Hi folks,

I'm looking for a little help in possibily,  "logically" trying to figure
something.  I haven't
slept hardly at all tonight really.  You'd think after 3 percocets, 150mg of
Tramadol and
30mg of morphine I'd gone nighty night... pfft! I slept maybe 2hrs if that.
Well my mind
is racing to say the least.  I'm slightly nervous about my RD appt in 3hrs.

But here's the thing... yesterday I'd gathered _again_ all my medical
reports, mri reports
and such to take to the rheum today.  Well last night I was reading through
them and noticed
some _weird_ things noted on a few mri reports.  Theres a few so I'll list
them.

2/25/93 - MRI done
-----------------------------
L5-S1 // Mild right facet arthropathy. (rest normal)
L4-L5 // Mild central focal disc protrusion w/mild indentation on the
anterior thecal sac.
Mild bilateral facet arthropathy. (rest normal)
L3-L4 // Mild bilateral facet arthropathy. Left facet slightly indents the
thecal sac. (rest normal)

** I also had a CT done which showed spinal stenosis in which this is what I
underwent surgery
for on my back, I was having much numbness and weakness at that time.
Surgery report showed
upon checking the disk at L4-5 that it completely ruptured and took an
additional 1.5hrs of cleaning
up the splattered material.  I had a diskectomy and lamectomy at L4-5,
nothing else that I know of.

Now on the pathology report from that surgery... this is what I question
now, it says... "Sections of the
second specimen show many fragments of fibrocartilage exhibiting foci of
basophilic _degeneration_."

Degeneration?? WTF!! does this mean my back was already starting to
deterorate when I had my
surgery?

Now, on 10/24/04 I had another MRI done. I'd had a few others done before
this, but lord knows
where the reports are.  Anyhow... I'd been sent to a Orthopedist and this is
what he put in his report.

1. Post-laminectomy syndrome at L4-5 level
2. Degenerative disc disease and spondylosis at L4-5 with modic changes
--- few other oddball things
5. Chronic pain syndrome
6. Transitional segment at the lumbosacral junction

He also said, my pain was from arthritic abnormalities at L4-5 level with
chronic _instability_.  Just what
the hell is the instability part?

Now, another question I have... I tried to call into work this morning to
call of, I DO have a doctors
notice on file that until I see the RD today, I'm NOT to return to work due
to the increase in narcodic
pain meds, I'm just not able to function productively nor can I drive at
this time.  Well, when I punched
in my employee number, it says it's not valid.  Now, if i'm fired, since I'm
off of work due to this problem
and I have a doctors note... do I have any form of recourse? What would be
my chances now of getting
my SSD?  I've tried 6x since 1993 when I had my surgery and told me I really
cannot work anymore,
and I kept getting denied.  Up until a few years ago, there were no
attorneys who took it without
payment up front and I never had money for that.  I'd not worked in 13yrs
and only been back working
for 8 months.  --- GOD i'm so sick of this!!

Can anyone shed some light on this?  They suspect I have AS and if thats the
case, doesn't it show
I've had it at least since 1993 when that first MRI was done..?  This is
what i'm confused about I guess.
I'll ask the RD today also, I just want other opinions prior to going in
there.

Thanks for any help..

Reisa.