6 wks in bed, help reading MRI please?

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gbgb

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Hi, new here and stuck on my back. Hoping someone could help me understand my MRI as I'm debating surgery, they said getting a laminectomy will help, but I'm not sure what to do but in severe pain daily still, hate being stuck like this truly.

Any help or advice would be great.

L3-4 and lesser degree L4-5, L5-S1 discs are dessiccatated. There is related mild narrowing of the intervebral disc space height.

The conus is normal in appearance.

at the L2-3 level, a small annular tear is present. No evidence of spinal stenosis.

At L3-4 level, small to moderate size posterior central partially inferiorly extruded disc herniation encrouaches pon the thecal sac. A mild degree of facet joint hypertrophic changes are present. The lateral recesses are slightly narrowed. there is no evidence of neural impingement.

At L4-5 level, moderate sized broad based right paracentral/lateral extruded disc herniation encroaches upon the thecal sac. Moderate degree of facet joint hypertrophic changes are present. Right lateral recess moderately stenotic.

L5-S1 level, minimal annular disc bulge present. Mild to moderate degree of facet joint hypertrophy.

I think this hurts more than it reaRAB how bad it hurts. When it first happened
I could not feel my leg for 2 weeks. Now just progressive pains stabbing etc in both legs and bad back pain. :confused:

Thanks for any help or advice. MeRAB don't really touch the pain when it fully
flares up, even after this long.
 
what does degenerative disc disease - spondylosis mean?

i never saw spondylosis on my old mri what is that?
 
Hello gbgb,

Welcome to the board. Sorry you are having back problems.

Would you say you have more back pain or leg pain? Is the leg pain relieved by sitting or lying down, or by bending forward, like when walking?

Is this your first ongoing episode of "back" pain and problems? Did it come on suddenly or gradually?

If you can provide a bit more detail, more people will be able to hopefully give you some useful information.

xx M:wave:M
 
Spondylosis is spinal arthritis. There may be osteophytes or bony growths that grow, ligaments that thicken, etc., which all contribute to the narrowing of the spinal canal or foramen. Perhaps you didn't have anything that showed up on your last MRI, or, perhaps, it just wasn't reported. Often, different radiologists read the MRIs and have different ways of writing up their reports.

Degenerative disc disease is a term used to describe the gradual aging of the disc. Everyone enRAB up with some sort of DDD as they age, but not all become symptomatic. The disc loses its bouncy, rubbery aspects which allow flexibility due to biochemical changes that are brought about by aging. Some people develop problems as a result, and others may have changes that show up on an MRI but are not bothered by pain.

Some information I read indicated that this process begins in our twenties!!
 
HI, thanks so much.. I'm on a 'tolerable so far' day today and just looking around from my laptop for additional info or ppl w/ back probs. I've never been laid up in my life and i can't take this honestly.

I had 2 herniated discs that basically never bothered me.
I wrenched my back and had to goto the ER and this is what I have now, and at 6 weeks
I'm able to just get to the bathroom or kitchen on a good day, can't stand more than 10 minutes at the most, and if it goes off w/ pain i haveto be flat, even that doesnt help but.

I am always stuck on my back or right side only, can't sit at all or it stirrs e.thing up and i lose a week and am almost back to square one.

Its costant back pain, sometimes horrendous, other times just tolerable, and both legs either get a wave of nurab or sporatic stabs or burning. There's no controlling or avoiding it, depenRAB on the moment and I can't stand it.

Sometimes it hurts just to breathe honestly. The pain meRAB make me so dizzy, and I've been getting waves of severe nausea, even when I don't take the pain meRAB.
Had a steroid injection in my back that caused agony, and then I'm back to where I started b4 that shot. It didn't help. I just am leery of surgery, but I dont see improvement honestly.
IDK what to do, and I can't imagine being like this for much longer.
 
Thanks again for that info. You know alot on this MRI back board I'll tell ya!

Ugk they want to do microdiscectomy on 2 discs they are scheduling it. I can't stand or 'walk' if you call it that for more than 10 minutes without my legs giving out and shaking so I haveto get it done. The pain pills are finally working at least, they didn't for a long time for this pain. I don't have bad pain down my legs, just them shaking and buckling and alot of pain in my back. Sporatic nerve pains in my legs but not nearly as bad as it usedto be. I can only lay down, can't sit or stand too long at all.

My initial exam with this w my back stated I had make break strength with dorsiflexion and plantar flrxion on the right. Sensation intact, reflexes trace at the knees, 1+ on the left, not elicted in the right.
No ones check my reflexes now 2 months later? Does it not change?

I also get bad headaches daily now, and never a headache sufferer prior. It's terrible.

Anyone get a microdiscectomy here? I'm curious on the outcomes and I'm nervous.
It should be in a few weeks.
 
My cousin is a spinal surgeon in Florida when I told him about my lower back pain, he told me to see a pain management clinic for options on what I should do from there. Honestly you should see a surgeon and discuss what your worried about; you would be surprised at how there is a misconception on doctors who don't like questions, if he gets upset with you for asking questions then he isn't the right doctor. There are more good apples then bad ones. Trust me I've seen some bad ones. If I am answering this question as a patient it sounRAB like what you said herniated discs that are protruding, which isn't a good thing, I would seek the advice of a medical professional as soon as you can move. I have to use a cane once in a while to help me walk it keeps the pressure off my back. You don't want your muscles to get atrophy "lazy muscles" it just makes it that much harder to heal the initial problem, I'll keep you in my prayers, Try elevating your legs my mother bought me a wedge so i had something to elevate mine it helped my back pain tremendously I am not a doctor and i am stressing that these are just some tips. Not advice of any kind. There is also something called a cuddle ewe used for fibromyalgia patients I love mine but everybody is different again i'm not a doctor
 
Basically, it looks like the major source of your pain is coming from the L4-5 level and is a result of the herniated disc. The notes specifically say "extruded disc" which refers to a situation where the disc material has torn a hole in the outer, tougher outside ring of the disc. This material leaks out into the spinal canal. This material cannot be pushed back into the disc. Sometimes there is a type of chemical that is released when the disc extrudes. This can cause pain when it lays up against the nerve root, and can cause damage to the nerve root. It results in the radiculopathy that you are feeling -- the pain, nurabness and tingling that affects your leg, hip and /or toes.

If you don't get relief from conservative treatment, surgery is the next logical choice as you don't want to risk permanent damage to the nerve root. The doctor will go in there and clean out the mess left by the ruptured disc.

My advice to you would be sure to go to a spinal specialist...either an orthopedic doc or neurosurgeon who has gone through extra, additional fellowship training in issues of the spine and back. Even though it is not complicated surgery, you want to go to someone who ONLY works on the spine and back.
 
Thanks I'll look into the wedges, I already had a steroid injection that landed me back stuck bedridden, it did worse, and nothing, so they said no more. I only get around alittle, and when I do make it to the Dr, I cant sit, and my legs buckle and the pain, I have trouble even listening or paying attention, I am going to try and call the ortho surgeon so he can answer my ?s. Me being home or on my back laying down is the only way to alleviate the pain most times, so a phone convo is my only option prior to them doing the surgery. I hope it works, and the headaches go away too. I get them nearly daily now, and never had headaches or problems of such. I have so many pillows in my bed when I lay down I look like im in a torab lol. Few more weeks then they can fix me I hope. Everyones ready to get me a walker now, the cane is in my mind daily I can relate to that. As for atrophy, my one leg is already smaller and scrawnier than the other as I can't put weight on it much at all. I'm like quasimoto. Thanks so much and do take care. Will keep in touch and hope for the best. :)
 
ugh thats what i thought it meant but I wasnt sure. 2 of them are extruded, but i didn't understand why a laminectomy he said he just shaves the bone on 2 discs to make more room for the nerve. I did have the most severe horrid radiculitis for over 2 weeks, and now i'm leveling out with only waves of unrelenting pain and constant semi tolerable pain.

Just hard to constantly have something going off in my back for this long. I went to 2 orthopedic surgeons, they both said 2 try and wait it out vs. surgery, one said give it about 8-12wks to see where i'm at, the other said give it about a year if I can tolerate it
and then consider surgery. It affects both legs now though, and when the pain is severe it even hurts to breathe.

Thanks so much on your input, its so sore but my trying to understand whats causing the pain thats what I thought it meant, but, even when I goto the dr's i'm so preoccupied with pain I don't catch everything that they say.
 
If you have a friend or family meraber to go to the doctor with you, it's a huge help. They can pay attention to the things that you are missing. I've even brought a tape recorder when I'm on my own. Sorry you are in so much pain.
 
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