MRI results and Pain symptoms not matching. Dr says nothing he can do.

My symptoms improved after surgery. The sciatica pain prior to the operation was excruciating. I think that was the key change. My hip pain and stabbing back pain did not go away.
The last nerve test showed a lack of reflexes in the back of the ankle and a lack of sensation at the side of the right foot. He never tested the upper limbs.
The drop foot appeared after surgery. He has gotten somewhat better over the past year.
I have wondered many times if something was injured during surgery. I was very surprised two weeks after surgery to see lab test results for soft tissue removed during surgery. After reading the surgeons report of the surgery there was a cyst deeply embedded that added an hour to the surgery to remove since its position could have impacted nerves. My right leg has never been right after surgery.
I took Gabapentin for a few months after surgery. It really was not helping so I stopped taking it.
I have not had injections at the L2/L3 site or the right S1. I am now scheduled to see a physiatrist in early December.
I have not tried the pain patches but I will on your recommendation. Thank you for the suggestions.

That dermatome map seems to truly reflect my areas of pain. I am so perplexed as to why he does not think it represents the MRI finds.

@sbraden1234 He knows, but I don't think he wants to admit to a result that is a problem. He considers it a finished case. It's hard to accept this as a patient. I was getting wrong diagnoses when I was trying to get help, and I found medical literature with a case like mine right after I had been dismissed by a surgeon who told me surgery wouldn't help all the issues I had and it may be an inflammatory problem like MS. No doctor at that facility would help me with the new information because he made a mistake, and you don't point that out to a colleague who is at the top of the ladder. I had other doctors who had seen me as a patient for years there, and their advice was get another opinion and they recommended Mayo. That's what I did, and presented the medical literature with my request to be seen. It was the correct answer, and surgery solved all the problems. I had found my correct diagnosis that had been missed by 5 surgeons.

Where do you think you should look for another opinion?

I have been thinking of who I might get a second opinion from. 1. Prestigious university hospital - has second opinion services, 2. An orthopedic spine surgeon that has very high ratings although he operates at the same hospital as my current neurosurgeon 3. I will be submitting my application to be a patient at the Mayo Clinic

@sbraden1234 as I wrote before, consider consulting an MD who does not do surgery. There are orthopedists who don't do surgery, as well as spine specialists. PT can be helpful with diagnosis as well. I would vote for #3!

@sbraden1234 To request an appointment at any of the Mayo campuses, you can get started with this link. http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63

You'll need a copy of your imaging on a CD, and they will ask you to send it in for review to determine if they can help. Mayo will return your imaging discs, but it may be out of your hands for awhile. You may want to get several copies if you are also contacting other specialists.

What I've seen when you see a second specialist at the same place is that they just agree with what your surgeon says. You may waste time waiting for that consult as well. I wasted 2 years trying to get a surgeon to help me. I wish I had come to Mayo first. My patient experience at Mayo exceeded my expectations, and they are very efficient at getting any testing done that they need. Cleveland Clinic is also good. I was researching surgeons and reading their medical papers to see if their interests were a good match for my case.

You may also get recommendations from your other doctors, neurologists, and physical therapists usually know some good surgeons because they are rehabbing patients after surgery.

Jennifer,
Is your surgeon at Mayo whole spine or is his practice cervical?

@gently My surgeon at Mayo is Jeremy Fogelson. He is a spine deformity expert neurosurgeon who also had fellowship training in orthopedic spine deformity. He does very complex surgeries for issues like scoliosis and correcting spine curvature. My single level cervical fusion was one of his simpler surgeries.

Thanks, Jennifer, I looked for the profile with the painting you created but couldn't find it.

Sbraden, please also get evaluated by a neurologist ( a dr who diagnoses medical neurological problems that aren’t treated surgically), as you could have both the spine issues and a peripheral neuropathy, which needs sorted out. An EMG test can help with that. Mayo will likely get neurologist involved as part of your workup. PN is very common and causes numbness, tingling, foot drop, aching leg pain, weakness in muscles, gait disturbances. There’s a lot of overlap between PN and the symptoms from bulging discs and compression of spinal nerve roots. They are treated differently once the situation is clarified. Good luck! You have been dismissed and a second opinion away from any connection to your current Dr is a must!