[kappa5070]

Hi everyone,
I have severe degenerative disc disease at L5-S1(diffuse buldging causing soft central canal stenosis & and bilateral IVF compromise), and moderate DDD at L3-L4. Im a 29 year old male currently attending Chiropractic College in Central NY state. I played college football and spent some time in the US Army light infantry, in case anyone is wondering why I have so much disc degeneration for a 29 year old. For the past 4 months I have been experiencing some urinary disturbances(trouble initiating, voiding completely, just a struggle to go) with pain in the perineum. At first it was worse and now it is much better, but not completly normal. I had some increased back pain when it all started, but nothing extraordinary. The neurologist said I check out great with reflex, sensory, and muscle strength, so he sent me to a urologist. The urologist couldnt find anything wrong with me and said it was related to my spinal condition. He put me on Cipro for 1 month in case it is chronic bacterial prostatiis. Im almost done with the Cipro and I feel it is not helping very much. Ive also consulted a surgeon who wants to do a ALIF fusion at L5-S1 with r-bmp gel and a interbody cage. He thinks it will be better than any ADR prosthesis on the market. Has anyone had any symptoms like mine? What do you all think of getting the fusion(is it really inferior to ADR, especially at L5-S1, maybe even a superior procedure)? It seems much easier than going through the insurance nightmare to try and get ADR. If my urination is affected by the bulging, degenerated disc, is it too late to get full function back after surgery? Im close to full urinary function, but I would really like to get back to 100%. I can live with back pain, but this is driving me nuts. Could I have Cauda Equina Syndrome without any loss of reflexes, strength, or ROM? Or is it just the disc bulging centrally into the Cauda Equina just enough to cause some visceral problems. With my history of spine problems it seems much more likely to me that this is from my spine and not some rouge prostate infection. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated and I am happy to be apart of this forum.