[tousled1]

Sherry,

I'm glad that nothing other than arthritis showed up on the MRI. I suffer from severe back pain all the time and see a pain management doctor once a month. I had cervical spine fusion and my entire lumbar spine is fused. In February my pain was so bad that my oncologist ordered an MRI of my entire spine -- nothing but arthritis, degenerative disc disease and a herniated disc right above my fusion. In addition to pain medication I take Lyrica which helps a lot -- also helps with my neuropathy from the chemo. I also take Glucosamine/Chondrotin which you can purchase over the counter. I take it 3 times a day and if I forget to take it my body lets me know. As for the epidural block - I've had them several times and each time I have gotten relief. Not much you can do about arthritis but I do highly recommend the Glucosamine/Chondrontin.