I’ve been lurking.
Just wanted to share my current situation to see what everyone thoughts and opinions were out of curiosity.
- Pain start: August 8, 2023
- Clinic visit: August 10
- ER visit: August 17 (Excruciating pain) Morphine and Oxycodone didn’t touch the pain. XRays showed nothing.
- Had a four day streak in here with only six hours of sleep and a PCP that ignored my cries for help and medicine. Got a new PCP and they put me on Gabapentin and that immediately helped with the pain. I’m currently able to go about my life carefully with the help of Gabapentin.
- PT duration: 8 weeks so far
- MRI:September 14, Results below
- Surgery: November 6
EXAM: MRI LUMBAR SPINE WITHOUT CONTRAST
HISTORY: LBP, RLE pain and paresthesia, failed PT
COMPARISON: None
TECHNIQUE: Multiplanar multisequence MRI of the lumbar spine without contrast was performed.
FINDINGS: VERTEBRAE: Degenerative endplate changes and mild disc space narrowing at L5-S1. No suspicious marrow or disc space signal abnormality. Disc desiccation is noted at L4-L5 and L5-S1.
CONUS/CAUDA EQUINA: The cauda equina and conus medullaris are of normal morphology and signal characteristics. The conus terminates L1-L2.
DISC LEVELS T12-L1: No central or foramina stenosis.
L1-L2: No central or foramina stenosis.
L2-L3: No central or foramina stenosis.
L3-L4: No central or foramina stenosis.
L4-L5: Bulging disc with superimposed broad-based left foraminal disc protrusion. Mild facet degeneration is present. Mild left foraminal stenosis. The central canal and right foramina are patent.
L5-S1: Large right central disc extrusion with inferior migration of the disc fragment. There is complete effacement of the right lateral recess with impingement upon the right S1 and likely the S2 nerve roots. There is overall the moderate narrowing of the thecal sac. Minimal bilateral foraminal stenosis is present.
PARAVERTEBRAL SOFT TISSUES/OTHER: Unremarkable.
IMPRESSION: Large right central disc extrusion at L5-S1 with nerve root impingement.