Hi ~ Did the Cymbalta REALLY relieve your neck pain??? If it did, I'm surprised. I know it has pain meds in it, but it's really an anti-depressant.
I think you probably should have made an appointment at your neurosurgeon again, and had him order some tests for your lumbar, but that's ok. As long as you're getting someone to look after you, that's good. I just HOPE that the pain management doc orders an MRI with AND without contrast material to see what happenen to your lower back. If it's that severe, it seems like it could be a little more than "strain" to me, but I'm not a doctor.
Please, in the future, do NOT go off your meds without asking your doctor beforehand. Getting off the Cymbalta could have been quite dangerous. With some meds, it can even throw you into seizures so you have to be very careful! You weaned off too fast from the Cymbalta, so you were lucky you didn't have worst withdrawal symptoms.
Let us know what the pain doctor says, ok? God bless, and I pray you'll get some relief. Hugs, Lee