I don't have those conditions, but know what the fear is like. Please don't drive yourself silly between now and November. I know you will meet many very cool members here that have the same issues and they can talk you through the tough times.

Welcome to Spine Health.

"C"

hiya
Welcome to spine health. You are certainly in the right place . The first thing is dont panic. I am presuming the x-ray was in the lumber area( lower back ). Scoliosis is a curviture of the spine. The athritis is probably whats causing you some of the pain , that you have been expierencing in the mornings. So the thing to do is to talk to your doctor again , take someone with you if you have to. Write a list of questions you want to ask him, because when you do see him you will forget.Good Luck!
Hey keep us posted, would like to know how you get on .

Angie x

I have exactly the same thing. Arthritis in my facet joints. I am surprised that the doc is sending you directly to a surgeon before trying conservative treatment. Please do not rush in to surgery. Surgery will not always fix our problems and can in fact make the pain worse. Especially when it comes to arthritis. There are lots of conservative treatments to try first and I strongly urge you to try all of them before opting for surgery. Good luck to you and please keep us posted.

Hey Tori,

I have had OA in my spine for several years and indeed please do not panic or upset yourself, you are not alone. There are several conservative treatments that you may find work for you. I have severe OA and I have had a laminectomy to my lower spine and a multi-level fusion of my cervical spine.
However I am doing very well and still lead a very active lifestyle.
Ask a lot of questions and do your homework so you totally understand what
is going on with your body. You need to take control of your health and well being so nothing slips between the cracks. There is a lot of good info on this site and if I can help in any way feel free to PM me.
Take care and the best of luck to you!
Ranger

Hello .
I know it sounds scary...I guess it did'nt help much either the way the Dr put it to you,but like the others mentioned..try not to panic.Do some research and please don't rush into surgery.Remember that the only thing that changed is that the Dr said a few words-your body has felt that way and been that way before he told you and you will be ok after.You know what is causing your pain now,so you can work with your Drs on how you can have a better quality of life without the pain.Or at least as much pain.

Some of us don't have surgery,we try conservative treatments such as PT,ice & heat packs(my Dr told me to use heat only),medications,etc.

You will surely read a lot here and see that you are not alone.

hello again, i've only just logged on again to find these lovely messages. I took some books out of the library yesterday and am feeling more positive now. Robin as you said, nothing has changed apart from the doc saying those things which is so true. I am going to get a copy of the xray results if I can so I can take it in a bit more and understand what was said. I am going to write a list of symptoms and questions to take to the appointment anyway.

Thank you again and will keep you posted!

Toria

The single thing that has given me the most pain relief is a rhizotomy (nerve burn) it always lasts about 1 year before the nerves regenerate and I have to have it done again. This may be well worth trying before opting for surgery.

Hi, I went to the docs this morning and asked them for a printout of the xray report. It actually says 'chronic longstanding degenerative disc disease at lumbosacral level. Mild Scoliosis with concavity towards the right. Plus some other things about osteophytic lipping and disc space narrowing. Have been research, ordered Glucosamine and ready to take it on!!!

Toriax

Toriax,
I have read, and it has also been my experience, that just because one goes to an Orthopedic Surgeon does not necessarily mean surgery is imminent. I have been going to an OS since January and not once has the subject of surgery come up, except to say he would like to avoid it. He's only prescribed conservative treatment so far, NSAIDS and physical therapy.

Gotta say though, I do know the fear of not knowing what's going to happen!

Good luck, and welcome the group.
Teri