Help with my Spondylolithesis!!!

M

Megss

New member
I am in utter agony with this pain. Today I went to my long awaited appointment. I brought my x-rays with me from when I was diagnosed. The x-rays were inconclusive as to the degree of slippage because only 2 were taken at Urgent Care (they told me at urgent care that I would need additional imaging tests). I was hoping for some answers today, but I feel more lost than ever. The doctor told me that Spondy may or may not cause pain (even though the pain I am in now is completely excruciating and making me utterly miserable). He didn't even mention getting more x-rays to see the degree of slippage. All he did today was ask about my symptoms, test my reflexes and movement, and comment on how my left side (side of the pain) is weaker than my right. He wanted to go ahead and give me a steroid injection today for a herniated disc without even knowing if I have one! And then start physical therapy. I had to tell him that I wanted an MRI FIRST, because I need to know what is happening to me. So luckily I am having a MRI on Friday, but then I have to wait another week and a half until my follow up appointment to get the results of that.
I know back pain is common complaint, but whatever is happening to me is serious. I am a healthy 27 year old. This should not be happening to me. Will the MRI show the degree of slippage in my vertabrae? Or will it only show soft tissue. Also, he prescribed me Neurontin for nerve pain. By the looks of the prescription bottle it looks pretty harsh. What can I expect from taking this?
From here I have an MRI Friday, start physical therapy a week from today, and have my follow up appointment a week from Monday. The painful wait continues.....
 
Hi Megss-
I so very much sympathize with you and know what you are going through.
My first question is are you seeing an ortho specialist who is a back specialist ?? Not a regular MD. This is crucial to proper diagnosis. I had back pain for years, x-rays, chiro, PT, and only when I went to a specialist did I get the proper x-rays taken and read correctly. Then the follow up MRI. Of course it didn't cure my problem (spondy plus pars defects, and other stuff), but at least I knew what it was and had a doctor who knew what he was dealing with.

DO NOT go to a chiropractor!!

Neurontin is heavy duty nerve meRAB. My husband takes them for neuropathy and they are serioius meRAB that DO help with nerve pain if in fact that is what you have as pain.
with back pain, it can be hard to figure out what is causing the pain.

Have you tried ice? That can really help with inflammation and won't have any bad side effects.
When I was going through my first episode of bad pain (like you are) it lasted about 6 months and was most likely caused by the disk bulge (which is caused by the slippage); this did lesson after a few months time so I want to encourage you to not think that you may be in pain forever.

I certainly hope that you get some answers soon and your pain can be managed; it's a terrible blow to have this happen and you are so young, but keep the faith that you can live with it with a few adjustments hopefully.
wishing you well,
Backslide
 
Hi! Thank you so much for your response. I thought the Dr. I saw today was going to be an orthopedic, but he was a pain specialist. I have already tried seeing my regular Dr. and that got me nowhere!
My pain started 5 months ago. It started as somewhat tolerable, and has intensified over time to be debilitating and depressing. It is in my lower back middle and to the left, in my left groin, and down my left leg. I get weakness where I feel like I will collapse in both thighs, and nurabness in my mid back on the left. The pain gets to a point each day that I am ready to go to the ER, but talk myself out of it. I have tried NASIRAB, Prednisone, ice, chiropractic..... Right now I am taking Vicodin at night after my daughter goes to bed, and I guess tonight I will start that Neurontin.
Believe me, I will not see a chiropractor anymore, ever, ever again. I had been seeing one and everything went from bad to worse. In fact, I never had any back problems before. I started seeing her in my third trimester of pregnancy. My chiro is my next door neigrabroador and said she could help my hips move for delivery.
Do you know if an MRI will show the amount of slippage?
 
Hi, Your symptoms are nearly indentical to mine. I have been going thru this awful back and leg pain since 1998. I can only tell you that when I went to my surgeon, (He is an orthopedic spine specialist) I had an MRI with me and he said I needed to have xray's to determine what was going on. So the did like 3 xrays with me in different positions (ouch) and determined I needed surgery. Just thought I'd share that with you. Hope it helps and I hope you feel better soon. Take Care!!!
 
I don't think the mri will show the slippage as much as x-rays will. MRIs will show other things like herniated disks etc. You should have both done (and the right type of x-rays).

I also have the same symptoms minus the nurabness, and my left side is worse, with the leg pain in my left leg.


I stretch, walk and ice. and try to live with it, somedays are better than others.
Doctors really don't have much to offer other than pain meRAB or surgery, that's the sad reality. And surgery should always be your last resort when the pain becomes too incapacitating, I hope you find some relief and some answers soon. Let us know what you find out.
 
Megss,
I will tell you my experiences. Maybe that will help answer some questions. The MRIs showed the impingement caused by the slippage on the L5 nerve roots on both sides. The docs were able to determine the degree of slip from the lateral x-ray corabined with the MRI. The MRI also showed the degree of bone changes due to the pars defect I have, which is characteristic of the isthmic spondy. I have also had dynamic (flexion & extenion) x-rays taken which showed the degree of instability. Neurotin did not work for me but has worked well for others. Every person has different chemistry, so you have to work with your doctor to find the correct drugs. A drug regime can work well in controlling the pain. It has helped me live fairly comfortably with a grade 2 slip with pretty extensive disc degeneration due to the instability and arthritic changes. Don't give up.
 
Thanks everyone. The pain is much more manageable today. Could it already be the Neurontin kicking in? I hope so. It's just so weird that last night I was ready to go to the ER, and today I feel such a huge improvement, minus the huge headache I've had all day... is that from the neurontin? The thing is, I don't want to only cover up my symptoms and go on with life. First I need to know the extent of the damage. When I stop using the nuerontin (Dr. only gave me 23 day supply with no refills), will the pain return?
I did find a real orthopedic today, and explained to them the urgency I felt, so they are fitting me in on Wednesday morning. By then I will have my MRI results.
 
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