jayd10033

Thank you. It’s so hard for me to know what is expected discomfort vs. something unexpected or worsening. For example my back felt great the first week (ex the buttock pain) – but this week I do feel an “ache” around the incision area that feels like any old back pain I would have taken an NSAID for back in the day.

I’m not sure if a re-herniation would cause aching or would it always include nerve/shooting pains etc.

Hi Doctor, I see other people have posted MRI results, which I didn’t do but will put here for posterity. Let me know your thoughts. Again, 1.75 weeks post-op. Pretty persistent right buttock pain standing, sitting or laying down. No shooting pain, no pain in back. Minor tingling that comes and goes on lower back/thigh. Course of oral steroids is over with no change in buttock pain.

PS – I find your site fascinating, I’ve read a ton of posts, which are really helpful, even if from just a therapeutic point of view as I recover (hopefully!)

Below is pre-op findings.

EXAM: MRI LUMBAR SPINE WITHOUT CONTRAST
HISTORY: Lower back pain.
TECHNIQUE: Multiplanar, multi-sequential MRI of the lumbar spine was obtained on a 1.5T scanner using a standard protocol.
COMPARISON: Lumbar spine MRI 11/24/2020.
FINDINGS:
Bones: Five lumbar bodies are assumed. No evidence of acute fracture or pars defect. Vertebral body heights are preserved. No areas of bone destruction or abnormal marrow replacement.
Alignment: Unchanged mild retrolisthesis at L2-L3.
Disc spaces, spinal canal, and neural foramina: Disc desiccation unchanged moderate disc height loss at L2-L3. Partial disc desiccation at L1-L2 and L3-L4 with mild disc height loss at the latter. Evaluation of the individual motion segments demonstrates the following:

— T12-L1 and L1-L2 levels: No disc herniation, canal narrowing, or foraminal narrowing.

— L2-3 level: Mild retrolisthesis. Mild disc bulge with mild compression of the ventral thecal sac. Mild canal narrowing. Mild bilateral foraminal narrowing.

— L3-4 level: Mild disc bulge and worsened superimposed large right foraminal/extra foraminal disc protrusion, with worsened moderate-severe right foraminal stenosis and disc contact on the exiting right L3 nerve root. Mild canal and mild left foraminal narrowing.
Small 3 mm synovial cysts at the posterior margin of the left facet joint and the inferior margin of the right facet joint. Neither cyst indents the thecal sac.

— L4-5 patent L5-S1 levels: No disc herniation, canal narrowing, or foraminal narrowing. Mild right facet arthropathy at L5-S1.

Spinal cord: The spinal cord terminates at the level of T12-L1. The visualized segment of the cord is unremarkable.
Paraspinal musculature: Unremarkable.

Retroperitoneum: Visualized portions of the retroperitoneum are unremarkable.

IMPRESSION: MRI of the lumbar spine demonstrates:
1. At L3-L4: Mild disc bulge and increased large right foraminal/extraforaminal disc protrusion, with worsened moderate-severe right foraminal stenosis and disc contact on the exiting right L3 nerve root. Unchanged mild canal and left foraminal narrowing. Small 3 mm facet cysts bilaterally.

2. At L2-L3: Unchanged mild retrolisthesis and mild disc bulge. Mild canal and bilateral foraminal narrowing.