feelbad

you most definitely NEED to get that consult eval with an actual neurosurgeon as soon as possible. the wait can be lengthy sometimes so the sooner you can get this going with that referral from your primary,the better. but you DO need that second read of your findings by an actual surgeon,not just the rad who attempted to interpret your films and findings. the above poster is very right about the initial read and interpretation by just the radiologist. whatever that rad actually finds and notes is very much totally dependant upon his or her overall level of experience and knowledge with any possible issues you may have but don't get taken as a real hard finding? they simply don't see it cuz they don't have a clue it is a 'something' ya know what i mean?

in some cases,your doc can make a direct call to some surgeons and get you in on a more emergent basis for that consult. but you DO need to get moving on getting to that NS in order to really know for certain just what it is you are dealing with(the overall severity too) and any possible treatment options. if you DO have actual compression upon your cord(and it does sound like you do based upon what you described in the hard films,symptoms and the report),that does NEED relief,the sooner the better before myelomalacia sets in which would be a definitive indicator of real damage to your cord. its good it was not in your report yet,but that doesn;t mean it cannot actually happen tho if too much time gets passed before some level of intervention has occured.

every single thing that exists within our spinal cords is a 'needed" thing as opposed to having compression upon any other organs or even real damage to even the brain itself. there are areas where you can get damage and not have any real consequences from it,you know what i mean? BUT,within that cord itself,there simply is no real 'wasted' space,meaning every single area within it is a very real area that affect some level of system function which would create consequesnces. the cord is not very forgiving because of this. it is not possible to actually 'undo' certain levels of real damage to it. while areas can be somewhat rehabbed in certain instances,that damege in most cases,is a permanent fixture that will affect 'something" within your body in some insane way.

i actually have a spinal cord injury due to a surgery i had to have to remove what was bascially a glob of intermittantly bleeding blood vessels. i live with the outcome from that crap every single day. it does suck. but what you will feel with any level of SCI is totally dependant upon where it is and how bad it is,and what spinal tracts and or nerves too become affected. this is why you NEED to get that first and probably at least a second opinion on this too. it does help since all surgeons are just NOT created equal either. what i mentioned about the radiologists kind of is the same with any given surgeon you see too. experience and overall knowledge in what YOUR particular issues are really is key here in getting the right surgeon for your job.

i seriously would try and get in to see your doc on monday or as soon as you can just to get that referral going. if that wait is simply way too long to actually see the surgeon(and they can go out as far as months in some cases) ask your doc to make that phone call to the best one to try and get you in ASAP. you can also,when calling any surgeons office,ask to be placed on their cancellation list. i have done this many times over the years for the six surgeries i have had to have on various body parts along the way. it can get you in much sooner in most cases. but get thee to your primary sooner vs later. you just really NEED to know what is going on and more importanly just what this all means for you. please keep us posted. good luck on getting in asap,hopefully you can. marcia

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3-22-01,herniated C-6-7
11-20-01,placement of hardware for failed fusion
9-22-03,removal of cavernous hemangioma that was inside spinal cord. Neuro damage to L hand L leg and R leg.