tethered cord

[kakkieko]

hello, could you please give me some info on thethered spinalcord? my sci was 21/2 yrs. ago. it was a spontaneous bleed. i now have a tethered cord. i have increased hyper-sensitive nerve pain, i have the prickly pins/needles pain above my level of injury at about t-7.(my sci is t-11 thrul-5) my bowel routine is shot, i have very frequent uti's, back pain. my local neurosurgeon said my symptoms did not fit the bill but he would operate if i want him too!!!!! no way. i do have a second opinion scheduled with a dr. wilberger in pittsburgh on oct. 5th. any help would be greatly appreciated.

[quadfather]

This thread has some excellent info:

http://carecure.org/forum/showthread.php?t=3264

It has responses from Dr. Young as well as Dr Guest.

[Wise Young]

Dr. Wilberger is a very good neurosurgeon. I would trust his judgment. Your symptoms of pins and needles, the history of a hemorrhage, deteriorating bowel and bladder function are all suggestive of some process going on that is not good. It may be tethering. You need to get it evaluated by somebody who is experienced. Wise.ˇ

[kakkieko]

thank you for your prompt response. and for the boost for dr. wilberger. my local neurosurgeon just didn't seem very sure of himself. so the 3 hour drive to pittsburgh will be well worth it. thanks again, kathy

[SCI-Nurse]

Kathy Ann - Your sense of comfort and confidence with a physician is a valuable guide. We continue to stress how important it is to have an assessment by a physician who has expertise in SCI. While insurance directs many of the choices, insisting on a physician with expertise is most important when there are complicating SCI problems. We will watch for a progress report. CRF