Please help me understand Mri findings....

[digginnthedirt]

  4 rough years of pain and weird symptoms....with no insurance what are you to do?....finally have insurance and have an Mri....I am a 35 year old women who was adopted at birth....through this road of back-neck problems I have been able to get in touch with my birth records and found my birth mother....she tells me all about her degeneratve back disease and how she had fusion at L3, L4 and L5....she stated she was 31 when she had this....most recently she had neck surgery to fuse her neck....oh well on to the show....I have a Neuro appt. on 05-16-08 and a Neuro Surgeon appt. on 05-19-08....so this was the mri findings

Brain-CSF fliud in the Sella Turcica indicating Partial Empty Sella and otherwise unremarkable....(That damn Sella....GP says thyroid problems likely so we did a whole panel starvation donate half your blood test and nada....I have no Thyroid problems....Pseudo Tumor?....what's that and what causes that....I was a migraine (with aura) sufferer for 29 years....(showed little white migraine foci on the Mri)....The migraines stopped completely a little over a year ago, but a constant right ear click started....can this be Sella Turcica related?....

onto lumbar Mri....

Mild left lumbar curvature
Mild anterolisthesis of L5 with respect to L4 and L4 with respect to L3
There is generalized spinal canal compromise due to congenitally short pedicles
L2-3 image demonstrates mild disc bulge with mild spinal canal compromise, but no evidence of nerve root compression
L3-4 disc bulging which lateralizes to the left with left foraminal narrowing and moderate spinal canal compromise
L4-5 bilateral facet anthropathy, as well as disc bulging. there is spinal canal compromise, but no evidence of nerve root compression
L5-S1 a small dorsal annular fissure. there is no evidence of spinal stenosis or verve root compression.

Impression- Mild disc bulging and facet anthropathy with spinal canal compromise at multiple levels and multilevel foraminal narrowing as described....

   ok so anyone know what comes next?....I am in alot of pain and the 300 mg of Lyrica and the Ibuprofen just don't cut it anymore....I understand lying on my back the nerve roots were not compressed but just wait until I stand or sit wrong....I have horrible neurological problems and have been unable to walk at times....can't hold my crying 3 year old....can't help my husband plant our garden....my quality of life is non existand anymore....I use to be super mom and now I am stupor mom....anyone with advice please, please help me know what will happen next....by the way I am not overweight and was VERY active until a little over a year ago when it became unbearable to be active....sorry this was so long....Laura

[digginnthedirt]

         Thank you for this information....I believe I would love to try conservative methods and plan to talk to the Neuro Docs about it....Unfortunitly once I am sent for the cervical MRi I believe there will be nasty findings there as well....surgery may be my only option for comfort and no crazy symptoms....I am quite the fighter and my family and I just laugh off the symptoms if we can....life should be funny even if you are studdering and peeing on youyrself....at least now I know it can be normal with this condition....Thanx so much....Laura (PS if I have the Psudo Tumor how will they repair it once testing to confirm it has happened?)

[DrKalraMD]

Hi, pseudotumor cerebri is a condition characterized by chronically elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) which can lead to visual problems. Symptoms are headache, double vision, tinnitus, pain in arms etc. For more information visit http://www.emedicine.com/neuro/topic329.htm

You have multiple disc bulges along with spinal cord compression which causes pain and weakness in legs; it can also lead to loss of urinary control in severe cases. Please don’t lose hope as this is quite common condition and is treatable. One should be fighter in life, in case your life is crippled, please think of surgical options as soon as possible. Till then, conservative therapies like pain killers, physiotherapy and hot compressions should be continued. Take care.

For more information visit http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Spinal_Stenosis/spinal_stenosis_ff.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinal_stenosis