Ethan Smith76 said:I took a look at the images from that link you shared. Looking at the MRI and those other shots, it looks like things have progressed quite a bit. Those growths—osteophytes, I think they're called—look like bone spurs.
I haven't even seen a GP yet; my chiropractor just spooked me so much I almost went straight out to buy a gun🙂 just to end the misery after she encouraged me to seek help. I felt like I was on my deathbed. Honestly, I don't think I'll keep throwing money away. I also feel like practitioners need to offer more than just spinal adjustments; they need a better bedside manner too.
So, who sent you for an X-ray? Around here, chiropractors often take their own X-rays and claim they know best, telling you exactly what needs to be imaged and which specific X-ray to take...
THAT'S WHY after 200 visits to a chiropractor, I don't believe a word they say. I've been through it all... there are plenty of other "alternative" types out there who are just looking to drain people's bank accounts.
Generally speaking, don't expect much sympathy for your pain or your issues. Specialists see this stuff day in and day out; to them, it’s just part of the job.
I'm talking about how specialists interact with my psychiatrist... and she tells me neurosurgeons are among the worst when it comes to communicating. If they aren't planning on operating, they won't give a clear answer, leaving you feeling like nothing is actually wrong with you... then they just tell you to come back if things don't improve.
In my 37 years, I've seen dozens of specialists for various ailments. Some were excellent and very easy to talk to, but many of the younger ones seemed incredibly arrogant. Maybe they're just afraid of making a mistake, or maybe they simply don't know. They don't realize that someone who has spent 30 years trying everything knows far more about their own body than they do. They know doctors might not be able to help, but they keep going anyway, always hoping for some kind of miracle...
Don't stress too much over what your chiropractor said or what you think you see on an X-ray. Believe me, it took me five years to actually understand how to read my own X-ray, and I have medical training.
I never diagnose myself. Instead, I just see how things progress, and I've always sought a second or third opinion. I had two surgeries scheduled within three years, and I didn't go through with the last one until the very last minute in 2004... I was told there was only a 40-50% chance of success, and I risked ending up in a wheelchair.
The truth is, because of those two levels—L5-L4 and L4-L3—being operated on in 2004, my stenosis was cleared, but then things worsened. Six months later, my L5 became embedded in the facet joint, followed shortly by the S1... and it’s staying that way for the rest of my life. Surgery is now only an option in an emergency, as it's currently interfering with my bladder and bowel control... constant pressure.
My first surgery was way back in 1972, during the early days of laminectomies when they used 300mm openings for the L5-S1 area.
Get to a doctor as soon as possible—specifically a neurologist or an Orthoped. Make sure it's someone who specializes strictly in the spine, not just a general Orthoped.
Look, with my arm being non-functional, I'm seeing two specialists: one focuses solely on shoulders, and he's sending me to a neurologist for an EMG nerve block test, and then eventually to a neurosurgeon for my cervical spine... because there's degeneration there too, spanning 10-15 years, with pinched nerves.
I wish you the best of luck... try to give yourself a chance to recover through non-surgical means if at all possible first... and then we'll see how it goes.
Regarding your osteophytes... those growths don't necessarily have to cause problems, but you need a specialist to decide if they are indeed causing issues with your lumbar spine and how severe it is.
😎
