Originally Posted by SharonIhde

Hi I am new to this forum: I am in need of help I am desperate. I am having excruciating pain. Besides having L5S1 fully ruptured, I was diagnosed with L3 & L4 having tears with the disc material going up into my canal confirmed with a disco-gram. A few weeks ago I felt totally locked up in my thoracic area. The next morning the pain was so severe, it wrapped around all the way to the front of my chest and I could not move or hardly breath. My daughter had to call an ambulance. I was in hospital with lots of pain meds and I.V. Steroids. My MRI showed a herniation at T8 and bulge at T9. Between the lombard issues and everyone saying I need surgery for the L5S1 & L3 & L4 three level fusion, I am afraid to death about what will happen with the rest of my spine. The original injury was a car accident. Dr.'s can't tell me if the L3 & 4 and the thoracic problems are due to the stress. They do say I have severe degenerative disc disease. Can anyone give me some advise or help. I have had several opinions from different doctors. One said absolute surgery for the lumbard and another said he would not touch me because of DDD. I am on 300 mg of Lyrica for the nerve pain down the leg, but it does not seem to help and baclefen for spasms. Morphine doesn't either, so I basically am not taking anything because I am afraid of getting addicted to the pain meds. I am loosing feeling in my foot and have allot of tingling and basically my left leg is getting weaker. I have still been having episodes of major spasms in my thoracic area and sometimes it gets to the point I can't breath and still radiates all the way around my chest. Has anyone had a combination of lombard and thoracic disc problems? I could really use some input and help. Thanks allot Sharon