[mkilpatrick]

Hi!

My name is Michelle, and I'm new here. Just came across this site and it's nice to see there are others out there with whom I can relate. After so long of family and friends thinking your just being "lazy" it helps to find others who know what you are feeling.

I'm not sure if anyone here can help me, but I'm really curious what types of surgeries are the norm for my type of problem. ..Tues is my follow up appointment with Neuro. Saw him last week and also in the ER yesterday morning. He says there is a lot going on in there and he wants to take my films and consult with his collegue to get his opinion. When I go in Tues morning he'll be able to tell me how we move forward. He's meeting with the other Nero Surgeon who helped on my last surgery (2) years ago, T11-T12 Laminectomy/Discectomy. I know my Dr. and right now, he knows that surgery has to be done but he's not telling me what kind or how extensive. If you look at my report, the problem children are sort of spread apart. C6-C7, T7-T8, T11-T12, and L3-L4. The ones that "flatten and deform" the cord are in the cervical area and thoracic area. So, I'm like dang, how do you fix that? You don't want to fuse ones that don't need it unless he thinks the degeneration is causing instability and chooses to head it off. That could be possible. He did say there is chronic degeneration happening which is rare for someone my age but it does happen.

If there is ANYONE out there with similar problems, if you could chime in to let me know the type of surgery you had and how you feel now, I'd really appreciate it. If you are knowledgeable of others who have these issues, I'd love to hear from you.

Right now, the pain is excruitiating but I'm on a round of steroids to bring down the inflammation which I'm sure will help. My main concern however is the extereme weakness, twitching, spastic activity in my legs. I am very clumsy and my right leg just doesn't cooperate. I trip all the time. When I sit for long periods, I have to be very careful getting up b/c my legs want to collapse. My shoulders/neck burn like crazy and my right hand has become so weak that I can't write, I must type. I tend to drop items alot. I'm guessing all this is coming from the compression to the Cord as well as the stenosis in the canal which is significant in two locations.

With that being said...here is the latest MRI...The most important parts, it's 7 pages long.

I was wandering if someone could tell me if, under most circumstances, is the following situation handled all at once or would mutiple surgeries be needed? I have accepted the fact that surgery is a must even though I'm still in shock right now. I'm meeting my neurosurgeon in the morning at the ER for him to see what's going on as my legs are getting weaker and weaker to the point that they just feel like jello... They go numb, they ache like there are cramps or something all the time. Tingling and overall feeling of "jerky, spastic" feeling when I walk on top of the other pain I had seen him for last week.

THe MRI says

C6-C7 confirms a rather large central disc osteophyte complex which flattens and deforms the ventral surface of the cord and causes severe spinal canal stenosis with sagittal diameter of the canal reduced to 5.5mm.

T5-T6 - moderate sized right paracentral disc protrusion. No deformity or displacement of cord at this level.

T7-T8 = right paracentral disc osteophyte complex flattens right aspect of the thoracic cord and cause mild to moderate spinal canal encroachment . Sagittal diameter of the canal is reduced to 6mm.

T8-T9 posterior disc osteophyte complex asymmetric to the right causes mild spinal canal stenosis.

T9-T10 - There is a right paracentral disc protrusion which indents ventral surface of the thecal sac and mildly flattens ventral surface of the cord.

T11-T12 - Post surgical changes of right sided laminectomy are seen. However, there are findings still suspicious for a moderate sized right paracentral disc extrusion. Mild mass effect and flattening of the right aspect of the cord is seen.

L3-L4 - Mild concentric bulging of disc annulus and mild to moderate facet hypertrophy are seen without significant spinal canal stenosis. There is a superimposed left formainal disc extrusion which may effect the exiting left L3 nerve root within the foramen.

L4-L5 - Broad based left paracentral disc herniation which may impinge the tracersing left L5 nerve root in the lateral recess.