Hi again,
I read your post and got chills...because...all my MRI's show a very large disc protrusion from the L5-S1 (which is the disc I had removed during my fusion). The spine specialist I saw freaked (he wasn't the one who did the surgery and is likely the one who's report securred my SSDI). He said there was NO fusion at the top or bottom of the "fusion" area and that the bone was apparently growing out of the right side instead of up and down like it should be. Then another MRI came out and said that there is definitely disc material remaining and that it is protruding significantly.
Of course, I went back to the neurosurgeon (who is by the way a top rated nationwide neurosurgeon) and he looked through some of his own x-rays. I would not do the myleogram for him and he said that was OK if I wasn't going to let him go back in for surgery again, but I did do the CT with and without contrast. He told me in the office that he could not see complete fusion and showed me the "bone" that was protruding. On his reports, he claims the fusion is complete and there are no surgery related problems....but that the L4-L5 is now herniated (along with some others all the way up..but they are less important at this point).
The bottom line is that the spine specialist I went to for a "second opinion" and the radiologist(s) gave me a much different report than the neurosurgeon who told me what he thought....oh he wanted to do surgery and/or wanted to implant an SCS...but my confidence is shot on him. He's a leader in the field and does all the commercials for brain/spine surgery for a large hospital, but he lied to me in the office and then "doctored" the reports. I KNOW I have some disc remaining because it is there on the pictures....they show everything very clearly. I also KNOW the implanted morselized bone was not properly sealed since it leaked out and grew all over the place.
I have the foot drop you have (but not the CPRS...Thank GOD) and I have the constant pain that doens't go away and only gets worse. It appears the nerves are involved because the ablations do help but I'm not willing to let anybody go back in there and play around with my back again unless there is nothing else!!! I understand covering your butt and why Dr's have to do that, but I don't understand leaving a patient in such a condition and not explaining that the surgery is so delicate that something was "missed" or "damaged" and if it can be fixed or not. If they would simply tell the truth, then we could make informed decisions.
I am soooo sorry that you are having to go through this! I am also highly impressed with the Dr who gave you the information on what really happened. Please read the report, however, before you quote him to somebody in the medical community...mine don't often read exactly like what I am told in the office.
Bless you my friend!