Today was my neurosurgery appointment, and the consultant was really, REALLY lovely. He showed me my MRI, and although the report said I had a bulge in the disc I had the microdiscectomy on, he showed me that it's really tiny and is just a little bit of scar tissue. He said it's enough to cause my sciatica (which I knew) but there's nothing there that needs intervention from a neurosurgery perspective. I asked him what he felt was causing my burning pain and leg weakness and he showed me that the corresponding disc for that area (L2/L3) is absolutely great with no impingement on the nerves. He then asked me if I'd read about CRPS and told me that's what his diagnosis is. I know that's not a great thing to have, but oh my Lord I'm so relieved to know, to just know. All this time with a diagnosis of "lower back pain and radiculopathy" and I don't have radiculopathy at all. I want to dance and tell the GP to shove that in his pipe and smoke it, as my Grandad would've said lol. Not really, I want a good relationship with the GP but at least I have something I can say, "This is what it is, this is me". I'm sure I'll get low about it soon but for now, I'm just grateful to the consultant. Also, the best bit is that he's writing to the pain clinic to ask them to consider me for the SCS. A very very good result today. xxx