L5-S1 herniation neurogenic bladder not Cauda Equina

Still waiting for the the neurosurgeon to call me. I'm worried now, they will consider this all normal and I"m back to having no answers for my spinal cord injury symptoms and then have to worry about whether to get the fusion or not for my back pain.

r0hbart,
I noticed that too about the retrolisthesis. My neurosurgeon who did my discectomy 5 years said I had signficant spondylolisthesis but I think that was a lie because every other MRI report has shown normal alignment. The CT myelogram is the first to show some listhesis but it doesn't look too bad. Also, I'm confused in the report how I can have lateral recess stenosis of the exiting nerve roots but no canal stenosis. I also wish someone would clearly explain how sacralization and lumbarization can be read differently by different doctors.

tetra ,

You're right. I think i've just become jaded from my personal experiences with arrogant doctors. Also, I went to an elite private school where a lot of classmates were kids of rich wealthy doctors. My parents were upper middle class (dad was an engineering Professor) and only sent me to that school to get the best education available where I grew up. However, so many of these kids slacked off in high school and got avg. MCAT scores yet because of the pull of their wealthy influential parents got into top med schools like Harvard, Hopkins and Penn. And again, most of these guys became doctors for the status and not to actually help people. And btw, I grew up in Puerto Rico where the supposed average doctor's salary is like $120k. However, since most docs only accept cash and a lot of stuff is under the table the average salary is closer to $400k. Also, there are a lot more specialists here in just like on the mainland than internal medicine docs. i've read that in places like Europe there are a lot more internal medicine docs and that just reinforces the notion of preventive care. Here in the US and PR which is technically part of the US, I feel like a lot of people pursue speciality tracks just for the much increases salaries. Like you said, doctors are forced to see multiple patients now in very short periods which doesn't allow them to dedicate as much time individually as necessary to a patient's case, particularly those with difficult histories. That happened to me, as since my father was a renowned professor and I started to have health problems in my junior/senior of college most docs assumed that I was just "a moron who couldn't live up to daddy's expectations" erroneously rather than objectively look at my symptoms and I spent 15 years suffering with all the pseudo psycho babble. 

tetra,

That's true. Growing up, our internal medicine doctor was a wonderful guy. He was old school and had studied in Spain. He could diagnose what was wrong with you pretty much on the spot and without a lot of unnecessary lab tests and imaging. He figured out my mom had cancer a year before a bunch of other arrogant so called specialists doctors had misdiagnosed her with advanced depression (btw my mom is the most cheery person I know). Unfortunately, I can't find one like him here. In Boston, my internal medicine doctor couldn't do anything without referring me to a specialist or multiple labs and imaging and she also didn't like it when I went outside her hospital group. I think there was some smugness on her her part because she went to Harvard and thus thought she was automatically better than anybody else.

So frustrated and disappointed although this time I can't fault the doctors really, just my crazy messed up body. Just got back from a long appointment. The neurosurgeon looked at the arachnoid cyst and was pretty impressed with the size and said it could absolutely be causing my symptoms but the problem is there is no objective indication because even thought he cord is displaced fairy moderately at T3-T4 there is very mild flattening only. He was thinking about doing a Cyst Fenestration which involves a laminectomy at my Thoracic spine but he's very reluctant without more evidence. He asked another spine colleague to consult right after my appointment and he did another neuro exam thinks the cyst is congenital and and incidental finding based on the fact that I have no muscle weakness or loss of strength. His attitude was the risk of doing a thoracic laminectomy for what is probably not causing my symptoms is too great. I understand his point of view and he felt pretty bad that I'm back to square one with no real diagnosis. But he also does agree that my problems are neurological and possibly inflammatory, just something that is escaping everyone. I'm waiting for the original neurosurgeon to call me back with a plan forward but it looks like I'm on a wild goose chase again. I mean, if I had more physical symptoms like weakness or what not I'm pretty sure they would've immediately done the surgery. I just feel like with any sort of spinal cord injury without physical deficits (walking, arms, legs) they're very reluctant to consider it as a cause. Again, these doctors were total Princes to me. Very respectful, compassionate, and just depressed they aren't sure what to do now and at least not blowing me off. I have mixed feelings. I obviously don't want surgery but if there is even A SMALL chance the Arachnoid cyst is the culprit I'd risk my life and even my mobility because right now my quality of life is almost worthless. I look normal and am judged by able bodied people who can have sex, don't have to strain to use the bathroom, and aren't in agonizing pain at the age of 36 and this has been the last 15 years of my life....And regardless of what happens with the cyst, I have to decide whether to get a fusion done or not which is also weighing on my mind.