New to this forum (Herinated L4-L5, L5-S1)

[iluvthebeach]

I have always suffered from back pain, even as a kid. When I was about 8 or 9 I even had a spinal tap. I don't know really the reason for it but it was done. Sometime in the 90s I started seeing a chiropractor because I had trouble walking without pain. I was also a waitress so you can imagine the stress on my back. With the help of this chiropractor I was able to walk upright and pain free after suffering for many years.

Flash forward 2005 - Life is good. I work out, competed in a couple of bodybuilding shows, go to the gym etc. One day while cleaning, I bent over to pick up some laundry off the floor and felt an immediate pop. When I stood up, there was intense pain on the right side of my back. Couple of days later I go to my Chiropractor and he works on me. The pain continues to get worse and now is going down my right buttock to my knee. At my chiros urging he suggests I get an MRI to rule out a herination. This is a year and a half later.

2007 I get the MRI and alas it is confirmed that I have L5-S1 herniation and L4-L5 bulge. Dr. Vaccaro at the Rothman Institute recommends a discogram by someone in his office. July 2007 I experience one of the worst procedures I have ever had to endure, the discogram. Oddly enough, I was in pain for a couple of days but after that my pain went away for 2 YEARS! There is no further talk of any surgery since I am pain free. What a glorious 2 years they were . I worked out, lost weight, started running and even did a 1/2 marathon. Before that, I hated running.

I think sometime in late 2009 (October/November) my lower midback started aching to the point it would keep me up at night but I continued on because it wasn't an earth shattering pain then. By mid 2010 the pain was becoming unbearable and all conservative treatment was not helping. I go back and get another MRI so I can do surgery consults. This new MRI showed pretty much the same thing as the 2007 MRI. I consulted an ortho group near my hometown. The surgeon looked at MRI report that was faxed to him (not the disc itself) and said I wasn't really worth his time because he had me see his PA who looked at the MRI disc and said I wasn't a candidate for surgery so I should get the steroid injections first. Did the complete round of all that stuff and nothing has helped.

I had an initial consult with Dr. Balderston in Philly on Jan 25, 2011 and he said I am a candidate for surgery but he needed to find out how many levels of pain I have before he can proceed so he had me see Dr. Maurer in his group for another discogram. I had that done last Wednesday. I am going back to see Dr. Maurer and Dr. Balderston on 2/22/11 to get the results of the discogram and to see what options I have at that for my back.

Sorry this is so long and possibly much more information than you ever wanted to know about me.

[Jstuckey]

Good luck... in a similar boat. Keep reading.... there is SO much information here. I've been reading, researching, fighting insurance, learning, fighting insurance some more, and lots more learning for about 4 months now. I finally feel confident that everything I've done has made me an informed patient that will get the best results possible. Just waiting for my final appeal to come in to determine which fork in the road I take.
Best of luck with your tests, research, and decisions. Keep us informed. We all learn from each other.

[iluvthebeach]

Joey Sue, I hope the final appeals process works in your favor. From my research on my insurance company, I believe I should be covered. Notice I said I should. I know nothing is guaranteed but Aetna seems to pay for ADR so I will keep my fingers crossed.