Well I went to the doctor. He looked at my MRI and report before seeing me. When he came in the office he asked why I was there. He said he didn't see anything on my MRI that he wouldn't expect to see on a 50 year old person. Which I am. He checked my reflexes with his little hammer and told me to take Adlive for the pain and see a family doctor if I still thought I needed PT. The whole appointment took less then 5 mintues! So who is right about the bluging disc, ddd and other stuff him or the radiologist? Is the pain "all in my head" as they say. I am so disgussed. It takes 30 mintues to drive from the doctors office to where I work. From the time I was called into the exam room to the time I pulled up at my office was 46 minutes. That includes my paying my bill.

Jeanett

Was the doctor a spine specialist? If not take your MRI's and run to one. Sure 50+year old backs have problems on their own, but to dismiss you and your pain is Unconscionable. It is easier for an uncarring doctor to dismiss our pain than treat it. Here's a hug...now don't give up! There are answers, you just need to find the right doctor.

Yes he was a spine doctor. He did surgery on a friend and they liked him. That's why I made the appointment with him.

Cool down now, this happened to me, my first MRI was done on an older machine, and it did not show everything. In addition, the report that came with it, was only suggesting what the reader thought they saw in the MRI. I went to a second spine doc, and he ordered his own set of MRI's on his newer machine and found exactly what the problem was. I have both MRI's here at home, and I cannot believe the quality difference in the second one over the first. With problems like this, a second opinion is expected by insurance companies, I am glad I had a second investigation.

Yes I can see why you're frustrated. Obviously you have a reasonable amount of pain or you wouldn't have had the MRI in the first place. I think you should get a referral to another specialist, 2 or more opinions are sometimes needed to get the right diagnosis.
As for the reference to your age and the state of your spine, well that's a load of rubbish! You're only 50, not 80! Yes DDD is more common as we age, but as far as I know bulging discs aren't.
At 45y/o I've just had a fusion and disc replacement for DDD and spinal instability, and will go in for more surgery down the track as others wear out.
Most of my surgeons patients at the time of my surgery were older than me, some being in their 70s. You're too young to be written off yet!
Regarding the MRI, Ive had knee ones in the past that showed meniscus tears and had surgery to repair them, only to find out they didn't exist. The point being that while they're a great diagnostic tool, the results are up to the interpretation of the radiologist. S/he may have got it wrong and the specialist who knows what he's looking for may be correct.

After 10+ years of dealing with pain and doctors this doesn't surprise me at all. That said, I've had a couple of really good and caring doctors too.