Donald Corenman

Dear Dr Corenman

Thank you so much for your reply, I would like to send you both copies of my MRI scans that are on CD. Unfortunately they are both different operating systems, but both are Windows based.
The first CD containing my MRI scan was done in the United Kingdom, they use a system called Centricity Dicom Viewer.

The second CD containing my MRI scan, plus a series of X-rays of my neck, was carried out in Norway, I think the MRI equipment they used was a Mitsubishi scanner, they use a Sectra Viewer to access the images, quite hard to operate on my PC as it is in Norwegian language.

Do you want the Disks in their original format, or would you prefer ISO mounted Disks that you can copy and paste, or I can send you both.
All I can say reading directly from the CD is painfully slow, images take for ever and a day to change from one to the next.

The Spinal Mouse Report is paper based, and prevents no problems reading it.

Yes by all means you are more than welcome to use any of the images or information you consider beneficial to the educational forum.

I did notice in your reply that you mentioned it was my right arm that I could not raise, I actually took the impact on the right side of my neck and shoulder, but it is in my left arm that I am unable to raise fully, it goes to approximately to 90 degrees, I am also unable to undo or do up my bra.

There seems to be conflicting reports between the Spinal Mouse report, this was done whist standing in three different positions, whereas the MRI scans were done horizontally, could this be the reason as to why there was nothing conclusive in the MRI scans ?

There are a number of images that I have saved to memory on my PC, which seem to me to be abnormal. I was personally shocked at what I saw within the images, that have been omitted from respective reports, I do hope you can spot what they have missed.

Many thanks

Dr. Donald Corenman,

Thanks very much for your response. I will fill you in quickly as I can with the information.

Had a lamenectomy back in 1979,

My left calf or gastroc never really came back. Much smaller then the right.
My back has been great until 2009.

July 2009 back bothered me went to chiropractor for around 2 months did not get much better but could walk with not much problem.

September. 2009 did fall down sprained my ankle.

Oct. 2009 bent over and could not straighten up went to chiropractor for a couple more months did not get much better.

Jan. 2010 Had an MRI and CT scan. Had bulge at L3-L4 and had a crack in vertebra where I had my surgery back in 1979 which was L5. They said I should fix both but I would be on my back for close to 12 weeks as they were going to fuse L5 to S1.

March 2010 Received a different opinion said to do Cortisone shot at L3-L4 seemed to take a lot of the pain away but still hurt very bad when I would walk.

September 2010 Had a nerve block shot at L3-L4 to get rid of pain when walking and pain did not go away. Same month went for a nerve block shot at L5- S1 went for a walk and felt great, better than I had in about a two years.

October 2010 Fused L5- S1 minimally invasive. Started swimming 4 weeks later after the first x-ray said things looked good.

Jan. 2011 another x-ray and all looked good but told him is still hurt when walking.

April 2011 Is when we did the CT mylegram. Said everything looked good, no blocked nerves and good fusion. That is when I got the Sacro Iliac Joint injection for sacroiliitis and they did a MRI on my hip to see if that could be the problem.

As of today they have not told me about the hip as of yet. I have waited for a response for 3 weeks so I feel like they have given up on me.

Things that have improved since the surgery. I can at least walk normal for a while and I can go up the stairs with out pulling myself up on the hand rail. But when I try to walk a few hundred yards it hurts very bad at times always on the right side, and would not think of trying to run. Still hurts to sleep on my right side also, but feels much better after riding the bike.

So I think my best options today would be to try to get the 2 imaging companies to send you a copy, so you can look at them. Then I should make an appointment with you at the same time, to see what you think.

Once again thanks for your response and hope this helps and I will wait for your advice before I do anything.

She responded via Facebook. “Hi Dr. Corenman, Thank you for your thorough response. I greatly appreciate it. I will definitely spend more time to become familiar with the images so that I can tell right away where I am looking at. I just thought of an analogy of a neonate learning to recognize his parents’ faces. At first, he will have difficulties identifying them, but as he grows he will find the parents among many different people no matter how they pose. :)”