Neurology dept. not responding to messages re: MRI results.

@laura1970 Wow, that is news! I think back to the spinal cord injury to actor Christopher Reeve, and in the years that he lived after the injury, he was able to get off the ventilator for periods of time and walk a little bit in a pool with the water holding him up, so that may represent very slow healing.

Thanks for sharing that news. I found an article that describes creating tissue with stem cells to replace a damaged area of the spinal cord. They will remove the damaged area which has scar tissue in it and put in its place bio-engineered tissue created from the patient. This sounds a lot like the research done at Mayo where Dr. Bydon was able to restore function to a patient with a severe spinal cord injury from surf board accident. Not every patient in the study had a good response, but this one patient did and walked again. Here is the story about Israel. FYI, Dr. Mohamed Bydon is currently working at the University of Chicago.
https://www.aftau.org/news_item/surgeons-to-implant-spinal-cord-bioengineered-at-tau/

@upnort I did look at the report findings from your imaging that you sent privately. I am responding here so that others may benefit from the post.

I don't know how long it has been since your doctor referred this to a neurosurgeon, but there is enough in the report that you may benefit by seeking an opinion of a neurosurgeon. Physical therapy is not going to able to fix nerve compression in your spinal column. There are structural problems, and your report may be indicating bruising of the spinal cord with the myelopathy in the thoracic levels. The spinal cord needs to move inside the fluid in the spinal canal, and if any part of it is tethered by pressure from stenosis on the spinal canal, that wouldn't be a good situation. One of the complications of having thoracic spine issues is that these levels have ribs attached and your lungs are right there inside the ribs. The surgeons who are able to operate on thoracic levels are usually the surgeons who do big scoliosis and spine deformity cases. Not all spine surgeons would operate on thoracic levels. I don't know if you also have other issues at other spine levels such as cervical. There are always other considerations of operating on an older person which includes osteoporosis and general health and an ability to heal. There are a lot of end plate changes and discs shrinking which causes wear and tear on facet joints on your report as well as indenting of the thecal sac which would be a condition that may put pressure on the spinal cord. There are also some issues with arthritis in the foramen where nerves come out from the spinal cord. I don't know if you have had spinal injuries, but some of this is age related that tends to be common in seniors.

As a bit of hope that I could share with you, is a member we had on Connect, Robert Hodes who's member name is @hodinator. I communicated with him a lot and he had spinal cord compression and was in a wheelchair unable to walk for several years. He had spine surgery and with a lot of rehab, he did walk again. I don't think he has been on Connect since his recovery, but his story is inspiring because without Connect, he would not have understood the issues. Being on Connect also helped him find a good surgeon closer to his home. He made the biggest recovery of any of the patients I know on here. If you click on his name, you can find his posts under his profile.

My suggestion would be to contact Mayo and ask that your imaging and report be reviewed by Jeremy Fogelson who was my spine surgeon. He is a deformity expert and he does a lot of big surgeries for scoliosis. He is well respected there and an excellent surgeon.

I know you have a lot on your plate with taking care of your wife. Being a caregiver is a hard job, and I did that for my dad when I was in need of spine surgery and in a lot of pain. I had trouble getting a surgeon to help me until I got to Mayo to Dr. Fogelson. Bless you for doing that. I do hope you have some help from time to time so you can rest a bit.

@upnort, I'm just catching up with this conversation. @jenniferhunter has been kind in offering an intepretation and information about the spine. However, we are fellow patients. As you have rightly recognized, you want to discuss this with your neurologist who has the benefit of your MRI results as well as your complete medical history and other imaging.

@johnbishop's suggestion of contacting the Office of Patient Experience is a good one. I suggest calling the Neurology office, the staff person who said you would be hearing from them.

I understand your fear and anxiety. Every day your symptoms continue their downward spiral and you want answers or, at the very least, to know what to do next. I can imagine that each passing day feels like an eternity. Call them tomorrow.

@upnort, checking in. Did you get in touch with someone?

The neurosurgery department left a voice mail this afternoon. I am supposed to contact them tomorrow. I still haven't gotten a response from Dr. Flanagan, my neurologist. The lack of communication between patient and doctor is unacceptable under any circumstance. I am extremely disappointed in Dr. Flanagan, the neurology department, and Mayo Clinic. I will be contacting the office of patient experience.