[Maria]

I think if you could get in to see one of the very reputable spine surgeons that might do both ADR and fusion that would be a worthwhile endeavor. I highly recommend seeing Dr. Frank Coufal in San Diego. He's a neurosurgeon and does both ADR and fusion.

Another thing I'd do is to talk to Mark Mintzer (mmglobal) here. In fact I highly recommend this as well if you've not already contacted him.

I was first offered Norco when I started with PM back in 2001 and it helped with the pain but the coverage wasn't long enough and it made me feel very sick when it was starting to wear off and very sleepy when it was working. Next move was MS Contin and epidural steroid injections which both helped me greatly with my pain. I continued to get ESIs for 10 years as they helped so much.

Now for really bad spasms that pretty much either stop me in my tracks or limit me greatly I've been getting a 60mg IM injection of Toradol. It can be given as 90mg as well and can be a cocktail with some steroidal material mixed in if that works better for some inflammation.

Good luck with your future endeavors. Long ago my back used to lock up horrendously and I'd be bedridden for weeks .. that's a really bummer place to be tho then again so is much of what happens with serious spine issues.

If I were in your position and not in an emergent need of spine surgery I'd get some effective pain management going on meanwhile seeking some super reputable opinions even if you have to pay cash for consultations. Esp. if your MRI is recent that means that at least you're walking in to consultations with some updated diagnostics.