Need feedback DDD-frightened - Spinal Cord Disorders Message Board

k2626 · 11-30-2008, 08:45 PM

I have been sick for 6 months now with stabbing and burning pains all over my body, mainly feet and hands, muscle twitches all over, tingling, numbness etc I have temp/clinical dx of lyme-but not definitive.

About 1 month after the pains started I noticed a constant pain on the right side of my spine right above my bra strap-feels like its bruised. I feel it more in the am, or if I bend over, and if I press on it I feel it. Sometimes its kinda burning...it does not "hurt", its just there. I had an MRI without contrast of my spine and it showed mild DDD in my thoracic area, but I am not sure if this spot is in the area of the DDD. I also had a full body bone scan which was done when all my other health issues started.

Would the MRI have shown something more "sinister" if I had it without contrast? This pain is there daily since after all this other stuff started in my body and it is worrying me that it could be something more serious?

Would mild DDD cause this bruise type of pain on my spine? I a hoping I really do have lyme (vs something worse) and perhaps that is making the ddd worse or inflammed

PNo · 12-01-2008, 10:38 PM

Hello and welcome to this board. I can point you to someone to talk to on the lyme board - her screen name is Monarog, she had spine issues, but her real problem was discovered to be lyme. I know her and another guy (braveheart07) that I used to chat with quite a bit on this board (read their old posts you may learn some from them. I haven't heard from him for several months - he had initiated Lyme treatments - so I can only hope that he got well and went on to enjoy his life. They both had many neruological/spine problems (buzzing, weakness, burning, pain, etc.) but their doctors felt it was something else because the symptoms didn't exactly match where their spine issues were. They had lots of tests and discovered they had lyme. They told me that many people who have these unusual burning, pain, etc., but not real damage in the spine other than mild stuff found - turn out to discover they have lyme disease.

I can only tell you from experience that if there were a significant spinal problem causing your symptoms it would probably have shown up on your MRI regardless of contrast or not. There can be some things that would lurk, but anything causing these issues would have shown. I would be more inclined based on the little you wrote here, to say you sound like you have a lot in common with my other friends.

Do your research and read the lyme board - I think for now that seems like the logical path to go talk to people there because it doesn't sound like they found any significant damage in your spine.

Good luck. Turn your fear into reasearching these boards while you wait for the doctors to figure this out. Take care.

k2626 · 12-01-2008, 11:36 PM

Thanks so much NP. I actually have talked to Monafrog but did not realize she too had this burning spine pain. I am being treated for possible lyme, but I guess the possible part is what freaks me out. Also my c spine stenosis has slight compression on my cord so I would think I would have pain there vs some where else in my spine due to slight DDD. I worry, if it were lyme making it worse, why would it not make my neck hurt too?

At anyrate, thanks again for your feedback--I really appreciate it!

feelbad · 12-02-2008, 06:49 AM

is it the stenosis that is actually causing your cord affectation,is it within that spinal canal? or is there a herniation that is causing your cord compression? just need some clarification there thats all. anytime you have some level of compression upon your cord,believe me,it can cause you symptoms and pain pretty much anywhere in your body,not just over that particular area. it is sometimes really hard to tell just how much real affectation any compression actually has uponthe cord when it is like yours is,could be a bit less or a bit more as well. MRIs simply cannot give you everything,ya know what i mean its one of those 'opinions' on whoever is reading your films. this is where you have to really take a good hard look at the overall symptoms that would realistically tell you much more about level of affectation than just looking at an MRI.

given the fact that you also have lymes too,well some of your ongoing symptoms could realistically be coming from either issue. they can mimic each other. if you could possibly type out your MRI report summary that would help alot in knowing just how the interpretting rad wrote your report. it can help by seeing how certain findings were actually worded and the terms they used. Marcia

k2626 · 12-02-2008, 11:33 AM

Thanks for your response. My slight cord comp is in my neck and I am not in pain there. The DDD is in my thoracic area and all the findings read are that its mild and there is dehydration and anterior spondylosis...

I am worried its cancer or something. Why do I feel this bruise type thing here every day?