now. Fingers crossed xxxxxx :unsure:Xxxxxx

[CherryCola]

Hi Julia,

Welcome to No More Panic :) I'm sorry to hear that you've been so unwell! And considering everything you've been through it is very normal for you to be feeling very anxious.

My Mum had a spinal cord tumour removed in 2010.. Hers, whilst not cancerous, was 'atypical' meaning that it was incredibly fast growing and did a lot of damage. The fact that yours was benign is a very good sign! As far as I'm aware, it means that it's very unlikely for it to return or for you to ever have problems like that again :)

I would agree that it's possible the abnormal signals are merely a result of the operation you had. Spinal cord operations are highly delicate procedures and will often have a short term affect on the brain as the brain and spinal cord are linked. My Mum had the fluid around her brain drained during her op and so as a result she actually experienced some blindness for a few days (sight fully returned! :)) and other abnormal nerve sensations. These did settle down.. I don't know if I've made much sense here - I hope I have! I just wanted to try and reassure you that if the doctors were concerned they would have admitted you straight away.

So try not to worry too much (I know, easier said than done!) but anxiety will always make you think about the worst case scenario, when nine times out of ten, there is nothing to worry about. I myself have suffered anxiety for yeeears, especially health anxiety, and every time I was proved wrong. I'm here if you ever wanna chat - just message me :) xxx

[Julia33]

Thanks so much, CherryCola.

So sorry your mum went through this and thanks for sharing it with me. I agree, if they were that concerned they would not have got me in straight away. I am so upset by all of this.....I wish I had never asked for a brain scan! Got over my op really well and feel great......surely I would have symptoms if there was something wrong with my head. I do have tinnitus but I have had this on and off for years although it is with me all the time now, probably due to stress!

You have written such a supportive post, made me feel better. Yes, spine and medulla are linked so hope it is due to that. The one image showed nothing wrong but the other image, in the same place, showed abnormality - or so they think. At least the report said no tumour or lesions on brain....

Thanks for letting me message you if worried, may have a few questions about your mum's experience...

Julia xxxxxxx

[CherryCola]

Hi Julia :)

How long ago was your op? It can take a long time for everything to settle back down again afterwards.. I know my Mum had a lot of strange neurological symptoms for about a year after her op. There was nothing wrong - it just took a long time to settle down after having been operated on :) The nervous system is a highly sensitive thing. I agree, you would have a lot of symptoms if there was something wrong with your brain.. The tinnitis could well be stress, though I do know my Mum also had tinnitus for some months following the op too, which was completely normal.

If there are no tumours and no lesions, then that is a great sign! I'm not sure what type of tumour you had, but I wonder perhaps if there could be some scarring on the spinal cord that may be cauing some of your symptoms? I believe that's common too and really nothing to worry about :)

Best Wishes xxxxx

[Julia33]

My spinal tumour was found on 20th May of this year and removed on 25th May. It was exactly the same place as my bra strap at the back. It was called a Schwannoma, a non-cancerous, slow growing tumour. It was a major op, where they removed my back bones and went into the spinal cord. But, as the surgeon said, low risk....very minimal after effects.

I am just hoping and praying the abnormalities in my medulla (part of brain stem) are caused by op. I feel fantastic otherwise! I started running a month ago and run 5k every other day. I am just worried they have found a cyst or something?? They stated "abnormal t2 signals". T2, I understand, is the angle of image taken. There was no abnormality in the other image of the same area which they call t1. In the report, it stated it was "reasonable" to request another scan. Does not sound urgent to me......I had a choice to book another scan....


You have been sooooo helpful. I did not know that spine surgery can affect brain but I suppose it makes sense. Did they tell your mum the same?

Julia xxxxxxx

[CherryCola]

Hi, sorry I didn't reply sooner! :)

Ahh, you were operated on very quickly! :) Yes, I suspected it was probably a different tumour to that of my Mums as it's taken her over a year and half to walk again, so you are doing amazingly well! :) Schwannomas do not typically reoccur very often and don't usually cause too many problems if they're small. Mum had a fast growing meninigioma at T9-T10. She only had 10% chance of walking again as the tumour had grown so deep it had pushed the cord over to one side. But pleased to say, she defeated those odds and now walks around quite well! :D

If you have any concerns you should talk to your neurosurgeon, but I really wouldn't be too worried - it sounds like you're doing incredibly well! I would think the abnormality would be an effect of the operation. There could have been some slight scarring to the cord, or it could have been moved slightly as was my Mums case.

I'm glad I made some sense, haha. And yes, my Mum was told the same. Her brain was very much effected by the operation.. As I mentioned, she suffered blindness for a while and lots of other difficulties with her senses. She was actually unable to sit up in bed for a month after the op as she couldn't support her head by herself - again the brain was causing some nasty symptoms. But they did eventually settle over time :)

Be proud of yourself - you've been through so much and you're recovering so well. It's really inspirational! xxxx

[Julia33]

Hi there!

My schwannoma was at t10 also. They originally said meningioma to me but then found it to be schwanomma. I plucked up the courage to ring my neurosurgeon a few days ago who did not even know the doc sent me for brain scan. Anyway, he looked at the scan pics straight away and said he could not see a problem at all and not to worry about it. He said to go ahead with the second scan anyway and he would look at images straight away.....what a fab man he is! Your mum sounds like a real trooper...I wish her all the best as she sounds as if it has been very tough for her.

Thanks soooo much for your continued support xxxx

[Daniel Copp]

:welcome:

I see you've already meet some of the wonderful and great people here. I hope this is giving you the support and help you need.

Again :welcome:

[Julia33]

yes, certainly have, Daniel. what a fabulous site xx