Dear L,
I noticed that this was your first post here, so welcome to the forum and thank you for taking the time to register and post here!
Your post resonnated a lot with me, I am sorry that you had to go through this but it was good to hear someone else also knows what it feels like to be in this situation, and that its sometimes not as easy as “just going to the doctor”. I totally see where you are coming from when you wrote ” Which really means modify my life and who I am — quite a terrifying thought! “. I thought something similar “some time ago I could still go jogging and suddenly I can’t even run to catch the train? Where does that leave me? No sports anymore?” And that reaction of your doctor on refusing the steriods – totally strange. Yes even if the pain wasn’t as bad yet that you would take drugs, doesn’t mean that it isn’t bad or a problem. Asking for an MRI from that same doctor who ridiculed you (or any doctor) must have taken some guts!
Your way of dealing with this afterwards, gathering information, looking for other doctors who would do the surgery – that is a inspiration. I hope I can do the same once I have more info through the MRI.
Though I run this site, it is not mine. It's ours. It's not about me. It's about us. Your stories and your wisdom are just as meaningful as mine. 