Viewing 6 posts - 31 through 36 (of 55 total)
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  • zlwalker
    Participant
    Post count: 31

    Dr. Corenman,

    I had my epidural about a week ago; I haven’t noticed any change in my pain levels. I got hurt at PT seven weeks ago today. As of today, I have the following symptoms: Pain in my stomach when I don’t sit up straight; an L-shaped pain in the muscles on the right side of my back; ribs that feel inflamed to the touch; and lots of pain in my butt randomly. I feel a little defeated here. It just feels as if I haven’t healed in this amount of time, something has gone wrong like a reherniation. I know it is definitely saw-and-tooth healing, but it’s a long process.

    I have a CT myelogram scheduled for next week to determine what’s going on. Another weird twist: My doctor noted that if I was still in pain, I could go get a spinal cord stimulator; this was noted before imaging was even suggested. That’s a more aggressive move, right? I would think that other options would be vetted beforehand, I guess.

    Anyway, thanks for all your thoughts.

    Donald Corenman, MD, DC
    Moderator
    Post count: 8656

    The CT myelogram will be helpful to understand your current status. You can paste the radiologist’s report here.

    Dr. Corenman

    PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
     
    Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.
    zlwalker
    Participant
    Post count: 31

    Dr. Corenman,

    Here’s the report:

    FINDINGS:

    Alignment is normal.

    No acute bony abnormalities are seen.

    There continues to be diffuse disc bulging at the T11-12 level. There is partial
    calcification of the annulus. This disc bulging to flex the lower thoracic spinal cord
    posteriorly. The appearance on sagittal imaging is similar to the MRI from 12/16/2020.

    There is a defect involving the posterior aspect of the right T11-12 neural foramen
    secondary to prior surgery. There is asymmetric soft tissue replacing the right T11-12
    foramen. There is diminished contrast opacification of the exiting nerve root sheath
    compared to other levels. This soft tissue may represent some disc material but also
    probably represents some scarring from the previous surgery here.

    There appears to be mild foraminal narrowing on the left side at this level.

    Disc spaces and facet joints throughout the thoracic spine are otherwise well
    maintained. No other lateralizing abnormalities are seen.

    IMPRESSION:
    DIFFUSE DISC BULGING AT T11-12 POSTERIORLY DEFLECTING THE LOWER
    THORACIC CORD.

    ASYMMETRIC SOFT TISSUE WITHIN THE RIGHT T11-12 LEVEL SUGGESTING A
    COMBINATION OF DISC MATERIAL AND POSTOPERATIVE SCARRING.

    This all seems pretty bad. I am guessing that I am probably looking at a revision microdiscectomy?

    Donald Corenman, MD, DC
    Moderator
    Post count: 8656

    I assume this was a new MRI and not a CT scan. If so, surprising that this scan did not have Gadolinium which could differentiate between a recurrent herniation and scar tissue (“This soft tissue may represent some disc material but also probably represents some scarring from the previous surgery”). I am not sure you are a candidate for a revision unless it can be proven that you have a recurrent HNP. If this was a CT scan, an MRI would be the next step in my opinion.

    Dr. Corenman

    PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
     
    Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.
    zlwalker
    Participant
    Post count: 31

    Dr. Corenman,

    The findings I posted were from a CT myelogram. Does that change your thoughts on the findings or does it still mean I may not be a candidate for revision?

    Thanks for all you do!

    Donald Corenman, MD, DC
    Moderator
    Post count: 8656

    If you don’t have a recurrent herniation (the report is inconclusive), then what is the purpose of surgery? If you have thoracic nerve root pain with scar tissue only, surgery will be unhelpful. If you have thoracic pain at that level, possibly a fusion could be helpful. What are your current symptoms?

    Dr. Corenman

    PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
     
    Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.
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