To the medics

[lumbarworry]

Looking through this forum I was pleased to see almost every question answered by doctors.  This is a terrific service. But just a few are noticeably not responded to.  Is there a reason for this eg. these questions on the wrong forum, or not taken seriously or something?  I was really hoping for some feedback on my query as I have an orthopaedic appointment tomorrow morning and would like to have had some input from anyone who can advise me on questions to ask, or more information on interpreting my results etc.  I'm sure other ananswered people are feeling equally bemused about being 'left out'.  All of us on MedHelp are so grateful for trained and experienced doctors  who volunatirily give up there time and take the effort to freely share their knowledge with us.  But if you can't help, as this is such a small forum that it would be really good  just let us know rather than letting us think our questions are bad ones.  Hope you take this in the right way.  

[Anna Beattie, M.D.]

I am sorry you are having problems with your back and that you are frustrated by this forum. I think you have realised the difficulty Radiologists have at interpreting just a report without images and background information. At work, we rely on getting the full clinical history from the refering medical staff and then looking at the images. A report is issued which guides the referring clinicians to what our judgement on the situation is, however, this needs to be put in the clinical context by them. It is therefore difficult for us to comment on the clinical situation from a report as this can be misleading. Often there are things that show up on scans that are incidental findings and these can cause all sorts of worry/concern or even unnecessary investigation. It is also important to realise that the forum cannot substitute clinical care and therefore we do have to refer to other specialists.

I hope this has in some way answered your questions and thoughts and I do hope you get all your back problems sorted out. Let me know if there is any other questions I can help with. Best wishes.

[lumbarworry]

Thank you for your response.  I have looked through other responses to queries and with respect realise now why this forum is not so popular.  It seems, understandably, that you are unable to comment on images you cannot see.  However there is also a lack of clarity in answers to our questions regarding interpreting medical jargon, understanding the pros and cons of diagnostic procedures, and understanding what it is physicians are looking for and how they work with the results.  Most of your advice seems to be to visit other forums!  I will take you up on these suggestions as I have seen much more comprehensive answers on other parts of the site.  Maybe a diagnostic radiology forum is not a good idea, as there seems to be little help you can offer.  Regarding my personal question I did find your answer somewhat unclear and abrupt, given the very specific questions I asked.  I was hoping for an explanation of what was written, which is why I enclosed all the findings.  I am seeking advice for my symtpoms with doctors both in person and on other forums, and was hoping here for a more in depth radiological explanation.  Don't worry, I'm not expecting a response now as I need to use my time better, as I suggest do you.  This website is an absolute gem for improving understanding of medical problems, sharing knowledge, and providing support and expert help for all users.  Please look at other forums and see how they operate and the depth of explanations and concern shown by doctors and other users.  This is sadly lacking in this forum.  No disrespect intended but I am an honest person and like to give feedback where I feel it's needed.

[Sumer K Sethi, MD]

I have answered your question, howver, it looks more like a neurologist's query as MRI is more less non-significant.