Hello Doydie,

I'm so sorry that you are going through this as well as other stresses at this time.

Hopefully the brief descriptions below will help in understanding the MRI report terminology with respect to disc and spur complexes. Basically it is new terminology (doctors seem to have a love for this sort of confusing stuff), that has come in to use since MRI's and CT scanning became more available and popular.

Take heart, it is relatively impossible to know what a word like "moderate" means in these situations; for each person has their own interpretation of such ambiguous terminology.
A better report would actually state in approximate millimeters, the size of osteophytes along with the amount of impingement and the potential for symptoms. Thus the reason you have likely been referred to a neurosurgeon; for there you can expect a first hand, expert evaluation and interpretation of the MRI.

The blood work is likely screening to rule out other possibilities and I've given some wikipedia links to those disorders at the end.

QUOTE: "I can't believe that I was once an RN."

Please rest easy with this. The Cochrane Collaborative (CC) which reviews medical research papers and assembles information from them according to strict meta analysis, has stated that for any medical practitioner to remain current in their field, they would need to read 18 research reports in their field every day, 365 days a year.
The fact that the CC does this and weeds out claims and hypotheses that are not based on evidential science for the medical community is a God send.

QUOTE: "...the MRI showed disc and spur complexes and moderate complexes and modrate spinal stenosis. So he said he wants a neuro surgeon consult and then ordered a lot of blood work. I'm not sure I can spell what they are looking for, Sjojeorns, RA, Scleradoma, sarcoidosis. It's that first one that I don't know the spelliing.
Can anyone give me light on what this disc stuff means. The link I looked at didn't make any sense. I have had a cervical hemi lamenectomy before, quite a few years ago."

A disc and spur complex is descriptive term used to describe degeneration of the spine when it is found on CT or MRI. It generally means that there are some osteophytes (bone growths) attached to the spine itself or the discs that lay between the vertebrae (think of barnacles that form on rocks).
These osteophytes can develop in places that fill in the areas on the vertebrae where the nerve roots exit from the spinal cord and go through the spinal column to the body, or within the canal where the spinal cord sits. When they do that, sometimes they can cause the the nerves and/or spinal cord to be compressed (ouch!).
A Neurosurgeon can perform a surgical procedure to remove the osteophystes and thus restore the space for the nerve roots and/or the spinal cord.

The word 'moderate' is used in such radiology reports to indicate that there may be some nerve impingements due to osteophyte formation; but that the radiologist can not determine that from the scan. The radiologist is merely stating his interpretation and suggesting that a more precise evaluation is needed. In other words, he/she is covering their butt by not making a diagnosis. When they use such terminology, they are usually indicating that an expert (a neurologist or neurosurgeon) would need to determine whether or not there are some nerve impingements due to osteophyte formation and whether surgery would be beneficial. It is likely that a neurologist or neurosurgeon would make that determination based on further neurological testing, evaluation of symptoms and possibly further scanning (CT) analysis.

All in all, it sounds like you are on the best road to getting a comprehensive evaluation and some definite answers without being rushed into anything...especially surgery.

Terminology:

Vertebral discs are very fibrous pads located between the vertebrae that are filled with a thick liquid. They offer a cushioning effect and keep the vertebrae separated so that nerves can exit from the spinal cord to the body. When the wall of a disc gets thin in one place, it can bulge out and occupy part of the space where the nerve or spinal cord sits (think about an over inflated inner tube with a bulge in it), and that can put pressure on a nerve or on the spinal cord.
A disc herniation refers to when the bulge pops and the liquid leeks out. That too can cause a nerve or the spinal cord to be compressed.

During a hemi laminectomy, a portion of bone is either removed from one side of one or more vertebrae and/or the area is buttressed up with more bone to hold the vertebrae apart. This procedure acts to decompress a disc (take the pressure off of it) and to allow more room for the nerves that come off the spinal cord to pass between the vertebrae.
Usually a laminectomy is done when a disc has prolapsed or herniated.

Laminectomy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laminectomy

Sjogren's syndrome (pronounced SHOW-grins):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sj%C3%B6gren's_syndrome

Rheumatoid arthritis:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rheumatoid_arthritis

Scleroderma:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scleroderma

Sarcoidosis:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcoidosis

With love, Erika