SPINAL STENOSIS SEVERE

[caissex2]

I had a bad car accident that left me pretty much useless. My first MRI on Iumbar showed lots of damage, but I am only telling and asking about the SPINAL STENOSIS. June of 2010 showed spinal stenosis throughout lumbar with L4-L5 being the worse. In Feb, of this year I had another showing stenosis being severe and yet I can't get anyone to do anything even though I have had all the signs & sysmtoms of Cauda Equina Sydrome. Now in the last few days I am paralized from the waist down for hours at a time, along with pain so severe nothing will help even a little. I would like to know how long do I have before I have permanent bladder and bowel damage, and permanent loss of my legs? This could of been taken care of a year ago and its to late now, for the last 2 days cannot or feel my bladder or bowel area to even know how backed up its gotten. The pain in my L4-L5 and down are keeping me from walking and when I can walk or get up every step that I can take is so unbearable that I can only go maybe 20ft.
If a Neurologist can tell me how long before everthing is going to be permanent I would at least like to know because after it is then someone will have to do something.

[caissex2]

I finally after one and a half years had to travel 5 hours and before seeing this Neurosurgeon I specificlly stated that I would not sign anything to get medical records and that I wanted a opinion without the input of incompetent doctors. This was not a problem, which is should not be, but try to do say this to any doctor I have seen so far ask specificlly for all your records or they won't see you. This is crap because if your a compentent doctor you should have no problem with this. I did bring MRI'S from well over a year ago without any results on them. It took this Doctor 30 seconds to look at me stunned and could not believe no doctor has done nothing. This was just my lumbar MRI with severe spinal stenosis.
He sent me right over to get X-RAYS to confirm something that didn't show on MRI. I knew what was wrong,my accident had punched my L4-L5 out of place to the point it was barely any space left, he also found that the disks were impacted so hard they also needed to be fused together. How do doctors get away with this is sickening, why they can get away with ruining a persons life in this country makes you want to get out of this country. I always here about doctors worried about being sued, but find one that has. How many doctors does anyone know that even the state board do anything about let alone get sued. If you asked 100 people how many doctors had to account for their actions you probably won't find one.
I am sick of the medical community and the crap people put up with just because there scared to talk about what's really going on. People stand up and defend yourself, their is no excuse that a person has to go a year and a half and a dozen or more doctors to get a Doctor to do his or her job.They can kill us and get away with it but try to get pass the front door without shelling out your co-pay and they always get paid regardless if they do nothing. They get there money but they don't have to do anything to earn it. Wow what a job. If your lucky enough to get a real doctor and he does his job it only took 30 seconds and tests to confirm that I need to major back surgeries just to my lumbar. Doctor Ammar in Savannah Georgia is the only doctor that did his job and I am 56 years old. I have read and heard about horror stories worse than mine, thousands if people stood up and said enough is enough and quit going to doctors except in emergency situations for one week I guarantee they start doing there job. Saving lives and saving people from being crippled for the rest of their lives is not suppose to be a job, its suppose to be a choice to help others, so they won't have to suffer. Think about it.

[caissex2]

I have seen 2 neorologists 1 neurosurgeon several times begging to cut me open to get rid of the pain. Her reply is there nothing I can do surgically? This will give you a idea of what is going on I am on Medicare with a car accident injuries that are to many to count this is why I am not being helped. ER'S will do nothing more than give me something for pain, alot of good that does. I have asked more doctors to put me in the hospital and all I get in return is discharded from there practice. Nobody has any idea what goes on when you have accident related injuries that are going to take up to much of there time and because there's no profit in it. I have actually have had Neuologist offices turn me down the minute I said I was in a motor vehicle accident. Then nobody else will bill the car insurance companies even though they are my primary insurance because Medicare becomes secondary if you are not at fault and someone else is suppose to pay! Then I even had my Humana Medicare tell doctors they refuse to pay because it was not my fault, then I would get a call day before a appt. and be told this and they would cancel appt. I could go on and on but this is what is happening. I have a severe head injury on top of spine problems, but I swear I keep asking people am I still in America or am I in Russia? Oh wait I probably would get better taken care of if I was in Russia. This is a real problem that only someone that has experience a bad accident regardless of who was at fault knows all to well if they didn't have good insurance or none at all.

I just would like to thank you both for your responce and I really appreicated your true concern. It truly does warms my cold heart that got that way because of doctors that I have seen ruthless, heartlessness towards anything other than the bottom line. "MONEY"

[mel445]

Thanks! You take care also.

[Dr Sharma]

Hi there. Your chances of regaining normal function and having a positive outcome are related to the duration of symptoms of cauda equine syndrome. It is recommended that cauda equine patients should undergo surgery to make space for the nerves, lumbar decompression within 48 hours to have best chance of recovery. Caution is to be exercised in any medical management of cauda equine syndrome. it is recommended that cauda equine patients with symptoms of groin numbness and weakness of both the legs or loss of bowel and bladder control should not wait for more than 24 hours before seeking initial medical management. Immediate surgical decompression is recommended to minimize chances of permanent nerve injury. Specific criteria to predict outcome are, bilateral sciatica has less chance of full recovery than single leg pain, if you have complete groin numbness, you will more likely have permanent paralysis of bladder, and extent of groin numbness is the most important predictor of recovery. Hope this helps. Take care.

[mel445]

I also have spinal stenosis. I have it all the way from C2-C6. I always feel like my head is going to fall in my lap. My arms are very heavy and painful and some times I go paralyzed in my hands.However, you need to be sent to a specialist that will do something for you. I would not be taking this setting down.Literally!!! Sounds like you have been forced to do to much setting already. I would hate to see you go paralyzed just because no one wants to do anything about it. My Neurologist wants to do surgery on me. So why won't they do surgery on you. I think you need a second opinion. By the way the function from what I heard goes away as soon as you are totally paralyzed.I have no idea how long it will take before you lose total movement. A doctor couldn't tell you that. However you are already getting there.Good luck!!! My god I'm going to pray for you. Please go see a neurologist.