Congrats on finding the exact problem and getting a solution that helped! As far as insurance covering it, I have Tricare and called them about it this morning. They are all for second opinions which is why I am able to send the current MRI to Mayo to have their experts review. Since I have Tricare Select (not Prime) I do not need preauthorization for getting a MRI. But, I do need a doctor to say it is needed and why. I suppose they would have to word it as such to show why the first one isn't sufficient. I don't know how picky Tricare would be about that and it is possible they would say no. I just need to know what is going on so I can move forward. I really want to get the right shoulder operated on in January...well I don't want the surgery but since it's a full thickness tear that has started to retract I have to. Like I told the doctor I saw at Mayo, there is no way I would have that surgery until the left situation is resolved. I will need that shoulder/hand/etc to be good since it will be all I will have to use for quite some time. Luckily, the full tear isn't terribly painful. The front of the shoulder aches some but is tolerable. I have full range of motion and strength is good. The left side has all kinds of discomfort at a level well above the right. I have had two epidural injections into the C5-C6 area and neither helped. I had my regular doc authorize it and the pain management doc who did the injections (two weeks apart) was basing it off of the MRI of the cervical spine. The Mayo doctor said the local spine doc could ask for one more injection and in a different location if he feels it would help better. All I know is the shoulder injection and cervical spine injections did not help. I was hoping one would as a means to start determining the source.

@bernese53 what were your shoulder symptoms like before you had your fusion? Did you get discomfort on your upper back/shoulder blade area when lying on your back or in a recliner? Did you have hand tingles at all?