Lumbar Spine MRI

[msgrigioilcavallo]

Is anyone able to look at this picture of my lumbar spine and give me your impression of the spinal cord?  I just don't know that it looks normal.  I do have a tear in the L4 or L5 disc but not sure of the spinal cord.  It doesn't look like other pics I've seen online.

Thanks for your opinion.

[msgrigioilcavallo]

Thank you for your kind words, Lulu.

I am very fortunate to live by my mom and I am cherishing all my time with her.  I have enlisted help already. hahaha.  She and I both know my limitations and we get help where needed.  It is frustrating but I just know I have to have help with some things.

What kind of rubber stamping supplies do you have?  

[Lulu54]

that is quite the update.  And sure a mixed bag of news.  I'm glad the implant continues to work for you. I know they talk about this being a relatively easy surgery, but I hear people who have had it done talk about the lingering pain/discomfort for some time.  I hope it gets better for you very soon.  

A fall like that can certainly compound your aches and pains. I seem to be able when I'm tired or half-asleep to trip over lint and dust.  Unfortunately there's a lot of that in our bedroom.  LOL

I'm so sorry to hear about your mom.  That is a tough situation to be in and you are lucky to have this time with her even though she is terminally ill.  But be sure to get help from others and don't allow yourself to be dragged under as well.  I'm sure your mom wouldn't want that, either.

I wish your were close by - I have a lot of rubber stamping supplies that I would love to find a good home for - it sounds like you have come up with a good exercise for yourself.

I am well, and thank you for asking.

hugs, L

[msgrigioilcavallo]

I have a lesion in my cervical spine.  I didn't remember about the lumbar spine though. Thanks for the reminder.  I'm having a hard time comparing my spinal cord to normal pics.  I couldn't tell if my spinal cord looked unusual or not.  

In the 3rd week after my InterStim Implant, I did begin to have a little dribbling as I couldn't make it to the restroom in time.  My mom is terminally ill and I had to do a few things at her home.  I didn't lift heavy items but I did have to bend over a couple of times and lift light things off of her bed.  I'm concerned that the activity may have caused the slight dribbling.  Still, even with that, I am sooooooooooooooo much better than I was and just have to keep reminding myself what I was like.  I'm so thankful that this has worked as well as it has.  My quality of life has changed for the better and it is so nice to not smell like pee all the time and to not pee all over myself when I have an urge.  I can usually wait about 15 minutes to get home and go pee after I leave a restaurant or something. Before, I pee'd all over myself at the first urge.  I highly recommend it!

Saturday evening, I tripped over a shoe that was at the foot of my bed.  I was very concerned that I may have done some damage to the implant but so far, everything seems to be the same as it was last week.  I am very sore at the surgical sites though and pretty much all over.  I hit full force on both knees and left arm.  My left big toe is pretty swollen and bruised.  My legs don't lift very well and my feet kind of drag so needless to say, anything in the floor would have tripped me when I tried to take a step.

My Dr. changed me from 60 mg to 120 mg. of Cymbalta.  Nuvigil alone wasn't helping my major fatigue.  Cymbalta has seemed to help alot.  There are some days I have to take a Nuvigil with the Cymbalta.  Surprisingly, alot of my pain had subsided with the Cymbalta (Until my fall).  Now that I am having to take care of my mom some, my fatigue and pain are a little on the rise.  I notice if I don't sleep long enough (More than 12 hours) I am in more pain.  If I take a nap, the pain gets some better.  I don't know if that is more the fibromyalgia or the MS.  

All in all, I can't complain.  There are so many people out here that suffer so much more than myself.  I just live day to day.  I do rubberstamping and that is real good occupational therapy for my hands.  My hands don't work very well at all and I find that I have to really work hard with them when rubberstamping.  Maybe that will keep me from losing all my dexterity with them.

I hope you are doing well.  Thank you for all you do on here!

[COBOB]

My copy of Grey's anatomy says that the spinal cord "extends to the back of the first segment of the coccyx to the coccygeal ligament.  Even though the cord and spinal nerves reach that far, the spinal cord cell bodies end at L1/L2.  Below that level the "horse tail nerves" (cauda equina.) exit the spine.  So demyelination of the cord should not be possible beyond L2.

Bob

[Lulu54]

I think you already know that there is rarely lesions found in the lumbar spine, but I mention it in case you have forgotten.  The prime territory is the cervical and thoracic spine.  Someone with greater medical knowledge can comment on it but the spine tapers to the end if I'm remembering right.

how are you going these days?
Lu