Lets start off by saying Hi. I'm 26 years old but I feel like I'm at least 75. 2-3 years ago I believe I started having back pain when I tweaked my back at my previous job. I didn't think much of it. Was taking pain killers and muscle relaxers. The dr told me to go get an MRI but I never did. I just got used to the pain. My last job I worked at a restaurant so I was on my feet and bending all day. My pain went from manageable to unbearable to the point where I couldn't sleep at night due to the pain. The pain is mostly in my right side right below where my rib cage is. I get severe pain when I rotate to the left. Randomly I would get pain going down to my butt and legs but I would switch sides. I can only describe it as really bad muscle spasms. If I stood too long it was physically had to bend my back and if I had it bent too long by sitting I couldn't straighten it. And last but not least my right big toe, toe next to it and in between them are numb. Its a strange feeling when i touch them. I can't sit on a hard surface especially if its the floor because both legs go numb or hurt really bad. I really loved my job so I tried to always give 100%. The pain kept getting worse so i made an appointment with a neurosurgeon at the University of Pennsylvania. I had to go get I think 3 different MRIs bc the first one found something else and that found another thing and so on.
My first MRI was of my lumbar. The results were @
L2/3-L5/S1 I have anterior osteophytes which are bone spurs/bony growths
L4/5 facet hypertrophy
L4/5 a 0.8x0.5cm synovial cyst along the posterior aspect of the left facet points (when facet joints being to degenerate the fluid builds up to protect the jointsn usually causing a fluid fill sac)
T12/L1 a central disc extrusion that extends superiorly along the posterior aspect of T12. The extrusion measures approx 0.8x0.3cm
My second MRI was of my thoracic. I have what is called dextroscoliosis. (a curve to right) The results were @
T9/10 a left paracentral disc protrusion which results in a mild degree of central canal stenosis.
T11/12 a mild disc bulge
T7/8 a disc protrusion
T6-T9 a syrinx that measures 2.8cm in lenght. An syrinx is a rare, fluid filledd cavity within the spinal cord. Cerebrospinal fluid fills the syrinx. Pressure differences along the spine causes the fluid to move within the cyst. The continual movement of the fluid results in cyst growth and further damage to the spinal cord.
The neurosurgeon asked me where exactly it hurt and I showed him. T7/8 is where I was pointing to apparently. My dr set up a discography for me to see if they can pinpoint the exact spot. 3 of my discs were texted in my lumbar spine. From what I know when a "good" disc is tested there should be no pain. Not the case for me. Before the procedure I was asked to rate my pain from 1-10 with 1- being the worst. If your not familiar with a discogram they put a 22-gauge 5-inch spinal needle into the disc. They fill the disc with dye and pressurize it. They take r-rays of some sort of see if the dye stays where it should or if it leaks out. The goal of this is to pinpoint the problematic disc. My results were:
T12/L1 my pre-prodecure pain was 2/10 and post 9/10. when the disc was pressurized i experienced my usual back pain to a t. i also had posterior leakage of the dye into the epidural space.
L3/4 pre pain was 5/10 and post 9/10. when the disc was pressurized i experienced a lot of pain but not the same as my usual. i had pain in the low back and my right thigh.
L4/5 my pre pain was 8/10 and post 9/10 (i think this is the disc i figured was causing me all my trouble, but no) when this disc was pressurized it was again lots of pain but not the same. i had pain in my low back and my right hip and thigh.
Right after I had gotten the discogram done is when I got fired from my job. I couldn't meet up to the standards anymore. I physically couldn't do my job. That was in the beginning of april. The last conversation the dr had with me was on my voicemail. My main problem is most likely my syrinx. My discs are causing too much pressure on my spinal cord. He told me I have 2 indirect options to try and fix my pain. The first is a transpedicular discectomy of T7/8 or a laminectomy of T6-9. Ive tried to do as much research on both as I could. One is to take out the disc and the other is to remove stuff. This is where I come to a problem...I don't know which surgery I should do. Im at the point where I can't do anything anymore because the pain is so bad. It hurts to sit, it hurts to stand and I can't take it anymore! I found there is more information on the laminectomy then there is of the transpedicular discectomy. Any feedback would be most appreciated.