L4-L5 bulge, L5-S1 annular tear - Back Problems Message Board

imabarrelracer · 10-11-2007, 11:35 PM

4/07 awoke with severe low back pain
6/07 MRI showed L5-S1 annular tear and dessication (no fluid left)
9/07 Epidural nerve root test, negative. Not nerve pain.
10/07 Provocative discogram (hurt like ****) found a bulge at L4-L5 with some leakage, but not painful. It hurt really bad when they did the pressure, but since the pain did not go away 15 minutes after the 4% Xylocaine was given it was reported as normal. The pain was gone in 25 minutes.

I have all the symptoms of a disk. Positive straight leg tests, numbness down 1 leg, pain when sitting or standing. I am now getting leg weakness, some intermittent urine leakage. What should I do? Do I look for a second opinion? How much more diagnostics can they do? Am I going to have to live with this the rest of my life?
Thanks for your help

Moldova · 10-12-2007, 09:01 AM

Before you know if you have to leave with this for the rest of you life, I believe you definately have to see another opinion and if you need third and so on... Most of us went and go through this for years, and a good, knowlegable Spinal ortho and a good PM Dr are the key on determened what is exactly wrong with your back.
Don't hesitate: if you in pain, something is not right and that is why second and more opinions so important.
I agree with you on painful discogram. I had my second one 2 weeks ago and it flear up my pain so bad that i doubled my PM since.

I wish you to find the answers for yourself and feel better!

carol632 · 10-12-2007, 06:36 PM

Hi, and welcome to the board. I think the best thing you can do is get a second opinion. Anyone facing surgery should do that...and sometimes people even get 3 or 4 opinions just to be sure that the advise they are being given is the right stuff.

I'm a little surprised that your dr. jumped straight into a discogram without doing a myelogram first. Disco's are so painful that most dr's don't do them unless they just can't get the info any other way. I had one and swore I would not ever do it again.

The intermittant urine leakage is concerning; it is one symptom of cauda equina syndrome. Of course there could be other causes such as pressure on a nerve so it's really important to seek out other opinions. The leg numbness is possibly from a nerve being pinched and you don't want to let that go on too long as it can cause permanent damage.

I wish you the best of luck and I hope you will return here to give us updates. I pray that whatever decision you make will be the right one for you.

Carol

ms_west · 10-13-2007, 06:53 AM

Without a doubt, I would seek a second opinion and I pray that you find some answers.

cosby3337 · 10-13-2007, 06:57 PM

Hi, just read your post and wanted to respond. My husband has had severe back pain for years and recently is unable to work at all. His test results are as follows: MRI- "broad based disc bulge L5-S1 with bilateral facet hypertrophy L4-5 broad based disc bulge L3-4 broad based disc bulge and borderline spinal stenosis and facet hypertrophy L2-3 disc desiccation and a broad based disc bulge with bilateral facet hypertrophy" Then he had a discogram and got positive for L4 L5 and L5 S1. We have seen several neurosurgeons and he has received various injections from a pain clinic.. I just need support from someone who understands... Please help