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Why was I never told about spinal health when I was younger?
Spine Health | Last Active: Aug 26 9:30am | Replies (8)Comment receiving replies
Thank you for responding. In all honesty, I don't get the sudden "you have to do THIS" iveness , when there was no emphasis of any kind when I was younger. If now it was an absolute emergency, I could understand, but having a neurologist mention it in passing?
Replies to "Thank you for responding. In all honesty, I don't get the sudden "you have to do..."
@beigletony - I would strongly disagree with any medical opinion that proclaims: "You have to have this spinal surgery NOW!" Unless your back issues are trauma induced (you didn't describe such a trauma) diseases such as stenosis and spondylolisthesis are more progressive than sudden-onset in nature.
In my case, that progression spanned more than two decades. When I started to experience frequent total leg numbness - tests indicated a newly developed "slipped disk" now putting potentially debilitating pressure on my spinal cord. With that, my progressive disease had just turned into an immediate need requiring treatment.
"How" your diagnosis of possibly becoming wheelchair bound came to be is relatively unimportant though certainly frustrating to you. Focus on what IS important: What do you do now? Develop a treatment strategy in partnership with the best neurosurgeon you can find. Meet with a physiatrist who can provide perspective - a doctor who thinks about back pain, not surgery.
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@beigletony maybe get a second opinion. Not sure that remark about a future in a wheelchair was appropriate. I have 7 spinal fractures, lumbar and cervical stenosis, degenerative changes etc. etc. and no doctor has ever spoken like that to me. My neuro and I discuss the possibility of surgery and agree it is not time yet. Maybe it is time for you, maybe not, but you deserve empathy .