Hi,I am Diwashish Biswas (Internal Medicine Specialist). I will be looking into your question and guiding you through the process. Please write your question below.
Hi. I have been dealing with my condition since Nov-2009. it started as pain in the left hip joint which is treated by PT as my X-ray and MRI for that area were negative. After few months back in April I fell on my butt and my back was against the wall. After two weeks I started having pain in my lower back then the same hip joint area then my left leg and the symptoms got worse to a point where I can't bend my back or sit more than 30 min. I had numbness and tingling on the left leg all the way to the foot if I do not lay down most of my day. I went to orthapedic who put me on Gabapentine and Ibprophen for a month after my X-rays were negative for the lower back. After another month they increase my dosage of the Med for another and no benefit. Then they ordered MRI where the reporter indicated that I have bilateral bulging disk L5-S1 and they gave me spinal injection in that area without any benefits at all. After two weeks of the injections I started having pain in my finger joints that goes on and off. swelling in the fingers that goes on and off.tingling and numbness in the hands and arms that goes on and off which depend on my sitting position and or the way I sleep. The pain walk through my arm along the veins up to the elbow and when the pain is bad the veins look dark and slightly swollen.. I decided to see a neurosurgen who ordered and MRI for my L and C region of the spin as the numness purseeded to the right foot, pain in the cocex bone area ( tail bones) and swelling of the vein below and behined the knees. The report of the MRI is as follow: Findings- Cerebellar tonsils lie above the level of the foramen magnum.
C2-C3- Normal.
C3-C4- Minimal broad-based disc bulge. No neural foraminal narrowing.
C4-C5- Slight broad-based disc osteophyte which touches the intrathecal sac. Minimal canal stenosis. No neural foraminal narrowing
C5-C6- Slight posterocentral disc bulge which touches the intrathecal sac but is no significant canal stenosis. No neural foraminal narrowing.
C6-C7- Very minimal posterocentral disc bulge which touches the intrathecal sac. No neural foraminal narrowing or significant canal stenosis
C7-T1- No canal stenosis or neural foraminal narrowing.
There is no cervical cord edema. There is no vertebral body edema.
Impression- Minimal areas of disc bulge at C3-C4, C4-C5, C5-C6 and C6-C7. The only level with minimal canal stenosis is at C4-C5. There is no cord compression or neural foraminal narrowing throughout the cervical spine. There is no edema within the cord
Findings- The conus ends at the mid level of L2.
T12-L1- No canal stenosis.
L1-L2 and L2-L3- Only sagittal images. No canal stenosis or neural foraminal narrowing.
L3-L4- Very mild broad-based disc bulge touches the intrathecal sac at is no significant canal stenosis. Neural foramina are widely patent.
L4-L5- There some posterocentral and far left lateral disc bulge. This leads to mild canal stenosis. There is mild left lateral recess narrowing. Far left central disc bulge leads to minimal narrowing the inferior left L4-L5 neural foramen. The right L4-L5 neural foramen is widely patent. There is mild disc desiccation.
L5-S1- No significant canal stenosis or neural foraminal narrowing. There is no vertebral body edema.
Impression- At L4-L5 there slight disc desiccation. There is broad-based and left far lateral disc bulge. There is mild canal stenosis but is mild left lateral recess narrowing. There is minimal narrowing of the inferior left L4-L5 neural foramen.
At L3-L4 there is minimal disc bulge which slightly touches and flattens the intrathecal sac. No significant canal stenosis or nerve root compression.
SO the DR told me based on that report that my symptoms and my pain level is not related to those findings and referred me to rhuematologist and neurologist as he is only a neurosurgeon.
I am tired of going to drs who does not what is wrong with me or misdiagnose me and wasting my money. I am tired of my pain as drugs are not relieving my pain and I only experience its worst side effects. The pain is getting worse in my neck and arm especially the fingers where my muscles start twitching when I get mad or stressed. I am only 29 and I do not have any Med condition other than migraine that has been treated by Topomax which I stopped taking about a year ago. My average BP is 95/65.