Hi Gina,
sorry to take a while to get back to you, my pc went haywire when I tried to upgrade it. Am sorted out now tho' back up and running (well the pc is, I don't do running any more
Yes, I am in Plymouth UK, where it is snowy and dark just now!
Yes, my hunch is that there is a link between arach. and autoimmune disorders. You might like to check out the 1999 survey results as they make interesting reading. Plus there is a section in my long article on AA.
AA is not just a spinal problem, it is a neurological condition that affects lots of different parts of the body. I'm sorry to hear you have so many problems at such a young age. I was in the same situation as you at the same age, and 10 years later haven't got too much worse overall. I do have bladder and bowel problems which are being treated as if I have a spinal cord injury, but I am still pretty mobile and not on too many meds. I have my bad times but try to take little notice of them.I hope this gives you some hope that life will carry on despite AA !
You don't need dye for the MRI these days, but it is important you have high resolution scans with axial views (these are pretty standard for spine MRI scans nowadays anyway) The newest scans are dynamic MRIs which look at the patient upright as well as lying down. This helps to show any changes that might occur when someone is sitting/standing, which is far more reflective of daily life.
In answer to your question about cannabis, we don't have research on AA, but anecdotally quite a few people seem to find it helpful for pain and muscle spasms. MS research at my hospital has found cannabis srpay from GW Pharmaceuticals has been helpful although ealry data was a little disappointing, the longer term results are looking more hopeful and again anecdotally patients report significant benefit.
The other thing that I find has helped patients with neuropathic pain is Lyrica (pregabalin). Opiates like fentanyl don't always seem to work that well and lots of people have trouble with side effects.
All the best,
DocSarah