I have Cerebral Small Vessel Disease: How are you coping?

Hi @keithl56 sorry to hear of your diagnosis. Although I have not dealt with the corona radiata any part of the brain will be a difficult and slow recovery. I see your condition is chronic meaning it has been going on for a while( over 2-3 weeks) You are losing nerve cells slowly due to circulation. Has the cause been found? What have you noticed differently so far? Do you have muscle weakness or paralysis in your upper or lower limbs? It is possible for the ischemia to lead to diabetes, hypertension, or high levels of triglycerides. Have you experienced facial paralysis? It all depends on the location of the ischemia for your experiences. Be positive and find more answers to get started with your recovery. It has been 4 years since my brain bleed in my cerebellum. I am making significant progress slowly. At first I was in a wheelchair but now I walk with a cane. Hang in there. Toni

Hello @keithl56,

While I am not personally familiar with your problems, I hope that by now you have been able to speak with the doctor who ordered the MRI which showed the cyst and the chronic microvascular ischemia. Have you any more information now?

I would be interested to know if you have had any other tests or consultations scheduled. Will you post an update?

I have just been diagnosed with Cerebral Microvascular disease. I am 76. I know very little about it so I will get educated a bit by reading this page and everyone's experiences. I found out about it a few days ago by having an MRI while trying to find out why I am falling and have loss of balance. It was a cardiologist who ordered the MRI. He didn't really seem to know a great deal about CMD. I am scheduled to see a neurologist, but I couldn't get an appointment till July 26th (its May 11th now) and I have to drive about 100 miles to get to him or her in Portland, Oregon. So I'm trying to find out as much as I can now about what the future holds.

Your comment was written quite a long time ago. How are you doing? what have you learned about CMD that you can pass on to me to get me through this first phase till I get to a neurologist, and how much has it affected your life.
Thanks

Unfortunately there is not much you can do other than maintain a healthy life style. My neurologist said that you can not roto root your brain to clear out the areas of ischemia. He just doubled my daily aspirin. I had another scary mini stroke several weeks ago and another MRI showed additional infarctions. I'm only 64 but am afraid that since this is a chronic condition that over time it will take its toll. My CAC score is over 1000 so my coronary arteries are blocking as well, but at least there are treatment options for that. Just try to be positive since some things are beyond our control.

Thanks for your answer. Good to connect. I dont know what CAC score is. And if ive had mini strokes i havent been aware of it. Except for balance problems i havent had much symptoms. At my age some level of memory problems are common. Its difficult not being able to get to a doctor who is familiar with this disease.
What is CAC?
Thanks. Stay in touch.

Hello @debbic715 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Thank you for joining the conversation and sharing your diagnosis with the community so members can connect and share. I see that @keithl56 has already reached out to share his experience with you.

What are you most in need of in terms of information or support at this time until your July 26th appointment with a Neurologist? How are you feeling overall?

@debbic715 I wanted to share with you that the best way to notify a member that you are responding to them is to use the "Reply" button under their comment and/or use their handle (for example, yours is @debbic715). I hope that helps!

CAC is coronary artery calcification. It is determined by a CT scan and shows the calcified plaque in the arteries (usually 20% of plaque is calcified so total plaque is 5x what is shown. Scores above 400 are very bad and over 1000 is extremely high risk.

A brain MRI shows the areas (hyperintensities) where loss of blood flow has actually caused brain cell death (infarctions). The location of these determine what if any effect they may have on you. It is possible to have silent mini strokes (TIA's) that you don't even notice but they still will show up on a scan.

Anyone with coronary artery disease is at higher risk of cerebral microvascular disease since they are both caused by plaque build up.

Everyone as they age will have some microvascular ischemia but may not have any symptoms. Ask the neurologist how much the disease has progressed and what part(s) of the brain are involved. This will help you understand your risks. Your balance issues may be caused by this (or not) and he/she can counsel you. I know my balance issues are and try to minimize my risks.

Good Luck!

Thank you Keithl56 for your reply. I shall have to find out what my CAC score is. I looked up what CAC means. I have started a half dose enteric coated aspirin because aspirin has always made me nauseous. But taken with a meal this seems to be ok. Ive also been prescribed a statin. This is all new to me! It makes me very nervous. I was told id had some mini strokes, but ive never been aware of anything out of the ordinary but they tell me they can see the”scars” from them.
Do you have problems with memory. They told me this condition can lead to dementia

Thanks again for your reply.