[massimo]

HI EVERYONE,
For the last two years my G.P diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain. After an exhausting and and extremely painful two years and multiple diagnostic studies this is what my spine looks like. I am more confused than ever...Where do I go from here?

CERVICAL SPINE MRI

MULTI DEHYDRATION AND DESICCATION IS SEEN. EVALUATION OF INDIVIDUAL LEVELS PRESENTS THE FOLLOWING.


C2-3, MINIMAL BULGING INDENTS THE VENTRAL THECAL SAC. CANAL AND FORAMIN ARE PATENT.


C3-4, CENTRAL SHALLOW HERNIATED DISC MEASURES 5MM IN TRANSVERSE AND 2MM IN AP DIMENSION, INDENTS THE VENTRAL THECAL SAC. THERE IS SUPERIMPOSED BULGE. CANAL AND FORAMIN REMAIN PATENT. BILATERAL UNCOVERTEBRAL JOINT HYPERTROPHY IS NOTED.


C4-5, CENTRAL HERNIATED DISC IS NOTED, MEASURES 7MM IN TRANVERSE AND 2.5 MM IN AP DIMENSIONS, INDENTS THE VENTRAL THECAL SAC. THERE IS SUPERIMPOSED BULGE. CANAL AND FORAMIN REMAIN PATENT. BILATERAL UNCOVERTEBRAL JOINT HYPERTROPHY IS NOTED.


C5-6, LARGE HERNIATED DISC IS NOTED, MEASURES 12MM IN TRANSVERSE AND 3MM IN AP DIMENSION, IN CONTACT WITH THE CORD. CANAL IS BORDERLINE STENOTIC. THERE IS SOME LATERALIZATION TOWARDS THE LEFT. THERE IS MILD LEFT FORAMINAL NARROWING. BILATERAL UNCOVERTEBRAL JOINT HYPERTROPHY IS PRESENT.


C6-7, DISC BULGE IS SEEN, INDENTS THE VENTRAL THECAL SAC. CANAL AND FORAMIN ARE PATENT.

　

THORACIC SPINE MRI


NOTE IS MADE OF MILD CHRONIC COMPRESSION FRACTURE DEFORMITIES INVOLVING T7 AND T8 VERTEBRAL BODIES. NO ACUTE FRACTURE IS NOTED. THE MARROW SIGNALS ARE WITHIN NORMAL LIMITS. THE VISUALIZED POSTERIOR ELEMENTS ARE NORMAL AND THE THORACIC CURVATURE IS WELL MAINTAINED. THE THORACIC CORD IS UNIFORM SIGNAL INTENSITY WITHOUT EVIDENCE OF FOCAL EXPANSION. MULTI-LEVEL DEHYDRATION AND DESICCATION IS SEEN. NOTE IS MADE OF SCHMORL’S NODES AT MULTIPLE THORACIC LEVELS INCLUDING T6-T7, T7-T8, T9-T10, T10-T11, AND T11-T12 REPRESENTING ENDPLATE MICROFRACTURES.


EVALUATION OF INDIVIDUAL DISC SPACE LEVELS REVEALS THE FOLLOWING

　

AT T5-T6, MINIMAL DISC BULGE INDENTS THE VENTRAL THECAL SAC. CANAL AND FORAMINA ARE PATENT.


AT T6-T7, MINIMAL DISC BULGE INDENTS THE VENTRAL THECAL SAC. CANAL AND FORAMINA ARE OPEN.


AT T7-T8, CENTRAL HERNIATED DISC IS NOTED, MEASURES 6MM IN TRANSVERSE AND 2.5MM IN AP DIMENSION PRODUCING MASS EFFECT ON THE SPINAL CORD AND DEMONSTRATES SPINAL CORD FLATTENING AND BORDERLINE CANAL STENOSIS. FORAMINA ARE PATENT.


AT T8-T9, MINIMAL DISC BULGE INDENTS THE VENTRAL THECAL SAC. CANAL AND FORAMINA ARE PATENT.


AT T9-T10, MINIMAL DISC BULGE INDENTS THE VENTRAL THECAL SAC. CANAL AND FORAMINA ARE PATENT.


AT T11-T12, SHALLOW HERNIATED DISC IS SEEN, INDENTS THE VENTRAL THECAL SAC. CANAL AND FORAMINA ARE PATENT.

　

LUMBAR SPINE MRI

　
MULTILEVEL DEHYDRATION AND DESICCATION IS SEEN. SHALLOW SCHMORL’S NODES ARE NOTED AT L2-L3 THROUGH L5-S1. NOTE IS MADE OF PARTIAL SACRALIZATION INVOLVING TRANSVERSE PROCESS OF L5 BODIES. MILD LOSS OF DISC HEIGHT AND ENDPLATE SCLEROSIS IS NOTED AT L5-S1.

　

EVALUATION OF INDIVIDUAL LEVEL PRESENTS THE FOLLOWING.

　

AT L2-L3 ANNULAR DISC BULGE IS SEEN. THERE IS SUPERIMPOSED FAR RIGHT PARACENTRAL HERNIATED DISC WITH ASSOCIATED ANNULAR TEAR. THERE IS MILD TO MODERATE RIGHT AND MINIMAL LEFT FORAMINAL NARROWING. CANAL IS PATENT.


AT L3-L4, BILOBED ANNULAR DISC BULGE IS SEEN WITH BILATERAL INTRAFORAMINAL EXTENSION.THERE ARE SHALLOW LEFT AND RIGHT PARACENTRAL DISC HERNIATION IS PRESENT. THERE IS MILD TO MODERATE BILATERAL FORAMINAL STENOSIS. CANAL IS PATENT.


AT L4-L5, ANNULAR TEAR IS VISABLE. CENTRAL HERNIATED DISC MEASURES 10MM IN TRANSVERSE AND 2.5 MM IN AP DIMENSION INDENTS THE VENTRAL THECAL SAC. THERE IS A SUPERIMPOSED BULGE WITH BILATERAL FORAMINAL NARROWING. CANAL REMAINS PATENT. HYPERTROPHIC FACET DISEASE AND LIGAMENTUM FLAVUM HYPERTROPHY CONTRIBUTES.


AT L5-S1, DIFFUSE DISC BULGE IS NOTED. THERE IS A SUPERIMPOSED LEFT PARACENTRAL DISC HERNIATION IS NOTED. THERE IS MILD TO MODERATE LEFT AND MILD RIGHT FORAMINAL STENOSIS. CANAL IS PATENT. HYPERTROPHIC FACET DISEASE CONTRIBUTES. HYPERTROPHIC FACET DISEASE AND LIGAMENTUM FLAVUM HYPERTROPHY CONTRIBUTES.

[ginnie]

Our best in reading the MRI is out for a bit. She is sick. I have some impressions, and I am in no way a medical person. I have been looking up spine conditions for a few years now.
May I ask you what the doctor has said about this MRI? You do have some issues. Any time the canal is being narrowed, by herniation, it is a reason for some concern. Most of your MRI says words like "Mild", "Moderate". This is good. It is when the MRI starts saying " Severe" that some kind of surgery is recommended. Surgery is also a last resort, and you don't want to do that if there is any other treatment that could help you. Please do not seek a chiropractic person. This can and does make things worse at times. You need clearance from you neurologist before you did anything like that.

I would get in writing your doctors impressions, since multiple levels are involved, then get two more opinions before you opt for any treatment.

Because so many levels have some degenerative changes, Steroid injections really would not have much impact for you. They are just a temporary fix at best, and can make the pain worse. That was my experience with this kind of injections, and in no way reflects what other have experienced.

What worked for me the best outside of having to have surgery were ketamine infusions. This worked for me for months at a time, and it was not a painful procedure at all. You have to find out who does them, and if you are a candidate for this.

Keep a pain journal, and bring someone with you to the doctors when given an synopsis from your doctor. That friend our spouse, will pick up anything you might miss.

I would also be willing to look up each vertebra level for you, and try to help you learn the terminology. that way when you go back, there won't be anything the doctor can say, that you won't have an understanding of. Research is the best bet to understand all of it.

Our Moderators may know more about the language of this than I do. contact Jo*Mar or Chemar, and I am sure they will help you too.

All of us here on NT will be here to support you, in what ever direction you need to follow. Go get a few more opinions OK? Be good to yourself. ginnie

[massimo]

Originally Posted by ginnie

Our best in reading the MRI is out for a bit. She is sick. I have some impressions, and I am in no way a medical person. I have been looking up spine conditions for a few years now.
May I ask you what the doctor has said about this MRI? You do have some issues. Any time the canal is being narrowed, by herniation, it is a reason for some concern. Most of your MRI says words like "Mild", "Moderate". This is good. It is when the MRI starts saying " Severe" that some kind of surgery is recommended. Surgery is also a last resort, and you don't want to do that if there is any other treatment that could help you. Please do not seek a chiropractic person. This can and does make things worse at times. You need clearance from you neurologist before you did anything like that.

I would get in writing your doctors impressions, since multiple levels are involved, then get two more opinions before you opt for any treatment.

Because so many levels have some degenerative changes, Steroid injections really would not have much impact for you. They are just a temporary fix at best, and can make the pain worse. That was my experience with this kind of injections, and in no way reflects what other have experienced.

What worked for me the best outside of having to have surgery were ketamine infusions. This worked for me for months at a time, and it was not a painful procedure at all. You have to find out who does them, and if you are a candidate for this.

Keep a pain journal, and bring someone with you to the doctors when given an synopsis from your doctor. That friend our spouse, will pick up anything you might miss.

I would also be willing to look up each vertebra level for you, and try to help you learn the terminology. that way when you go back, there won't be anything the doctor can say, that you won't have an understanding of. Research is the best bet to understand all of it.

Our Moderators may know more about the language of this than I do. contact Jo*Mar or Chemar, and I am sure they will help you too.

All of us here on NT will be here to support you, in what ever direction you need to follow. Go get a few more opinions OK? Be good to yourself. ginnie

Hi Ginnie,
Thank you for your support. I have posted before and received some direction from Jo Mar. Since receiving new updates to my spinal diagnostic studies I thought I would repost the current information. I imagine that we all feel lonely at times with wondering thoughts, Neuro Talk is a great forum.

I live in Canada and unfortunately people with spine problems have to suffer great extents before getting help. My G.P in 2010 told me I had a perfectly healthy spine for someone my age. After reviewing my MRI's in 2011, I was told that my back was a train wreck. He then labelled me with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain and I was abandoned by him...

I had to wait a year and a half before seeing a surgeon. Surgery has been proposed, posterior spinal fusion from T3 to L1 with instrumentational rods and a possible posterior osteotomy. I was diagnosed with Sheuermann's Disease of the thoracic spine.

There are other findings that I failed to include in my posting. Bertelotti's Syndrome (L5 sacralization - pseudoarthrosis of the transverse process bilaterally to the alae of the sacrum with sclerosis of the L5 segment and the sacrum).

Mild scoliosis of the lumbar spine.

Moderately-Severe osteophytes throughout my spine including the mass effect on the spinal cord at T7-T8 level.

I also have Baastrup's Sign (Kissing Disease of L2-S1).

I have no idea what is happening to my spine...I just know that the pain has become inmeasurable. The sad part of all this is that I have relentlessly tried to get help...to no avail. I have researched out of country help however all attempts seems to come to a dead end and unfortunately what is surgically offerred, I just can't afford. Maybe there is just too much going on with my spine...I miss my life.
Massimo

[massimo]

I am hoping that someone can share their opinion or experiences with me...
Thank You
Massimo

[ginnie]

I am so sorry those conditions have intruded into your life so. I do know about that. I am fused C3-7. I too have other issues, degenerative changes. However, making you wait to fix, seems very sad to me. If surgery really is called for, I don't understand why they postponed it. I know Canada has a long waiting line at times.
Your doctor who first said Nothing is wrong, and then dismissed you, that happens in the States too.
I wish you could come to the states for that kind of surgery. It is not easy to go through in any case. I don't have my old life back either, and I miss the activities I use to do. Please know that I care, and sure understand about back pain. Do you have Ketamine infusions available in your country. This works, or at least it did for me for months at a time. I reversed the curve of my spine, kinda like what is happening to you. The vertebra, fell over on top of each other. Severe arthritis didn't help.
I wish there were an easy answer for you. I also hope they give you some kind of pain control, so that you can have some kind of life while you wait.
Does Canada, allow other opinions?

Take care Massimo, ginnie

[massimo]

Originally Posted by ginnie

I am so sorry those conditions have intruded into your life so. I do know about that. I am fused C3-7. I too have other issues, degenerative changes. However, making you wait to fix, seems very sad to me. If surgery really is called for, I don't understand why they postponed it. I know Canada has a long waiting line at times.
Your doctor who first said Nothing is wrong, and then dismissed you, that happens in the States too.
I wish you could come to the states for that kind of surgery. It is not easy to go through in any case. I don't have my old life back either, and I miss the activities I use to do. Please know that I care, and sure understand about back pain. Do you have Ketamine infusions available in your country. This works, or at least it did for me for months at a time. I reversed the curve of my spine, kinda like what is happening to you. The vertebra, fell over on top of each other. Severe arthritis didn't help.
I wish there were an easy answer for you. I also hope they give you some kind of pain control, so that you can have some kind of life while you wait.
Does Canada, allow other opinions?

Take care Massimo, ginnie

Hi Ginnie,
I have not looked into Ketamine Infusions. I would like to... however, it would be fruitless here in Ontario, Canada. We do not pay for medical coverage here, it is covered by our province through our taxes and there is no private care available even if you wanted to pay out of pocket. You can see why people are suffering and waiting for what seems like forever for spinal surgery that is archaic to begin with. It seems like people that are a quick fix recieve expedited surgery while others with multiple issues are destined with prolonged suffering. I believe that every person is intitled to equal care and compassion unfortunately it has become a world of greed. It is simply what it is. I am sorry for your suffering Ginnie and I hope and wish you strength.
Massimo

[thinkitdoit7]

Massimo,

Just wanted you to know that I am praying for you.

K