First post, advice needed!

[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.

[Maria]

No doubt you may feel some aggravation w/o the prednisone as it's such a powerful anti-inflammatory drug though I hope your pain if present is minimal. I don't know if you're having just the flare up type of pain from disc material leaking on nerves and muscle spasms etc or if you also have facet pain or other pain generators involved.

Hopefully if you speak with Mark you can get a better grip of what might be going on and maybe who it would be worth your while to consult with. Trying to get your HMO to authorize any outside spine consults will probably be futile and even getting in to see someone in the network that you may want to see will likely take time. I dislike HMOs very much for their management of things like back pain although some do have good Pain Management services and some very good doctors. Unfortunately it's the insurance co. themselves that restrict so much of what a really good doctor would or could do. At least this is my opinion.

So wishing you the best. We do understand here believe me. Maria

[rbrown]

Saw the Chiro again today. Electro stim therapy, cold laser treatment. Adjustment wasnt much today cause I was pretty stiff and guarded. Havent had any bad spasms or pain this week except for a few little grabs today. I still have not heard from Mark. I have no idea what happened or is happening with my back. My Primary Dr is on vacation this week. I did request a referral to Dr. Costigan and a request for a weight bearing MRI. They said either my Primary has to request the MRI or the specialist. I dont know what will be approved if anything till my Dr is back. These last few months have really been terrible and confusing. I thought for sure surgury was imminent or at least facet injections. Is it possible that what ever was happening has resolved itself for now?? Will I ever know what the cause was/is?