Big Concerns over Recent MRI report - my dr is as well

[xmelax35]

Hi, I recently had back surgery about 8 months ago and I have been experiencing a excruciating pain. It got so bad that the PT had me quit doing PT because I was crying during sessions due to the pain. The pain I have been experiencing has been on the Left side as before and radiating/experiencing some on the right side and weakness on both sides, esp on the left.  My regular dr told me to get back with my back dr. So I did and he ordered an MRI (he did do the reflex test and in my opinion it was not as good as it has been in the past - he did have to do it several times and said hmm.  Well, I went back to him last week directly after my MRI (it was painful and I could not sit up - had to have help).  I have been getting very sick (vomitting, as I have been feeling worse as time goes on, it seems). Well, he said (he did not have my radiology report at the time), that he was done with me and didn't need to see me again. That is all! Nothing further was done. I couldn't understand, as this kind of pain and symptoms just can't be right.

I have a neuro appt next month and I got my MRI report the other day so I could take all my records with me. I took a look at it and also took it to my regular dr.  I saw some things on it that alarmed me and it seemed to concern my reg dr as well. He told me I should call my back dr back right away and ask them to look at my actual results.  For one it shows that I have disc herniation that is compressing the S1 nerve and some other things. Enhancement in the surgical bed as well as along the left side of the thecal sac and encasing left S1 and S2 Nerve Roots.   Now the other thing that he seemed concerned about was this:

There is also enhancement noted in the left erector spinae musculature.

What does this mean? My regular dr seemed concerned about this and said that it should be something that the ortho neuro should be able to answer, that it needs looked into.  The thing is that my ortho neuro (back dr) said he was done with me and did not need to see me anymore. I know that the disc herniation is possible again after surgery and I am not blaming him...I know this happens, so I don't know if he thought that maybe I was going to be angry and that is why he did not say anything or what. I am not sure if he looked at my disc. I know the results were not in and I know that there are tons of images and that drs can't look at them all, nor can radiologists (as it was explained to me by the radiology dept once).

So I need to know if I need to get to another ortho neuro or who or what I should do? My reg dr even knows that this has never been on there before.

Thanks ahead of time.

[xmelax35]

p.s.s. as I stated before I am more concerned about the falling down and being off balance - all the weakness, My leg is like a noodle and all wobbly like.

[xmelax35]

p.s. I besides being allergic to Lyrica,cymbalta, gabepentin (seems most antidepressants I am intolerant to) and it has been proven at the ER as they had to give me a ton of benedryl because of the reactions I had to those types of medications, there are so many out there that I cannot take. It is scary to take new meds. I have a epi pen now incase I have those severe reactions if  a doctor tries a new med on me that I can't take or tries to make me take one again that I already said I am allergic to.  Anyway, I just want it fixed I don't want to have to be on meds forever. I want to feel like other people and feel great. I want to feel healthy like I did when I was 22 or in that area.

[xmelax35]

I had physical therapy and that is when my pain became much worse. I cried during sessions. I had asked about getting injections and I have had injections but they did not last long. My insurance will only pay for one a month. Is there anything on there that you think can be cured? Something that can be fixed? I am tired of feeling horrible. If I have to live with the pain w/o proper pain control, then I have to, but I am very scared about my falling down a lot. I don't understand what is causing it. I was told it is probably neurological. Is it something on this MRI that is causing it? What is that "enhancement noted in the left erector spinae musculature"? I have an appointment with another back doctor in a week.  I was just wondering if it is something I should be going to another doctor for?  I want to be symptom free, from the falling down/weakness and pain.  There is a lot I want to be doing but I cannot right now.  I want to feel like I did 15 years ago or so.

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hi, one approach that may benefit you is enrollment in a chronic pain program which attempts to use a variety of medications and non-pharmacologic measures (temperature therapy (hot or cold packs), stretching and controlled physical therapy, muscle relaxants) to control your pain and at least make it bearable to help you function. Other medications that can be used for neuropathic pain (pain coming from nerves, which may partially be caused by the arthritis and other spine problems) combined with fibromyalgia pain, can be treated with such medications as neurontin and lyrica, and medications such as elavil (which is an antidepressant but has actually been found to be helpful with neuropathic pain as well). Regards.

[xmelax35]

sorry one more thing it said on there that I forgot to mention (I am sure there is more): It says that there is retrolisthesis of L5 on S1.

I also wanted to add that with all the other symptoms of pain in my back and leg and weakness and nausea (vomitting), etc... I also have fallen several times due to the weakness - my leg just kind of goes limp like and I fall.  Also in addition I have a lot of pressure in my lower back. It is hard to get in a comfortable position sitting, standing and laying down.

[xmelax35]

P.S. I meant to say that I had Lumbar Disc Surgery (L5), it was herniated and it was broken (the fragment was laying elsewhere).