Hello everyone!! What a cool site. I have read alot of posts and thought i would join and maybe you could all help me a little understanding some of these results i got from my ct scan and myleogram. First let me tell you i hurt myself on the job nov4.2005. My 1st Mri i had a pretty big herniation L5 S1. My symptoms Numbness and pain down side of right leg and in 3 toes. Along with shooting pain down my leg and pain in back ect. No need to go into that everyone here probably knows all the symptoms.Had therapy and 3 epidural injections. Sept had another Mri herniation was a bit better but still had impingement on nerve and moderate protrusion had L4 -5 and L4-3 disc bulges. Some disc degenerative disease. And disc spurs.Although injections helped with the numbness still have shooting pains down leg ect. Injections did not last for a long time where pain was concerned. The pain in my bag hurts very bad even worse when i sit or stand to the point of nauseness. Had eeg as well was positive for nerve damage in L5 so had 4th injection since they were in S1 beforethis time inL5.

Now for the results of my ctscan and myleogram. I am hoping someone can help me with the results i am having a hard time understanding. Doc is talking with neuro people to see if i would benefit from surgery. But that is a last very last resort. Here are my findings...The alignment of the lumbar vertabrae are within normal limits. The vertabral body heights are normal.
L5S1 there is advanced degenerative disc disease with disc space narrowing and vacuum phenomeneon. Central canal is adaquate. Smallright paracentral disc protrusion slightly deformig the thecal sac and right L5 root. Ther is moderate bilateral neural foraminal stenosi.
l4-5 mild diffuse disk bulge and mild bilateral neural foraminal stenosi.
L3-4 mild diffuse disk bulge with mild degenerative changes in the facet bilaterally with mild central canal stenos and mild bilateral neural foraminal stenosi.
Thank you so much for reading and i am hoping someone here can spin some light onto this. By the way if it helps i am 37 and female and the name isnt about my back just about me in general its a joke.

hi and welcome to NeuroTalk

hopefully one or more of the members who know about spinal issues will be able to post with some info for you

Hi Needsomeluck!

I love your user-name! I don't really have any answers for you ~ but I wanted to Welcome you to Neurotalk!

The only thing I know about spinal issues is from my own experience. It does sound like you have some bulging (or herniated) discs from L-3 through L-5, S-1. The pain radiating down your leg and into your toes isn't good. Do you have any numbness?

I hope someone comes along who can give you more answers. In the meantime ~ I will be keeping you in my thoughts ~

I know how painful and confusing all this can be ~ (((hugs)))

Love,
Sue

Dadsgirl thanks for the welcome! Yes i do get numbness and tingling.Sometimes i get radiating pain down my leg almost electric and i cannot stand or move nor walk. i am hoping someone can help shed some light on this too so i can understand my results better.I do have another question though about disc degenerative disease. What is it exactly i know everyone gets it sometime or another. But what is the process and being 37 isn"t a bit early for me to have advanced degenerative disc disease?

Dadsgirl,I am sorry for all you are going through too.Was wondering what is Arachnoiditis Wow 7 surgerys if you don't mind me asking what happened to you

Hi needsomeluck ~

I'm so very sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you! I've had some major computer problems and today is the first day I've actually been able to get here.

I do hope you are still checking in!

Degenerative disc disease is the discs losing sponginess? is guess is the word I am looking for. They get hard and wear down ~ I think that is what it is anyway! As far as your age ~ you are young to have advanced disc disease ~ but some people (like me!) are more prone to it. Everyone's discs degenerate as we age, but to some people it happens to sooner rather than later. I'm not really sure why.

As far as what happened to me ~ well that is a long story! I first hurt my back by bending down to get some paper towels off of a store shelf. When I bent down, I got a stabbing pain in my back and my left leg went numb. I had no idea what had happened. I ended up going to the Doctor who immediately sent me to a Neurosurgeon. I had an MRI which said that I had ruptured my disc at L-5, S-1.

I had my first surgery for that in 1990 at the age of 30. I was fine after that first surgery for five years.

At that time, I was at work one day when I lifted a box of mail off of a high counter and turned with it. Same stabbing pain and numbness down my left leg. Went to the Doctor he said I had to have surgery immediately so I did ~ that was my second surgery.

The Doctor sent me back to work (this was a work comp case this time) two weeks after the surgery for "light duty" work. I worked in a Hospital at the time and their idea of "light duty" was to put me to work in the Radiology Department. This included lifting and carrying those big envelopes that x-rays come in and bending down to the floor doing filing. Well, I ended up herniating another disc ~ this time from L-4 through S-1.

So, my third surgery was done. I was OK for about two months after that ~ then the pain came back. The work comp company thought I was just lying ~ so they sent me to the best Orthopedic Surgeon in the area.

He took one look at my films and said he couldn't even believe I was able to walk at all. So, once again they decided on surgery ~ I was fused from L-4 through S-1. That was my fourth surgery.

Once again, I was Kay for a couple of months, then the pain came back again. The numbness was worse and it was now affecting my right leg as well as my left. So the Surgeon decided to do surgery again ~ this was after another myelogram ~ and other tests ~ and I ended up being fused through L-2 through S-1.

During this time my neck went out. I had one surgery to fuse C-5 through C-7. That fusion didn't take and I had to have the surgery redone, this time with a plate and screws.

Now, I know this is long ~ but this is really just the bare bones story! LOL There were lots of tests ~ I don't know how many CT scans, MRI's and myelograms I had done.

But here I am today ~ fused through C-5 through C-7 and L-2 through S-1. One Doctor commented that I should have a zipper put in my back! LOL I say they should just stick a rod up my rear end all the way to my neck and be done with it! LOLOL

Oh, and you asked about the Arachnoiditis. That is where the lining of the Arachnoid space in your spine is inflamed. They are not sure what causes it, but they think it could be from the many myelograms and surgeries I've had. It is very painful and there is no cure for it.

I hope this answered some of your questions ~ if I can help you in any other way, please let me know ~

Have you had an appointment with any kind of surgeon yet? Are you in Pain Management? Please let me know how you are doing ~

Love,
Sue (dadsgirl)

Needsomeluck,

Welcome to neurotalk.

I am fifty and was just diagnosed last fall with severe osteoporosis. The bones of a 70 year old. I am sure that it did not happen over night so I am assuming that I have had it since my early forties.

I have been on prednisone for over 5 months and it just accelerates bone mass loss. I have been off of work since November due to a fractured sternum and ribs caused by a hug, and not a passionate one (LOL).

I have compression fractures of L3 and L5 from picking up a normal size bag of garbage. I also have degenerative disc disease in the entire lumbar spine and spurs scattered throughout.

I have always been a very active and failrly petite woman and I really do not fall into the category of someone who should have such advanced osteo.

I do understand how painful, frustrating and limiting it is to have constant pain. They say the spurs can cause severe pain.

You are very young and that may be why they are leaving surgery as the last option.

Are you in an kind of physical therapy to strengthen the muscles?

I have no idea what the doctors plans are for me yet either, I just wanted you to know that I can relate to what you are going through and the fact that we go from running around like manics to having to watch our every move. It is a hard pill to swallow. Many on this site can relate in one way or another to what is like not to have their mobility.

I hope that you can find pain relief and also that you can avoid surgery.

God bless you and take care,

Jude

I also have this dreaded disorder and this is the best page I have found that is eas to understand. There is also a support group on it that is very informative!

cofwa · "Circle of Friends With Arachnoiditis"

http://www.spineuniverse.com/display...rticle180.html
Arachnoiditis

Edgar G. Dawson, M.D.

Ms. Mary Claire Walsh
SpineUniverse Staff Writer

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Arachnoiditis is a debilitating condition characterized by severe stinging and burning pain and neurologic problems. It is caused by an inflammation of the arachnoid lining - one of the 3 linings that surround the brain and spinal cord. This inflammation causes constant irritation, scarring, and binding of nerve roots and blood vessels.
The predominant symptom of arachnoiditis is chronic and persistent pain in the lower back, lower limbs or, in severe cases, throughout the entire body. Other symptoms may include:

- Tingling, numbness, or weakness in the legs
- Bizarre sensations such as insects crawling on the skin or water trickling down the leg
- Severe shooting pain (which some liken to an electric shock sensation)
- Muscle cramps, spasms, and uncontrollable twitching
- Bladder, bowel, and/or sexual dysfunction

If the disease progresses, symptoms may become more severe or even permanent. This disorder can be very debilitating, as the pain is constant and intractable. Most people with arachnoiditis are unable to work and have significant disability.
Causes of Arachnoiditis
There are 3 main causes of arachnoiditis:

1. Trauma/surgery-induced
Arachnoiditis has long been recognized as a rare complication of spinal surgery (particularly after multiple or complex surgeries) or trauma to the spine. Other similar causes include multiple lumbar punctures (especially if there is a "bloody tap" with bleeding into the spinal fluid), advanced spinal stenosis, or chronic degenerative disc disease.
2. Chemically-induced
In recent years, myelograms have come under scrutiny as being a possible cause of this condition. A myelogram is a diagnostic test in which a radiographic contrast media (dye) is injected into the area surrounding the spinal cord and nerves. This dye is then visible on x-rays, CT, or MRI scans and used by physicians to diagnose spinal conditions. There is now a concern that exposure (especially repeated exposure) to some of the dyes used in myelograms may cause arachnoiditis. Similarly, there is concern that the preservatives found in epidural steroid injections may cause arachnoiditis, especially if the medication accidentally enters the cerebral spinal fluid.
3. Infection-induced
Arachnoiditis can also be caused by certain infections that affect the spine such as viral and fungal meningitis or tuberculosis.

Treatment
There is no cure for arachnoiditis. Treatment options are geared toward pain relief and are similar to treatments for other chronic pain conditions. Some examples include the following:

- Pain medications such as NSAIDs, corticosteroids (orally or injected), anti-spasm drugs, anti-convulsants (to help with the burning pain), and in some cases, narcotic pain relievers. Some of these medications may be administered through an intrathecal pump which, when implanted under the skin, can administer medication directly to the spinal cord.
- Physical therapy such as hydrotherapy, massage, and hot/cold therapy.
- Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) - a treatment in which a painless electrical current is sent to specific nerves through electrode patches that are placed on the skin. The mild electrical current generates heat that serves to relieve stiffness, improve mobility, and relieve pain.
- Spinal cord stimulator - a device that transmits an electrical signal to the spinal cord for pain relief.

Surgery is not recommended for arachnoiditis because it only causes more scar tissue to develop and exposes the already irritated spinal cord to more trauma.
Living with Arachnoiditis
Unfortunately, this condition can cause serious disability. It is never easy to live with chronic pain. Not only does it adversely affect your body, it can also cause mental stress as well. Sufferers of arachnoiditis are encouraged to join support groups or find other therapeutic outlets for stress. Treatment methods should be focused on pain relief and maintaining quality of life. More research is needed about this and other chronic pain conditions so that someday a cure may be found.