disc bulge / oa . / fibro . mri

billabong1

hi . il try keep it short as poss . but basically ive had joint . back . problems for yrs . runs in family . 3 yrs ago i started with really bad leg pain . numbness . tingling . constant aching . all over but mostly thighs . went had all tests . etc . came back fibro . since pushed for mri on lumber spine . to find that it came bakc i have bulging disc . anterolthesis whatever that is . s d other bits i dont understand lol . been to see the surgeon who kind of implied it wasnt a slipped /bulging disc . 🧐but narrowing of spinal cord and facet joints wearing away . and missalignment of spine . amd kind of didnt seem that comcerned ! and blamed my fibro for the pain in my legs . question is . can the radiologist who reads the mri misinterpret it ? who do i trust more with the diagnosis ? surgeon or radiologist ? he has agreed some injections to try . just dont know if should get a second opinion . ? lisa

onedayatatime

Hello @billabong1 I honestly wouldn't know what to suggest. I'm not a medical professional or expert at all, but has the surgeon explained what type of injection and where in the spine they'll be? There's ones that are nerve blocks and I'm pretty sure there's steroid ones, all of which I think can be targeted at different areas such as a particular facet joint or different area of spine or disc. Is the injection to help with a pinched or compressed nerve caused by the disc bulge? I'm sorry but I just seem to be adding questions and I don't want to further add confusion to the situation, but hopefully the surgeon gave you information of what exactly and where exactly these injections will be, their purpose and what the potential outcomes could be.

If you wanted a second opinion with the MRI results, I'm wandering if it's possible to request a copy of the actual imaging so that someone else can look at them? I'm not sure how that works or if it depends on if they were done private or through NHS.

Is there someone you can talk to through your fibromyalgia diagnosis who could perhaps suggest what to do?

billabong1

hi thanks for your reply . yes im just a little confused as to why my surgeon didnt actually admit my bulging disc and didnt seem to think i even had one ! even tho the mri comfirmed it . he has explained to me all the pros cons of the injections . they are the facet joint blocks im having .

i defo will be requesting my images of mri and maybe a second opinion on the findings . he did say i have misaligned spine through disclocated hip from childhood . i know surgeoons dont always want to mess around with spine/spinal cord . but if it could be main source of my problems then i do want it investigating more .

thanku again