|
Hi laceyj405.
I've been reading up on this. If a pelvic bone is weak, stress on the bone can cause so-called insufficiency fractures, which can explain lower back pain. Pelvic insufficiency fractures can affect the bone marrow, so bone marrow changes can be indicators for these insufficiency fractures. In doctor-speak, "diffuse low signal intensity on T1 weighted scan" is the way this clue can show up. However, bone marrow changes can occur for other reasons as well, including the diseases this website focuses on. I guess that's why your doctors can't fully interpret the MRI results.
Some background: Our bone marrow consists of red marrow and yellow marrow, the red marrow being the primary factory for our red cells, white cells, and platelets, and the yellow marrow a higher percentage of fat cells. As we age the red marrow gradually converts to yellow marrow. Marrow reconversion is when yellow marrow undergoes conversion back to red marrow, in response to an increased demand for cell building. As I understand it this can be a benign condition or it can be a sign of a problem, ranging from insufficiency fractures to red cells breaking down (hemolytic anemia).
Red marrow reconversion is more common in overweight women than in the general population, so there seems to be a good chance that your marrow reconversion isn't something out of the ordinary. A hematologist could evaluate you to zero in on this factor, but in my opinion you shouldn't be overly concerned about bone marrow diseases unless you have symptoms of low blood counts or repeatedly show low counts on blood tests when you don't have a fever. I don't think you get much useful information from the neutrophil percentage or white cell count in a single blood test when you're already fighting off an infection.
You probably want to avoid appointments and tests that may not be necessary so I'd ask your primary doctor if he/she wants to consult a hematologist or have you consult one, and otherwise not go looking for trouble. You've gone plenty to concentrate on already: back pain, bladder issues, and the fevers.
|