My story....new here...chemically sensitive disc

[Michelle Maree]

Hello,

Welcome to the forum although I am new too and havent officially introduced myself either.
My back story is very similar to yours and a lot of peoples I guess.
I have a painfull very degenerated disc at L5/S1 with facet pain as well that doesnt show up on MRI.
I havent had a dicography yet but feel like I need my disc removed as I feel like I have a knife in my back that gets worse with movement.
I too am faced with the question of whether to have a fusion here in Australia or travel to Germany for ADR. It is a very difficult choice to make and hard to know which one will leave you with the least amount of pain and the most function.
I know I have to do something as I am going crazy with the pain and the severe limitations on my life. I am in the process of getting opinions from Germany and hope that it will make the decision easier.
What do you mean by "chemically sensitive disc"? Is that when the disc gets inflamed with movement like when you have an annular tear or is it something different alltogether?
I wish I could help you further but I am in the same boat, unsure of which way to go. I am hoping that further diagnostic tests and opinions from Germany will help me make the most informed decision I can make.

Good Luck,
Michelle.