dear lindermern, I am sorry that I have trouble with my posts not showing up - it seems that they show up to others but not to me (sent a note to the admin). So, I may have already responded, but if I didn't, I feel badly for you not getting a response when you asked for advice. Having had so many ESI's, I suppose you have already had all the conversations about when to know if it is worth surgery...
but, the one thing I never got told enough is that MRI's don't always show the doctors enough (they didn't even see clearly enough that my spinal cord had been sitting kinked over upon itself all the time I seemed like just a whiner to them until they did actually cut for surgery). Sometimes you have to remind a doctor of something like my experience if they try to make you feel like a drug seeker, when you really are a pain relief seeker (I saw someone with that great phrase as their signature here). Sometimes you have to go to the trouble (and it's a LOT of trouble) of finding a second opinion. Make sure that your films are recent enough, although it is now known that getting extras is not worth the cumulative radiation dose. But if you haven't had one for more than a year, and your pain level changes rapidly, you really do have to consider doing new films, second opinions, etc. And, if it is time for surgery, second opinions. Although surgery itself has some danger of causing lasting pain, it can also completely cure pain sometimes, so you have to at least consider it.
I really hope that since your last post your pain has resolved and you have all the pain killers you need. A good pain killer should be able to be dosed (an opiate) so that you don't have brain fog, if opiates work for that pain.
Good luck
Jane