Brain Scans

[whose_da_man88]

Hi,

The psychologist that I am starting to see again sent me this link about brain scans.

https://youtu.be/esPRsT-lmw8

A lot of my physical symptoms feels like it is because there is something wrong with my head. It feels like my brain snaps/has a cramp and then I spend yonks recovering from all the physical symptoms thereafter which is why I want to see what my brain is actually doing.

Does anyone know what kind of brain scan this is and how I am able to get one? The only scan I've heard is an MRI.

He sent me another link about neurofeedback and I'm keen to see what my brain looks like in a scan and then have my psychologist implement the right neurofeedback strategy.

Thanks.

[AtholP]

I am not medically trained but have suffered chronic complex physical and now mental illnesses. An MRI is definitely the scan to get but if you are claustrophobic like me you need to ask for sedation. Meds aren't enough so I have a heavy sedation via IV. I've had many MRIs and my last one was 3 weeks ago. I had been feeling "different" and I had a gut feeling something was wrong. Sure enough, the MRI showed multiple lesions throughout my brain so I am seeing a Neurologist asap as it looks like I have multiple sclerosis damn it. An MRI is by far the best option to see if anything is abnormal in your case. Hopefully it will be fine and you can rest easier knowing.

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi whose_da_man88,

The scans that Dr Amen talks about are SPECT scans. SPECT stands for Single Photo Emission Computed Tomography. They're used to show what the brain is doing (brain function) rather than what the brain looks like.

Using SPECT scans can be much more revealing than standard MRI's but they are used much more rarely - often because there's a small radioactive substance thats injected to see the blood flow. Even though the substance is very small, there's still a reluctance to use it unless it's warranted. As for how to get one, I assume maybe a neurologist? It's probably worth talking to your GP.

Hope this helps,

[whose_da_man88]

Hi romantic_thi3f,

Thanks very much.

Do you see any value in doing this SPECT scan? Like a lot of people I'm in search for answers on how I can resolve/overcome all these physical symptoms which are meant to be because of anxiety I experience daily but whether this is the right path I'm seeking opinions. Is this something that people normally request or do you think it is too extreme?

Thanks.

[whose_da_man88]

Hi romantic_thi3f,

Doing some Googling ... some people are saying SPECT for anxiety/depression is bollocks and that there is no sound/proven research that SPECT actually works? Also sounds expensive too ...

Thoughts?

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi whose_da_man88

Thanks for your post.

I don't know a lot about SPECT scans honestly so I'm not sure I'm the best person to give advice! I've seen them used with mental illnesses and how the brain lights up in certain areas. I know they've also been used in things like strokes, memory loss and other neurological diseases.

One thing you might want to think about is what is it you want to know? Say you were to do this SPECT scan - what happens after? Like an MRI or X-Ray it's always a diagnostic tool, so you might have more clarity on what's happening but then I'm not sure what you would do with that information?

It's probably important to know that whether your physical symptoms are from anxiety or some other underlying cause, they're still 'in your head'. Anxiety causes enormous sorts of physical reactions - some more intense than others. I've talked to people who have seizures or who are partially paralysed due to 'stress'. It doesn't make it any less real.

Can I ask, what was your psychologists advice? He obviously thought that it was important, so maybe it's worth talking to him more about it. As far as neurofeedback goes, I think you may only need a QEEG.

Hope this helps,

[whose_da_man88]

Hi romantic_thi3f,

It's a good question you ask ... what next after the SPECT scan. I'm not sure and my wife asked me that too. I experience a lot of sensations in the head which I then attribute to things like dizziness. It would be good to know which part of the brain is hyper (which I think most of it is given the sensations are over the head) which may explain parts of the head are experiencing sensations such as the a searing feeling?

I did an MRI yesterday. I doubt that my symptoms are from anything else but the reason I'm doing the MRI is I'm just confused how these physical symptoms can be anxiety ... it's very hard to comprehend. But at least the MRI will rule out if it is anything else.

My psychologist I haven't seen in a year and a half so it was a get to know each other session again but he has scheduled 2 EEG appointments (as opposed to a qEEG). He did mention that if I wanted to do it that there are places that can be done but we might decide what happens at a later date. I find the appointments even though they are 50 mins, seem quite short and I can't ask everything I want to know in that time frame ...

Thanks.

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi whose_da_man,

It's good to hear back from you. Your post has given me a lot to think about.

I think there's probably two important things here. One is to know that there's nothing else going on that might be causing these symptoms, and the other is to potentially accept that all of these symptoms just can be anxiety.

I take it that you're in touch with a GP given the MRI? What are his/her thoughts around what's going on? What were their thoughts around the SPECT scan? The idea that your psychologist wanted to schedule 2 EEGs shows me that they're very committed to trying to understand what's going on - even though I'm personally not sure why 2 instead of 1.

50 mins can seem incredibly short; I agree with you there. I wonder if it might be helpful to write down a list of questions? Some psychologists are open to email contact too - potentially allowing you to email the questions, have them think about it and give you a bit of a quicker response when you're in session.

[whose_da_man88]

Hi romantic_thi3f,

Some part of me is actually wanting something to be wrong so that I have an answer to what I'm going through. Strange that i do want something wrong but it's so hard to accept all the physical issues when you can't see any ailments ...

Yeah i've been speaking to my GP about the MRI. They recommended it over a CT. My GP can only help to check the physical symptoms and the rest he is referring me to things like MRI etc. Haven't asked them about the SPECT yet but I will when I go back to see them shortly to go through the MRI.

Re EEG. I might raise another post on that as I can't find much info in the forums. I might be wrong but I went today and it was "brain training" on software I think is called "EEG R4".

I've started a tracker in Google Sheets to track my symptoms and make any notes and save any links I found helpful. May have to ask him about email contact too. but some times I feel very rushed in those appointments and I didn't get an opportunity to understand what is going on - which is why I stopped going for a while but with feedback from family and these forums, it made me understand what he was doing a bit more and I'm a bit more trusting and open now than I was previously.

A little hesitant with the SPECT as well but I'll save it as an option later. Not sure how much it cost or what use it is as I've sort of settled on the fact that maybe I do have a chemical imbalance in my head ...

Thanks!

[therising]

Hi whose_da_man88

Personally, I believe the scan aspect is a good idea. The brain can definitely do some freaky things at times.

I'll try and keep this short, as this is more about you than me: Was having terrible anxiety attacks a few years back, accompanied by loss of sensation down the left side of my body, amongst other things. I could tell when these attacks were coming on as they would begin with slight sinus pressure. GP insisted I start on anti-anxiety meds. I insisted I don't and that he get to the route of the problem. Long story short, saw another GP who is an absolute legend. She ordered an MRI scan and, bamm, 'silent migraines' (migranes without headaches). Original GP was surprised to say the least.

Fortunately, I was having a migraine whilst in the MRI machine, so it showed up. Unfortunately, if the problem is not happening during the time you're in the machine, it may not show up. If the episodes you're experiencing happen at predictable times or are triggered by something specific, that you're aware of, this could influence when you schedule a scan.

To this day, I believe the 'anxiety' was a symptom rather than a result of the episodes, if that makes sense. Maybe the fight/flight/freeze aspect kicked into gear when there was a migraine associated change in my brain's relationship with my nervous system. Quiet a weird feeling! Short term blood pressure medication seemed to right things.

I hope you are able to get to the bottom of things whose_da_man88. Diagnosis can often lead to the best course of action.

Take care