I'm in bad pain. Have had 9 acupuncture appts and about 12 PT with manual traction. Can't see a neurosurgeon for a month. Just wondered if this is bad?
* *
C5-6: There is disc degeneration with loss of disc height,* *
endplate degenerative changes and marginal spurs.* There is a* *
small posterior disc osteophyte complex.* There is mild* *
ligamentum flavum hypertrophy.* There is moderate spinal canal* *
stenosis measuring 7 mm in AP diameter with near complete* *
effacement of the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the cord* *
without cord compression or edema.* There is bilateral facet* *
hypertrophy.* There is a 5 mm perineural cyst in the right* *
neuroforamen.* There is moderate left neuroforaminal narrowing.* *
There is mild right neuroforaminal narrowing.* *
* *
C6-7: There is disc degeneration with endplate degenerative* *
changes and small marginal spurs.* There is a small posterior* *
disc osteophyte complex and bilateral facet hypertrophy.* There* *
is mild spinal canal narrowing measuring 9 mm in AP diameter* *
without cord compression.* There is a bilobed 7 mm perineural* *
cyst in the right neuroforamen.* There is no neuroforaminal* *
narrowing.* *
* *
C7-T1: There is no disc bulge or protrusion.* There is disc* *
degeneration with uncovering of the disc.* There is an 8 mm* *
perineural cyst in the right neuroforamen.* There is no spinal* *
canal or neuroforaminal narrowing.* *
* *
IMPRESSION: * *
* *
Moderate C5-6 spondylosis and mild ligamentum flavum hypertrophy* *
causing moderate spinal canal stenosis without cord compression* *
or edema.* Moderate left and mild right C5-6 neuroforaminal* *
narrowing.* *
* *
Mild C6-7 spondylosis with mild spinal canal stenosis.* *
* *
*

Happy to see you have come to be with us. As you can tell there are great and caring friends here to assist you, just let us know if we can be of any help. I saw you have already found the Spinal Disorder & Pain Forum.

Check out the following forum:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum10.html

Our shoulders are here for support in many ways. Please keep us up to date on your condition & needs.

Again welcome, looking forward to seeing you around. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Darlene

Yes, being in bad pain is bad. I'm not being flippant. It is bad.
http://www.doctordeluca.com/Library/...ergency08c.pdf

PT is the usual first-line treatment for this kind of situation. Surgery should only be considered as the absolute last resort, after all other options have failed/been exhausted, and then only after being informed of all the facts/prognoses, getting multiple opinions, and careful consideration.

In-between, there are still many options. This will be a process. It will take time. There will be stages, similar to those of grief. There is also hope.

One thing that needs to be done is getting the pain under control. A couple of first steps are to google talk doctor pain and read the "Stickies" here and on the Chronic Pain forum referenced by Darlene.

There are some other folks here who can help translate your reports.

We're all here to help each other through this.

Doc

Re: my spinal stenosis and being a newby( hope I'm replying the right way to thank you)
Doc thanks for the site
Darlene I'm glad to have this resource
Hoping someone can tell me more about my MRI