I have 5 cervical disc bulges and 3 lumbar disc bulges plus one disc protrusion at L1-L2 and L5-S1 I have an annular tear and disc dessication
the report also said that i have mild multileval discogenic degenerative changes which according to google is that my discs are degenerating
So I need all the help and advice I can get to prepare me for my next doctor visit. I am a 28 year old female and just received this mri report and I'm not sure where to go from here or what to expect so I appreciate ANY advice thank you....
I have neck pain where somedays it's hard to even move my neck and left arm
my back pain is on the lower right side and radiates down to my rear when I walk and I have pain constantly that gets worse as I stand for a long time or bend down a lot when I clean the house for example. Somedays the pain goes all up and down my back where I can't even stand up or sit back down. There are some good days but lately there had been more bad days....
It's a consequence of having scoliosis and being in the Army wearing a 50 lbs flack vest for days on end over a few years, I had no idea that I had scoliosis until I started complaining about some pain and they found it. I been out for 2 years and it's getting worse and frankly I'm scared about my future! What do u do in this situation? Is it fixable? I really appreciate your insight! Thank u!
Firstly, I too was very concerned about the wording of my report. All that technical info can make things seem worse than they are.
I recommend that you search and read as much as you can about the physiology of your spine so that you can understand your condition. Again do not let the things you read seem bigger then things are. The med-speak can be overwhelming, but after a while, after using a search engine to look up the individual words, you begin to understand some of it. Simple things sound ominous, but are not. An example, Osteophytes are bone spurs, caused by the bone trying to heal an injury of some sort, even minor injury that you don’t feel. I have learned much of this stuff recently myself. There are excellent web sites out there, do a search for cervical spine and you will find some sites that will help you to understand. Once you start to understand the big words things will start to fall into place.
I very much recommend seeing a orthopaedic spine specialist. Again the web might help you to find a facility that specializes on these things. Also the web will help you to find some very recognizable hospitals have very good information on the web.
I know all this worries you, all I can say is knowledge is power, understanding relives worry, to a degree. It can feel like your back in school, but this knowledge is very important to you, especially due to your age. You will need to ask about the future also, as there may be things you can do to slow or minimize the speed of degradation of your spine.
We here can help some too. Always feel free to post if you find something you can’t wrap your head around. One of us might be able to explain things in a way that give you a better understanding of something.
I know you hear this a lot, “Don’t worry”, I won’t say that, in fact it bothers me when someone says it to me, I usually ask “worry about what specifically”? But the more you learn the more you know, and the more you hack away at the unknown many of your fears can be allayed.
Cheers
__________________
Apr 03 C5 corpectomy C4-C6 strut graft with titanium
May 03 Heart Attack, Balloon Angioplasty & Stent implanted
Apr 2010 sched for ACDF and laminectomy & stabilize C3 (maybe C2) to C7
Firstly, I too was very concerned about the wording of my report. All that technical info can make things seem worse than they are.
I recommend that you search and read as much as you can about the physiology of your spine so that you can understand your condition. Again do not let the things you read seem bigger then things are. The med-speak can be overwhelming, but after a while, after using a search engine to look up the individual words, you begin to understand some of it. Simple things sound ominous, but are not. An example, Osteophytes are bone spurs, caused by the bone trying to heal an injury of some sort, even minor injury that you don’t feel. I have learned much of this stuff recently myself. There are excellent web sites out there, do a search for cervical spine and you will find some sites that will help you to understand. Once you start to understand the big words things will start to fall into place.
I very much recommend seeing a orthopaedic spine specialist. Again the web might help you to find a facility that specializes on these things. Also the web will help you to find some very recognizable hospitals have very good information on the web.
I know all this worries you, all I can say is knowledge is power, understanding relives worry, to a degree. It can feel like your back in school, but this knowledge is very important to you, especially due to your age. You will need to ask about the future also, as there may be things you can do to slow or minimize the speed of degradation of your spine.
We here can help some too. Always feel free to post if you find something you can’t wrap your head around. One of us might be able to explain things in a way that give you a better understanding of something.
I know you hear this a lot, “Don’t worry”, I won’t say that, in fact it bothers me when someone says it to me, I usually ask “worry about what specifically”? But the more you learn the more you know, and the more you hack away at the unknown many of your fears can be allayed.
Cheers
Thank you sooo much for your insightful and knowledgeable post!! I did go see an orthopedic specialist yesterday who was able to answer a lot of my questions....yay!
He said that its only going to get worse for me as I get older which makes sense, BUT he set me up with physical therapy to slow down the degenerative process in my back, which I'm really excited about because I want to do anything and everything to slow this puppy down.
He also told me that eventually down the road I may need disc replacement surgery which is even more reason to do everything I can.
You are so right that this stuff seems scary and I was really upset for awhile, but I suppose it could be worse, so I'll work with what I have
hafty, just so you know. I have 2 bulging disks in my neck and doctors is not sure what the future will be. He only operates on herniated disks. That's what they all do so they won't take risks. Neck surgery involves some risks, also back surgery but less, so I've heard.
Have you heard the sentence time will tell?
Did they ever send you to the pain clinic. Over there they can prescribe pain killers, so you won't suffer. It's not good to live with pain, not good at all.
8 disc bulges, 1 disc protrusion, plus 1 annular tear.......what's next? 
