Today has been an interesting day Good and Bad, I had seen my neurologist first thing at 9AM for the follow up on the MRI. He said, he looked over the report and told a that although I had some significant narrowing of the spinal canal he seen nothing out standing that presented a life threatening situation, and that was about
it! I then asked him about
the EMG and he said it the nerve conduction was normal but the EMG was abnormal with Denervation, and said it was consistent with the damage from the fusion. He said he did not understand why I was getting the Epidurals, or why I would want to see a Surgeon. I then told him I did not want to see a surgeon, and my pain Doc prescribed the Epidurals, and I was getting another one in less than an hour. He again said he didn't see how they would help, and He would talk to my Pain Doc. I asked him if that was it? and he said yes! Then he said that he thought that I concentrated to much on the negative and not enough on the positive aspectives of the report. I said no, that is not true!, I am thrilled that you think I do not need surgery, but you haven't given me any answers and I feel you are just blowing me off like the time before last when I was here! Whoa!! he really did not like hearing that! He proceded to tell me that if he wanted to "blow me off" how he would treat me, and how good of care he had given me, and running test, which when he listed them, I reminded him most of them were ordered by my Pain Doctor not him! And the only thing he had done was redo other test I have had and not looked into other possibilities. Anyway he was not happy with me when I left and he was on the phone with my Pain Doc.
Fast forward 45 minutes, I was all prepped and draped with a sterile field and awaiting the Pain Doc to to the injection, as he came in and started doing the lidocaine shots to prepare for the epidural, I asked him in my neuro had called him and he said yes and said it sounds like there is a problem, and I told him I did not think my neuro was very happy about me telling him that I thought he blew me off. My Pian Doc then told me if that, is how I feel then it was good that I told him that! He then said that if I ever felt like that way about him that I should tell him or kick in the ( behind) ( he used a different word) we talked as he did the epidural, after it was over he put his hand on my shoulder and asked if there was any thing else I had on my mind, I looked at him and said it is just so frustrating! He told me to go get dressed and he would come and talk with me. He came in and spent close to half hour, going over stuff and and listening, he said I was a very complex and complicated case, and then he asked if I had ever been exposed to agent orange or any chemicals while in the military, I explained every thing thing I had been exposed to in Photography as in chemicals in Color printing and processing and such things as Carbon tetrachloride, ( which is now banned) but we use to clean photographic negatives with it and even use it to wash our hands to get grease off! ( he found that interesting) 
anyway I asked him about why so many Doctors even in the military had mentioned MS but no one ever followed up on it, and how so many of my problems and symptoms would come and go, but always seemed to leave a deficit, Was it just all the bad disc? or something else going on?, Why all the muscle spasms? not to mention the pain? or was it all just in my head? I told him that the Neurologist comes off like thatis what he thinks it is, it is all in my head! He told me that it is definitely was not the case! As the the test showed physical proof that there is something neurologically wrong! and it looks to be autoimmune. And he asked why MS was never thoroughly checked out as it is a viable possibility! I said yes why hasn't it? If I have been getting such great treatment and test from Neurology why haven't they checked on these other thing? He smiled and shrugged his shoulders and told me he was going to do some checking!, You know, he actually thanked me for talking with him and being so honest! We shook hands and I told him I had never had a Doctor quite like him, that cared so much for his patients. He Thanked me again, and said he just likes to get to know his patients and believes in treating the whole patient, not just their pain! and he tries to do what ever it takes to do that! He then told me to hang in there and not give up! and he would see me next week for my prescription refill appointment and maybe he would have some news!! It has been an emotionally draining day, I am glad I seen my Pain Doc Last and had the Epidural, as at least I feel better about the situation, as I hate being blown off, like the Neuro did to me! But I have made a resolution I am not going to let Doctors do that any more without being called to task on it! If I feel I am being blown off then they are going to know, how they make me feel! Let them deal with it! Sorry for rambling, Skeye and everyone else that gets blown off or the run around I empathize with YOU!
White Beard
P.S. I told him ( my Pain Doc) about my neuro not seeing any use in giving the Epidural Steroid injection. He said that is not surprising , most neuros don't know anything about treating or dealing with pain!