In 2016 one spine surgeon said I "probably" had arachnoiditis, but he sort of slid the comment in at the end of the office visit. I didn't know what questions to ask, but based on my previous appointments with him, he wouldn't have said very much, except to clarify that there was nothing he could do for me. Since then I have been told (after I asked if they could see it on the imaging) by three other neurosurgeons that I have arachnoiditis, and that I have cauda equina syndrome by one neurosurgeon, but they didn't mention this in the records, nor did the radiologist put it on the report. One radiologist said the diagnosis codes that the doctor put on the order would determine what information he would include in the impression. I took this to mean that unless the doctor gave the radiologist the O.K. nothing about certain things, such as iatrogenic conditions, would be on the report. The nurse practitioner ordered another sacral MRI, at my last pain management appointment, after we specifically discussed the fact that the previous imaging had severe artifacts from surgical hardware and a pain pump, and that no one had ever ordered imaging of the sacral nerve roots before. I explained that a neurosurgeon had told me, the previous week, that he could see arachnoiditis on the lumbar MRI that I took to the appointment. The nurse practitioner even asked the name of the doctor and typed it on his computer. I proceeded to tell him what the radiologist said and asked him to put arachnoiditis and cauda equina syndrome on the order. He indicated that he would do this, however, I was contacted by the person that was scheduling the MRI, who said he had put cauda equina syndrome, but not arachnoiditis, on the order. If I have the test and the radiologist doesn't see cauda equina syndrome, where will this leave me? I seriously doubt that he will say I have arachnoiditis, since none of the other ones have. Every radiologist in my area knows that surgery caused my problems. I could hear the nurses talking about this when I was lying in the MRI machine during the last test. I was approved for disability for a cervical spine problem, but I would like to find a pain management doctor that knows more about arachnoiditis. Did your doctor order MRI's for you, and if so did he put arachnoiditis on the order?

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