Spine degeneration normal for 20 year old?

[Drahn]

Hi, everyone.

My MRI of my lower spine shows degenerated discs at L2/L3 level with a Schmorls node.

I am 20 years old and have suffered this back pain and leg pain/sensations for three years now. I first started having it after I got really ill with some sort of virus at 17. Since then I've never recovered from the bad back and leg problems.

I'm not sure completely why I have it and every doctor I've been to see, including spine specialists don't think there is anything wrong - they say that basically having degenerated discs is normal for a young person!

I would be grateful if you could share any of your experiences if any of you have also been told this as I don't understand why they are dismissing my symptoms and the degenerated discs with the Schmorls node.

My MRI results report clearly states that it is unusual for a person of this young age to have degenerated discs and a Schmorls node.

Thanks in advance for any help or advice you may be able to give.

[Drahn]

Hi, Selma

It's just so frustrating at the moment as I rang the hospital up who are supposed to be putting me onto another of their consultants as my original one left without even telling me and now I rang the hospital up and they said I could be waiting forever because they now have a backlog of 100 or so patients! I demanded to them that they refer me somewhere else for better care but they refused, saying that because I had the MRIs there I have to go there but there is no consultant caring for me now! I'm so sick of this useless hospital. It's a joke. I'm going to be stuck like this forever.

I don't have any idea whether or not I have a tethered cord as no consultant has bothered to care enough to even check that out.

Would a tethered cord show up on a plain MRI or would I need a contrast MRI? I've only had plain ones as my consultant who has now left me for dead only ordered plain ones for some reason. I'd have thought he'd have ordered both just to be on the safe side.

Regarding the cath clinic - they only showed me how to do it by text and pictures not physically so I haven't even started it yet as I got back home not confident in the slightest to do it. I still haven't done it and am at a loss as I'm no clincal doctor or nurse so I don't know why they expect me to know how to do it without showing me physically! It's just getting silly all this health care nonsense that I'm going through. I take one step forward and a hundred backwards!

I just do not trust a single medical person at all now as everytime I've been let down by them.

Many thanks to you and I'll keep you updated.

Kind regards

Drahn  

[selmaS]

Hi...I am sorry to hear ur dr still is not helping u...it can be frustrating.

R u sure u do not have tethered cord?...the bladder issues sound so much like the issues associated with TC...I know u have a schmorl's node, but wonder if u can have both.....

Good luck at the cath clinic...let me know how that goes.

I'll be thinking of u
"selma"

[Drahn]

Hi, Selma. :)

I think my doctor, because he made a mistake in thinking my spine problem wasn't serious, he is still trying to not commit himself and say that they aren't related when everyone else I've spoken to have said that it's a possibility. There's certainly more people saying it could be related and outnumbering him. I tend to believe other people rather than my own doctor as he seems to be doing a lot of misdiagnosing.

I'm still not better due to doctors and surgeons not really knowing or wanting to investigate further which does worry me.

At the moment I am still waiting to see the spine surgeon. Don't know when that'll be - probably next year!

I've had this awful stomache pain last night - constant winging pain. It kept me awake and I did ask my doctor if he thought it may be connected to my condition but he said it was just due to having so many different antibiotics for these recurring urinary tract infections. He said to not eat anything at all for a whole day!

I am going to a self cathing clinic tomorrow to be taught how to self catheterise to empty my bladder fully as it is apparently lazy and keeps urine in - retention. I hope it won't be too horrible tomorrow as I am quite nervous about it all.

Thanks for your post and I'll keep you updated.

Kind regards

Drahn

[selmaS]

I have had bladder and IBS issues all my life and now that I know I have Tethered cord it explains y I had all those issues along with acid reflux.

I know drs do not seem to believe that the conditions can be related and treat all of the symptoms individually.Poblem is u never get better.

I pray u get answers from the MRI's and u get in sooner than later to see the dr.

Keep me posted
"selma"

[Drahn]

Hi, Selma and thanks for your advice. :)

They did a lower lumbar spine MRI last May and have just done an MRI of my head, neck and upper back on beginning of January and I am still waiting for an appointment to get to see the spine surgeon as my original spine surgeon, I think, has left. They now have a huge backlog of patients waiting to be seen and one moment they said I'd get to see a spine consultant in February when I rang on middle of January and now when I rang in February they said it'd probably be March! I've no idea how long truthfully I'll have to wait as you can see they have said it would be in February but it never happened.

These MRIs were all without contrast as was the one of my lower spine.

My family doctor denies that my bladder problem has been suggested to be connected to my spine problem by my consultant urogynaecologist and a member of his team as he thinks it is not in connection but I believe what my consultant urogynaecologist and his colleague said as it does sound possible.

Bare in mid, this family doctor also said at the time that my back was just a pulled muscle or that I was still growing so it was just growing pains! Yet on x-ray and MRI it shows degeneration which I still believe to be the cause of my pain and leg sensations.

I'll keep you updated.

Kind regards

Drahn



  

[selmaS]

I also have an issues with Bladder infections and was recently dx'd with tethered cord...which in reading I found it can cause incontinence for the bladder and the bowel....BUT I also found it can cause u to not go as well.....which I believe to be at the root of my IBS and my need to urinate frequently.

If u have not had ur complete spine MRI'd when u do ask them to look for a tethered cord.

Godspeed
"selma"