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lumbar pain
I have unbearable lumbar pain. I had a double fusion in 2022. I now have pain in my lower back. I have tried everything possible: injections, ablation, PT, lumbar massager, pain pump, etc. Both my pain dr and PT tech said I would have this pain forever. I can't live with this pain. I know this is a reach, but does anyone have a suggestion to help this pain go away? It has affected my quality of life immensely. Lots of tears! I just want to be pain-free! Maybe I'm asking for something that isn't possible. Any ideas would sure be appreciated. I love this site with all the knowledgeable, nice people! Thank you!
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@gently
Thank you for your response. I have had numerous MRIs. I just went through the results. My fusion is from T11 to L5. The reports were confusing. One vertebrae compressed. The doctor put a box in that area. I have nerve compression on L4 and disc bulging on L5. I lost 4 inches of height. I had bad osteoporosis, which is now osteopenia. So I still don't know what to do.
Thanks again.
@besmith57
@blowerk1216
Good luck!
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1 Reaction@besmith57, I wondered where the disc was, and if anyone was talking about addressing the bulge, or if they thought that was the cause of your pain.
@besmith57 thanks
@gently
I don't go to a spine surgeon anymore. The last one I went to said it was just muscles. I don't know if I should see another spine dr or not. My pain dr doesn't say anything about surgery. That would be lost revenue for him. My rheumatologist this morning talked about surgery. I'm not sure what to do. Thanks for your response!
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1 Reaction@besmith57, I'd ask the Rheumatologist for a referral to the best surgeon she knows. Did she mention what that the surgery would address the disc?
@gently
No, she didn't mention anything. She was not her normal caring self. She kept telling me that she was not going to handle certain things. I had blood work done. I wanted to have my cholesterol checked since I was already getting blood work. She made it very clear she wasn't going to handle my cholesterol. I never asked her to. I think she was having a bad day. She was my favorite doctor, but not so much anymore.
besmith, sorry about the doctor's bad day. I hope she at least ordered the cholesterol labs. We need normal caring from our doctors. I hope she can earn favored status again.
It's amazing how small physical distresses can make people less kind.
I hope you can find a good surgeon for a consultation.