First post, advice needed!

[rbrown]

Originally Posted by Maria

Hi and Welcome
I agree w/Judy re MRIs sometimes stating things in a manner that would appear nothing much should be bothering one or not so much and the reality is quite different in terms of pain. I also suggest seeing a good spine surgeon.

If your spine situation isn't Workers Comp and you have an HMO you are pretty limited in who you can see w/o paying cash. I'd definitely switch to a PPO if able to. The only thing is you will still be limited to surgeons within a network and if you go out of network you'll pay probably at least a 40% of the costs.

Can you find out what spine surgeons would be in a PPO plan that you might be able to obtain and then see if you can switch to that plan? Or would you want to pay cash for consultations while you're in an HMO?

Do you want to see a Neurosurgeon or an Orthopedic Surgeon or both for opinions?

My last spine surgery consults were in 2006 and I saw Rick De La Marter (sp) in Santa Monica, John Regan (think he was at Cedars) and Frank Coufal in San Diego.

The first two surgeons mentioned are orthopedic spine surgeons and the last one is a Neurosurgeon. I decided not to have more spine surgery (had 2 discectomies back in '89 and 92).

Good luck and keep us posted! Maria

These are some of the questions I dont know the answers for. Should I see a Neurosurgeon or an Ortho Surgeon. Ive already seen Neurosurgeon Dr. Ross in Pasadena he performed the procedures I had done in 2006. He basically said only I know how much pain im in and he could do a fusion if I choose to have surgery. I wasnt in much pain when I saw him 2 months ago. He didnt offer or suggest any other test, or even give a diagnosis besides "your a young guy with a bad back". I have almost no leg pain besides a slight feeling in my left calf. When I'm off the Prednisone my low right back goes into full lock up spasms which is very painful if I move. If I'm lying down not moving, no pain. I had an appointment with Dr Seltzer at Pasadena Rehabilitation. He is the medical director there. He is an anesthesiologist. I am approved for lumbar facet medial block injections. Does it make sense to have these if I'm not having leg pain? Just really felt like it was take a number and heard me out as fast as possible with no feeling or wanting to get to the bottom of the pain and why.

[jsewell]

Randy we had car issues here today and i was out and on the phone and missed calling you. it is 10 now and i feel it is too late. i will try harder tomorrow.
I see DrSeltzer as my pain management doctor. My spine surgeon, in Pasadena, DrWilliam Costigan has done all my injections. Is DrSeltzer not giving you anything for pain or were you ok when you saw him. I am currently on morphine. I would get myself to a spine surgeon and ask for a diagnosis . hopefully we will talk tomorrow
judy

[rbrown]

Originally Posted by jsewell

Randy we had car issues here today and i was out and on the phone and missed calling you. it is 10 now and i feel it is too late. i will try harder tomorrow.
I see DrSeltzer as my pain management doctor. My spine surgeon, in Pasadena, DrWilliam Costigan has done all my injections. Is DrSeltzer not giving you anything for pain or were you ok when you saw him. I am currently on morphine. I would get myself to a spine surgeon and ask for a diagnosis . hopefully we will talk tomorrow
judy

I wasnt in pain when I saw Dr Seltzer. He did prescribe Norco 10/325 in case. After the first cycle of Prednisone was gone and the spasms started I used the Norco I think three times and didnt feel it did anything. Hopefully we will talk tomorrow. I'll be free after the Chiropractor after 1:00pm.

[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.

[rbrown]

Thanks Maria and Judy for the replies and info. Maria do you have any referral for a spine specialist closer in this area San Gabriel Valley?

[Maria]

I've seen Dr. Rick Delamarter in Santa Monica and Dr. John Regan at Cedars? Both are orthopedic spine surgeons. I liked Dr.Regan tho Judy actually had surgery with him and some serious probs so perhaps you'd want to talk to her. Again I do recommend talking to Mark because he does Spine patient advocacy and actually works with spine surgeons so he would have a much better idea of who you might want to see. Good luck!

[rbrown]

Originally Posted by Maria

I've seen Dr. Rick Delamarter in Santa Monica and Dr. John Regan at Cedars? Both are orthopedic spine surgeons. I liked Dr.Regan tho Judy actually had surgery with him and some serious probs so perhaps you'd want to talk to her. Again I do recommend talking to Mark because he does Spine patient advocacy and actually works with spine surgeons so he would have a much better idea of who you might want to see. Good luck!

I sent him a PM hopefully will hear back from him. Having even this amount of contact with others having back issues is somehow helpful. I have my wife and my family prays a lot for me but its something special to have contact with people that have experienced this terrible thing. I look forward to more info and hope that I can contribute somehow through my problems. I did see the Chiropractor today. My pain was very low and he said he got some good movement on me today. He is very confident that he will have me in "good" shape in 6 weeks. Ive never been under the care of Chiro before and am trying to work through my previously closed mind about them. I'm trying to keep the best mental attitude possible and asking God for strength. I took the last of the Prednisone yesterday so tomorrow will be a really big deal for me at least mentally. I feel like I'm ready to turn the corner on this bought, been pretty rough for a few months this time around.