Question
hi, i just had 2 mris on my back, dr and neuro guy have failed to go Over RESULTS WITH MEjust pass me over to pain specialist monday..i gather for somekind of injections...tell me help e, lead me in the right direction to someone who knows someone who knows a dr~~
I WILL TRAVEL ANYWHERE TO BE CURED, CANT TAKE THE PAIN MUCH LONGER...HERE ARE FINDINGS, PLEASE EXPLAIN THEM TO ME(THE WORLD CAN SEE TOO:)~~~
#1 MRI : IMPRESSIONS: TINY FOCAL CENTRAL ANNULAR TEAR AT C-3C-4, MILD DEGENERATIVE DISC CHANGES AND CONCENTRIC DISC BULGE AT C5-C6, NO SIGNIFICANT STENOSIS IS SEEN
ALIGNMENT W/IN LIMITS, MILD DISC SPACE NARROWING AT C5-C6, VERTABRAL BODY HEIGHTS ARE MAINTAIEnD, CORD OF NORMAL SIZE AND SIGNALE CERELBELLAR TONSILS ARE NOT DISPLACED(YES I HAVE MY TONSIL AT 46!!)
2)FINDINGS IN MASTOIDS COULD REFLECT SEROUS FLUID OR MASTOIDITIS, ACUTE OR CHRONIC.
#2 MRI:
1)AT L1-L2, THERE IS A MODERATE RIGHT PARAMEDIAN DISC PROTUSION SUPERIMPOSED ON A MILD CONCENTRIC BULGINGDISC. MODERATE EFFACEMENT OF VENTRAL RIGHT ASPECT OF THECAL SAC. MILD NARROWING IS PRESENT AT THIS LEVEL.
2) MILD CONCENTRIC BULDING DISCS AT L2-3 THROUGH L-4-5
3) SUBCHRONDRAL DEGENERATIVE DISCOGENIC CHANGE AT UPPER ASPECT OF T-10; PLUS ORE FINDINGS IF YOU WANT THEM...

now,THATS HOW THE TEST SAYS I FEEL,  THIS IS HOW 'I' FEEL~

PLEASE PLEASE READ ANDE HELP ME~

I CAN HARDLY WALK 3 MONTHS...I USE A CANE READY FOR A WHEEL CHAIR SEE PAIN MGMT GUY MONDAY, BUT STILL NO ONE WILL TELL ME WHAT ALL THIS MEANS//I JUST KNOW I HAVE BEEN IN PAIN, BEING ELECTRICUTED 24/7, I GET THESE 'JOLT' SENSATIONS THAT ABOUT SEND ME IN TO SPACE THEY HURT SO BAAD, CANT PREPARE FOR THEM, ALMOST LIKE A SEIZURE PUT IN AN ELECTRICUTED STATE...IF I TOUCH ANYTHING WITH MY THREE FINGERS ON MY RIGHT HAND IT FEELS LIKE IT COMPLETES A 'CIRCUIT' OF ELECTRICITY AND I AM SHOCKED CONTINOUSLY  REALLY BAD, THE OTHER NITE A JOLT WOKE ME UP AND LOCKED MY JAW EXPLODING HURTFUL POPS/SNAPS IN BOTH EARS, SO BAD I AM GOING TO HAVE BOTTOM TEETH TAKEN OUT
I CANT TOUCH TEETH ,BEHIND EARS AND NO ONE CAN TOUCH MY RIGHT HAND OR I'LL WHACK THEM WITH MY CANE! TRIGGER POINTS ARE CRUCIAL I NEED MENDED.HAVE ONLY 2 FINGERS THAT WORK ON THAT HAND THE OTHERS ARE IN CONSTANT PAIN.THE OTHER IS IN 3  middleTOES, I TAKE LYRICA AND HAS HELPED TOES BUT NOT ARM...HAVE BAD TRIGGER POINTS, UNDERNEATH butt/RIGHT LEG, THRU OUT ALL MY RIBS FEEL BROKEN..I HAVE TO WHINE, I HURT SSO BAD... I AM 46, WHITE, FEMALE, PTSD ON LYRICA, EFFEXOR, SOMA, PERCOCET, LORAZEPAm(NONE OF THOSE WORK ANYMORE NOT EVEN FOR PANIC ATTACKS) AND TRAZADONE TO SLEEP. I USE LIDOCAINE PATCHES ON MY BACK AND CUT THEM UP AND WRAP MY POOR FINGERS AND CELEBREX  WHEN I CAN AFFORD IT....I M IN REALLY BAD SHAPE, HAVE HAD 6 SHOULDER SURGERIES/ONE SHOULDER REPLACEMENT on left shoulder 4 YRS AGO, at this time, my pain is all on right side, one day i just got a 'jolt' felt like a bunch of hornets attacked my right side, then the sting went to a 'bee' sting feeling, which i feel 24/7 in my right 3 fingers,
please someone, help me, i can bare to walk anymore, its just too painful, my right foot is extremely painful, right side of right foot feels like a huge stone is in there, not a syst but a rock that has stiffened 1/2 my foot so i fall down ALOT! IM BRUISED, READY TO JUST GIVE UP AS IT SEEMS DRS HERE IN PHOENIX JUST PASS THE BUCK...CANT WAIT TO MOVE OUT OF HEREL.
I WAS IN 2 CAR WRECK IN THE LAST 3 MONTHS, SLOW ONES  WE ALL WALKED AWAY..MY DOG HAD 12 GREAT DANE PUPS, WAS UP AND DOWN ALOT!! THOUGH ALL THIS HAPPEND IN LAST 3 MONTHS ALSO , I WAS HURTING BEFORE ANY OF THESE INCIDENTSK , THEY JUST ADDED TO MY PAIN I THINK...NOW I AM VERY VERY SAD, ALONE, AND ON A SCALE OF 10, MY PAIN LEVELIS ABOUT 9.2....WENT TO EMERGENC Y A FEW WEEKS AGO, THEY SAID I WASNT LIFE THREATENING AND SENT ME HOME...NOW I DONT KNOW WHERE TO GO NO ONE WILL HELP ME...I NEED HELP..I EVEN SAY THANK YOUUUUUUUU..  

Answer
Dear Khia,

Neck MRI:  1.  an annular tear (C3/C4) is a tear of the outer ring of the disk.  This is fibrous tissue and contains a lot of pain fibers, when torn it can generate significant pain, muscle spasms and trigger points.  Degenerative disk changes mean that the disk is losing its fluid content and becoming thinner, the bulge is pushing backward into the spinal cord, but the cord size has not been reduced at all.  This is probably irritating the nerve roots that exit the spine at that level, but they are not being compressed either.  Cerbebellar tonsils are actually a lower brain structure located at the base of the skull which gives rise to the spinal cord, (they are not the tonsils you are thinking of).

2.  Mastoiditis:  on the side of the skull behind the ears are structure called the mastoid processes, and they contain air sacs.  The MRI has revealed some fluid of some type in those sacs, and this is ususally due to infection.

Lumbar MRI:  You basically have degeneration of the disks in the entire lumbar spine with bulges that are pressing on the front of the spinal cord.  The L1/L2 area is where the spinal cord pressure is located, it is worse to the right side, and the cartilage that lines the disks is degenerated as well.

Bottom line is that you have significant degeneration throughout the spinal cord.  The bulging disks can easily press on the nerves that exit the spinal cord causing decreased muscle control and increased pain transmission.  For a more complete understanding of this relationship, I would suggest that you check out a few pages on my website for illustrations of the relevant anatomy.

http://suncoasthealthcare.net/chiropracticinformation/spinalanatomy-overview.htm...
http://suncoasthealthcare.net/chiropracticinformation/spinalanatomy-detail.html
http://suncoasthealthcare.net/chiropracticinformation/discherniation.html

You may also have a condition called reflex sympathetic dystrophy/causalgia (RSD) on the right hand, even though your reported pain is only in a few fingers (normally RSD symptoms involve the entire hand/arm).  This is a condition that is characterized by abnormal pain transmission from the arms or legs.  The pain can be so severe that even the weight of your bed sheets can cause excruciating pain.  This usually occurs after a trauma to the affected arm or leg, but can result from whiplash injuries as well.  This is not an easy condition to manage, and I hope you have a radiculopathy of the nerve roots in the neck to the ram/hand instead as it is easier to remedy, and has a better prognosis even when surgical intervention is required.

I do not think that pain management is the best way to go for you, but you need to discuss this in depth with the treating physicans.  You have already been on multiple pain medications without help, and injections will not fix the anatomical problems.  Pain management may be a viable option for the short term to give you a bit of pain relief, but I also think you should look into intervertebral disk decompression (IDD therapy)which is a tractioning device that can be used in the neck and low back to alleviate the pressure on the disks and nerve roots, and has actually been shown to get some hydration back into the disk as well.  Names to research:  Accuspina, DRX 9000, Spinal Aid, Chatanooga, Lordex.  

I think you should also be ready to face the fact that you are a candidate for surgical repair.  Even though you are in a high amount of pain, the surgeons may wish to put it off though.  It all depends on the amount of degeneration you have, and how much pressure is being placed on the nerve roots and spinal cord.  Per your MRI findings, the spinal cord is only affected at one level, so the surgeons may want to wait, although without some form of active treatment, your condition will get worse, and this is where you are headed.  I think the IDD therapy is you best bet in the short term.  Otherwise surgical intervention is likely to be the best course of action.

Make sure that you do some research on the issues I have presented, and feel free to write back if needed.  Good Luck.

Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net