I was looking at the MRI report, and noticed that #3, the renal lesion is on the kidney. The lesion is on the right kidney, and it says it may represent a cyst. Says it needs to be evaluated by a renal ultrasound.

I didnt notice that at first cause I went to the bottom line lol. Looks like more tests are in my future, and the big five O happens on the 24th of this month.

Cant wait for this month to be over !! :D

Allen, kidney cysts on MRI are usually normal findings that have no consequence, especially if they were an incidental finding. You should not worry at his point but you absolutely do need to follow up with your internist and do a doppler or CT to confirm. Maybe kidney and liver labs are not a bad idea if you have not done them recently.

I think the only thing that gets me by is my sense of humor sometimes lol. I do believe that we have to get our focus off of the pain and limitations we all suffer with.

It seems when I start dwelling on any of the bad, it gets harder to look at the good things in life, and I start to get depressed. Then it just spirals downward the longer I dwell in the negative. My family and friends try to snap me out of it, then they start to avoid me because I start sounding like eyore the donkey :laugh:

I know it is hard to keep the focus off the pain and limitations, but it is well worth the effort ;)
Believe it or not im actually looking forward to seeing Doc C in a few days to find out what his take will be on all of these tests.

The neuro doc has me scheduled for the RACK! Some kind of machine that stretches the spine letting blood and oxygen flow back into the disc's.

So starting next tuesday it will be 30 minutes on the rack everyday for 4 weeks :(
I sure hope it does a body good LOL

Hi Allen,
I've been on "the rack" before (or something similar). It is not bad.....it just stretches you slowly over the course of 30 minutes. The tight straps they have to put around you may hurt your RSD in places. Be very honest with them if something gets too uncomfortable. Otherwise, it actually feels pretty good! If you're on a muscle relaxant, I would advise you taking it 30 minutes before the procedure (ask your doctor to make sure). It will help combat any spasms that may try to "hold" your spine in the wrong position.

I "get" your sense of humor too!! I think you're a great guy and we appreciate your humor and positive approach. Best wishes to you at your doctors!!! Let us know what you think of the "rack". It hopefully will "do a body good"!! :rm_milk:

well i'am new at this and i saw you posting. what do you have that your legs are not operating properly.. i have had 4 e.m.g. in the last 3 months and numberous blood tests and also spinal tap... i have a left drop foot and athroay (can't spell} of left leg weaking all the time but no pain..

let me know ****

Hi Sparkie,

I am so sorry you have problems, and pain with your leg. I do not know what caused your problems. but am glad you have found this wonderful place full of caring and understanding people.

It all started in 2000 when I went in for an angiogram. They accidentally blocked the femoral artery using some kind of a plug to stop the bleeding faster than using pressure to stop the bleeding at the catheter entry spot.

A week later I was back in the hospital undergoing surgery to save the leg. Because there was no blood flow for a solid week it caused quite a bit of nerve and muscle damage. As for the back, in 2001 I was the Food and Beverage Director at a casino with 2 bars and 2 restaurants to over see. There were times I would have to actually work the bar, and one of those times I had to change out a couple of kegs of beer.

Well being the macho guy I was, and a dozen years of power lifting behind me, I thought I could just do it myself. Serious mistake lol. I was able to do it, and didnt feel a thing that day, but the next day I couldnt get out of bed. I think it had a lot to do with the weakness in the right leg from that mishap with the angiogram. It caused me to kinda twist a little bit because the leg couldnt bear the weight of the kegs. I was trying to do it right by using my legs, but alas the one leg was still hurting a year and a half later from the accident with the angiogram.

In fact it still hurts to this day, and is now diagnosed as RSD in that leg. It is just an unfortunate situation to have the back problems along with the leg problems. If I listed all the things wrong now, you would think im an 80 year old in a 50 year old body LOL.

Today was my first day on the rack, and it wasnt to awfully bad. They only had me on it for 15 minutes, and I dont think it was the full weight pulling this time around. I think he said it was 75 ibs, and should be 90 for my size and weight.

It was just like you all told me it would be, thank you all soooo much! I am looking forward to seeing if the thing can make my back feel better. Although I did notice afterward that there is a disk up in the center of my back that really hurt from all the pulling force.

I am going to tell the doc about it tomorrow before he hooks me up. The flexeril helped to keep me relaxed, and also helped keep the spasms from happening. I could tell the muscles didnt like the tension lol.

Hi Allen,
From my experience with the "rack" (love the name!!), each time gets a little bit better. I felt tingling afterward in my sore discs which I took to mean it was opening things up in there and doing its job. Those muscles attached to your spine around your bad discs naturally tighten to "hold" things in place....they just don't know that they're holding things in the WRONG place.

I hope that you will find that each session gets a little more comfortable and that you're able to relax more each time (especially now that you know what to expect). If YOU can relax, so can your muscles. Ask about taking some music in there (whatever calms you) for you to focus on and try to do some cleansing breathing while you're being stretched (in between the traction increases). I've heard that works wonders. If I remember correctly, they started me with heat packs on my back to relax the muscles beforehand and get them ready to stretch.

Thanks so much for keeping us posted! While this may not be a "cure" for your condition, I hope it will start things in the right direction for you to regain your mobility and flexibility!!! Take care!!