[dshobbies]

Hi Mary,

Welcome to the forum. We're here to support, help educate, cry and laugh with you. We've been in your shoes. I know you're in pain and scared but calm down and take one step at a time. The first thing is definitely understanding your MRI.

Your discs, that cushy, crab-meat like material between your vertabrae are named for the vertabrae they lay (lie) between. The lowest, S1 is sacral 1, the only sacral, then lumbar, thorasic and cervical. Cranial is the top but I've never heard of anything going wrong with those??? You have a lumbarized S1 segment. Not sure but this might mean you have 6 lumbar levels instead of the normal 5. Not a big deal, so do I but also not sure????

So disc #S1/L5 is that cushy disc between sacral 1 and lumbar 5. A bulging disc (or herniated) means that the disc wall has weakened and the disc material is literally bulging out of it's usual space. A tear means that wall has a tear in it and the disc material can actually leak out. Picture this like a car's tire. If the side wall weakens, the rubber can bulge out like a small balloon. If it has a small hole, the air slowly leaks out.

Facets are those 2 bony structures sticking out from the round vertabrae. They may also limit the remedies available to you. Multi-level Spondylosis is degenerative disc disease (DDD) which simply means your discs are sick, weak and degenerating. It's also catching. If a disc is degenerated, the one on top and/or bottom of it has to carry an extra load and can also degenerate.

The terms moderate to severe are generally not good and require intervention. Your pain is also a pretty good indication that something needs to be done... but what.

When you go back to the doctor who ordered the MRI, make sure (s)he explains everything to your satisfaction. Remember, you are paying for his services and have a right to this information. Don't allow him to pull the 'there, there, trust me, I'll take care of everything' routine. This is your spine and you have the final say in what happens and when but before you can do that, you have to know what's what. Ask him what he recommends as a remedy. If he's not a surgeon, he'll probably recommend one.

Then you need other opinions. Different doctors, different opinions. If a surgeon doesn't perform a certain surgery, he is not likely to recommend it and his opinion might be biased in favor of those things he can do himself.

So your choice of doctors is of primary importance, both in the remedy selected and his level of expertise. Where do you live Mary? Perhaps someone on this forum knows of a great doctor in your area. Are you able to travel to consult with a doctor? What is your insurance which presents its own problems?

You also might want to consult a pain management specialist to help ease your pain while taking care of that baby. It can't be easy lugging her around.

So first, consult with your doctor about the results of your MRI. Ask as many questions as necessary. Consult with a pain management doctor. Get 2nd and 3rd opinions. Ask questions.

Please keep us posted as you manuever through this maze and we'll help as we can. And my advise to everyone is your situation, calm down and breathe!

Dale