How long after radiation for first MRI?

connsteele
connsteele Member Posts: 232
in Brain Cancer #1
Our son (age 34, dx GBM 4/13/11) finished his five-week radiation/Temodar regimen June 23. He is scheduled for his first post-radiation MRI on July 18, which is just a little over three weeks after he finished. Seems quick to me. Is this really enough time for the effects of the radiation to go away in order to get a true picture of what's going in the brain? Would like to hear from others as to how much time passed by before they had their first post-radiation MRI.

Comments

  • DistancerunnerXC
    DistancerunnerXC Member Posts: 44
    #2
    Not too quick
    If I could afford it, I'd have my wife in that MRI room every Saturday night.
    I want to know every second what's going on in there..
    If I could, I'd have our great surgeon install a window right there where her left frontal lobe used to be, so I could check it out every day.
    It's never too early to start scanning and there is no such thing as too much scanning (MRI) in muy opinion..BUT
    Start paying close attention to what flairs or treatment enhancements are developing...and start paying closer attention which each successive scan.
    When it gets around the 10th month after the last treatment, make sure youhave the NO show you the scan each time and be RIVETED to the screen and what he says about the picture..
    If you see any bright things where no bright things should be make sure he explains what that bright spot is and whether or not your loved one could come down with radiation necrosis.
    If it gets so bright that a biopsy is suggested do it and ask that if it comes out as mostly gliosis and treatment effect, the possibility of 4 avastin infusions to put out that radiation fire that could immobilize your loved one..
    I saw it happen before my eyes....
    Here again is the picture as in one frame it is barely visible, then it FLAIRS up and my loved one was ON THE FLOOR!
    Then after the 4 infusions of avastin (3rd picture)

    Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • mom_in_CT
    mom_in_CT Member Posts: 19
    #3
    MRI after radiation
    My daughter has a grade III tumor. She had 6 weeks of maximum-level radition (April/May). She had an MRI one month afterwards and it looked worse than before the radiation -- not at all what we were expecting. The NO said that there's a 50% chance that the radiation worked and her body needs to clean the mess up which takes months; and a 50% chance that the radiation did not work and the tumor is growing. She goes for another MRI at the end of July and the NO said that they still might not be able to tell at that time which way it's going. She hasn't developed any new symptons so we're trying to remain optimistic. She has neuropathy on her left side. Her hair is starting to grow back in some spots. Waiting is hard.
  • johngiustino
    johngiustino Member Posts: 26
    #4
    post radiation MRI
    I had a MRI halfway through radiation and about a month after. In both cases they were of course checking for any tumor growth but I was told they were also looking for inflammation which could lead to edema or swelling of the brain. There is a lot of things to check. Each MRI that I have is scary and fills me with anxiety (I have another next week), but it is better to know what is going on than not know.

    I just switched to a NO who is going to give me a MRI at least every 2 months. He felt the once every 3 month schedule I was on before with another oncologist is simply not enough.
  • Redwall
    Redwall Member Posts: 1
    #5
    johngiustino said:

    post radiation MRI
    I had a MRI halfway through radiation and about a month after. In both cases they were of course checking for any tumor growth but I was told they were also looking for inflammation which could lead to edema or swelling of the brain. There is a lot of things to check. Each MRI that I have is scary and fills me with anxiety (I have another next week), but it is better to know what is going on than not know.

    I just switched to a NO who is going to give me a MRI at least every 2 months. He felt the once every 3 month schedule I was on before with another oncologist is simply not enough.

    Waiting is hard, but our NO says rads scramble MRIs
    Well, here's my 2 cents worth.

    My wife's NO say he won't have an MRI done for a full month after the treatments have stopped. He says the brain would look too cloudy (scrambled) to get a good read.

    Redwall

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