Flyingchange

Many thanks for your earlier response.

I now have the report in on the latest MRI of the cervical and thoracic spine which reads as follows:

C5/C6 – there is a broad based central disc/osteophytic bar causing moderate narrow of the exit foramen. The rest of the cervical discs are dessicated but there are no protrusions.
T3/T4 – there is a left paracentral disc/osteophytic bar causing mild narrowing of the left exit foramen. There is no central or foraminal compression.
T4/T5 – there is congenital fusion
T5/T6 – there is moderate facet joint osteoarthritis
T7/T8 – small central disc protrusion but no central or foraminal compression. The rest of the discs are dessicated but there are no disc protrusions.
Early facet joint osteoarthritis
Normal craniocervical junction and normal cord.
There are multiple thyroid cysts likely to be part of a thyroid goitre.
No vertebral collapse but there is mild endplate irregularity in the thoracic spine but no MR evidence of scheurmans disease.
Conclusion – multi level degenerative disc disease but there is no disc protrusion causing central compression. There is narrowing of the exit foramen at C5/6.

Having now seen the spinal consultant and the images on disc (I have a copy of all my MRI’s as I had to pay privately to have them done). His conclusion is that my spine is strong enough and the report in short is nothing to worry about at it is all age related and that I should resume riding horses and running marathons.

Interestingly you did give me possible pointers as to hypothyrodism being a possible cause of my mental sluggishness. In the UK the test for such is hit and miss and a negative can still be a positive. As I have only ever been tested once for thyroid problems he said that the cysts are nothing to worry about and do nothing about them.

In my first MRI carried out by another private hospital it was reported ‘ established Schueremanns Disease in the lumbar region.

I have come away very confused by all of my discussions with the spinal consultant and feel that I should accept that my spinal pain is nothing and the images are all age related. If I have osteoarthritis then why do blood tests tell me that I don’t and that blood tests for inflammation markers come up negative when I have these so called thyroid cysts, tarlov cysts and two fibroids in the uterus. The only changes in my blood tests are ferritin at 5, folic acid very low and glucose 18.8.

Sitting at my desk typing this sat in a good back supportive chair does nothing for the burning pain in my neck. If I try to rotate my neck to the left or right, slowly, the gristle sound is loud and I feel dizzy when I come back to a central position and it feels like my vision is slow to follow.

Where do I go from here? Should I accept what he says and do nothing more from hereon? Your advice would be appreciated.