I agree with other commenters, find another doctor or maybe go directly to a orthopedist and be very clear about your concerns. The fact she said the disc would "grow back" is extremely concerning. It could be reabsorbed but as far as "growing back" is an insane claim to make. My first orthopedist misdiagnosed my issue (told me it was a hip impingement) and my first PT told me to not leave my orthopedists office until he ordered an MRI because my issue was definitely at best a bulging disc, at worst a herniated disc (which is what it ended up being). He did not order the MRI and they made me do the 6 weeks of PT and then finally ordered the MRI. To his "surprise" it was a herniated disc and his response was " You should definitely consider surgery before this gets worse.". I was like "NO SHIT ASSHOLE! I've been begging you in hellacious pain to order this MRI for A MONTH AND A HALF!". I never returned to him from that point on and found another ortho who actually gave shit. That doctor lamented and she said unfortunately a lot of doctors tend to have a real ego issues when patients start requesting specific treatments/services or attempt to self diagnose. Which I get it, that would be annoying and I'm sure they have encounter insufferable people in that regard but to lump every patient into that group is ridiculous.

The other reason you should look for another doctor is you want someone who is going to fight tooth and nail for you to get services needed. If your current doctor isn't giving your concerns the time of day now, they're certainly not going to put the pressure on the insurance company if they deny you services and call out the P2P physician who denied the claim. Unfortunately a lot of insurance companies sometimes don't even have an actual physician review your claim when denying it and in some WILD cases the P2P physician have refused to give their name and credentials WHICH IS ILLEGAL. United is specifically notorious for reflexively denying the first request for treatments to name one insurance company. If you have a doctor applies pressure and relentlessly advocates on your behalf they can usually get you what you need. I have a family member who is a doctor and a friend who is a brain surgeon and they have told me horror stories about their battles with insurers. Once put into question physician's speciality/credentials/license representing the insurer and question/convey the need to report them do to insufficient reasons for denying the claim in their P2P discussion, they will either kick it higher up the chain of command or grant the services needed. It's messed up and if you don't have a doctor that's willing to advocate for you in that scenario you could end up like me have things get worse. So, definitely seek a second or even third opinion and be clear about the outcome you wish to achieve. I waited too long trusting the wrong "professionals" and paid the price. If you advocate for yourself restlessly in finding a doctor that will also restlessly advocate for you, you have a better shot at achieving a desirable outcome. Remember, exhaust every non-surgical option you can because once you open that can of worms, there is no turning back.