Do I have Spinal Stenosis??

     Today Dan took off half a day because Olivia was off from school and we wanted to do something fun! We were planing to go to a museum to see a superhero exhibit.  Olivia didn't feel well so we just went to a park and chatted and enjoyed the beautiful day and fresh air!

      My PT thinks I might have spinal stenosis. I have been  reading about it all day long.  I have had sciatica for over a year. I have tried everything. I have had 5 injections in my back, a cortisone shot in my hip, and 5 steroid shots near my piriformis muscle. I am still in pain. If I don't take two Tylenol every few hours, I just can't function.  I am sick and tired of being sick and tired!! I went to PT last summer for 30 sessions, I am doing in-home PT now, and I go to a chiropractor  a few times weekly. I just want the pain to stop. I can deal with the Parkinson's if I can get rid of or decrease  the sciatica pain. My pain management doctor had given me a list o surgeons to visit.  Today I tried to make an appointment with the neurosurgeon who did a spinal fusion on Olivia. I had taken her to three spinal surgeons at three major hospitals.  No one wanted to touch her because they thought she would be paralyzed.  I took her to a spine surgeon at a children's hospital and he told me that she needed to see a neurosurgeon. He said that with the right surgeon it would be like plucking a stone fro a shoe!  I called a few major hospitals in the city and got on a six month long waiting list.  When we finally met the neurosurgeon, he told us that he wasn't the right surgeon for her.  He said his colleague and friend was in the office and he would go get him.  He turned out to be the right surgeon! We would have been put on a long waiting list to get an appointment with him! He has a fabulous reputation. I can't even get on a waiting list until I fax all my records and they review them and decide if they think they could help my condition. The information below sounds like what I have, maybe it never was sciatica. 
      My PT told me that there is a new treatment for spinal stenosis that does not involve invasive surgery. 

The TOPS™ System – The Alternative to Fusion

The TOPS™ System is a dynamic implant which stabilizes the spine without rigid spinal fixation. Your disc remains untouched, unlike a fusion. The TOPS is implanted at the diseased level (typically L4-L5, L3-L4, or L2-L3) following the decompression to alleviate pain stemming from a single-level spinal stenosis and degenerative spondylolisthesis. Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal, which causes a pinching of nerve roots that extend from the spine to the legs. Degenerative spondylolisthesis refers to an abnormal slip of one spinal vertebra in relation to another that causes pain in the lower back and legs.

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   Lumbar spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal, compressing the nerves traveling through the 

lower back into the legs. ... Symptoms may be due to inflammation, compression of the nerve(s) or both. Such symptoms may include: Pain, weakness or numbness in the legs, calves or buttocks.  In  older adults, one of the most common causes of lower back (lumbar spine) pain is spinal stenosis — a narrowing of the spinal canal that puts pressure on the spinal cord, the nerve roots branching from it, or both. The effects may extend to the buttocks, thighs, and lower legs as well, causing further pain, numbness or tingling, and weakness. In severe cases, bowel and bladder control may be affected. The symptoms of spinal stenosis can severely curtail normal activities, including walking and standing. When the symptoms become chronic, they may set the stage for health problems related to inactivity, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression.