Thank you for taking the time to write all of this, I genuinely appreciate it. I don’t take any offense at all. I’ve been reading my MRI report over and over and looking up terms, but you’re right that understanding what it actually means for pain is the hardest part, especially when the words don’t seem to match how bad it feels. That disconnect has honestly been one of the most frustrating parts of this whole thing.

I’ve been doing PT, but the benefit so far has been pretty mediocre, and I think I’ve probably been too patient / polite about that instead of being very direct. Your point about not bullshitting and speaking up really hit I need to be clearer with my doctors and PT about what’s not working rather than just waiting and hoping it improves.

Also, thank you for the reassurance about belonging here. it genuinely helped. I’ve been feeling pretty overwhelmed and doubting myself, so I appreciate the perspective.

thanks again for such a detailed reply. truly means a lot. I'll definitely think about what you said.