The Spine Clinic called yesterday. I have an appointment tomorrow morning. I can't wait to talk to the doctor to find out just what my options are.

Be careful. Many of those places will tell you that surgery is the only answer. They will also tell you that their procedure is covered by your insurance when it is not. I have talked a doctor that used to work at one of these places and he left because of this.

I'd get 80 opinions if I were you.

You got one foot in the grave, luv; just be glad you're not half buried like Skippie.....


:)

Well, I had my appointment this morning. They took a few x-rays, and then went over them and my MRI with me. He said that I was so young to have a back as weak as mine. Usually, people with cases like mine are in their 50's. He didn't recommend surgery, although he said it might be inevitable at some point. He was just wanting to try to push that as far into the future as he could. If he did the surgery now, it would still weaken my back, and I would probably have to have more surgeries in the future. He suggested the injections. They're localized to my area of concern, and they help the extrusion heal so that the fluid in the disc can begin to replenish itself. I took his advice, and I'm scheduled to have my first injection Tuesday morning. He said that once the fluid starts to replenish, the vertebra(sp?) would separate and take pressure off of the nerve it's pinching. Thus, the pain and numbness in my leg will go away. However, I will probably always have some kind of problems with my back.

Do you have a herniated disk?

Majorly. It broke through, and the fluid has leaked out.

You're the only one looking at your stuff but when you can deal with the pain you seriously need to get on the ball, a workout ball that is. They are hella cheap and you need to get the video and work on it every day. It's major core workout without major compromise when it comes to the position of your spine. I have a really good friend who trains people on these. A (real) certified trainer who specializes in this area could really help you out a lot getting started for a couple sessions. After that I would highly advise you to learn as much as you can about that particular type of exercise, tha alternative is not good.

I may need to look into this. I'm a walker, but, with my leg the way it is, I haven't been able to walk much. A good alternative form of exercise that will be good on my back will be a big bonus.

Well there is this one type of exercise but it does require a partner and the abilty to bark like a chihuahua and, and, :evil: But really it sounds like you got a pretty sensible Doc and he made good suggestions. Good luck and hope that things turn out better than okay.