I had the MRI with contrast in 2 areas, the lumbar and thorasic. I believe they said both came back normal, yet they are preparing me for possibly needing surgery. I had to get my blood thinner by a shot to my belly instead of the pill that I normally take.
I am going to try to talk the doc into taking me off the diabetic diet. I hate turkey, yet I’ve had turkey tetrizini for dinner and now they brought me a turkey sandwich. I’d like to throw that at them...they already know I don’t like turkey, so for them to bring that to me...it’s frustrating! And...my sausage in the morning is going to be turkey sausage. :/
I'm not a doctor or medical expert, I can only relate to you my experience having had a number of major lower back surgeries over the last 20+ years now, and tests that I've been through along with the results of those tests as I understand them.
First it's good news that your MRI of your lumbar and thorasic came back normal. The MRI w/Contrast would show the structure of your spine, alignment, and any abnormalities (such as herniated or slipped disc's pressing on a nerve or causing debris in the spinal canal thus affecting sensory perception in your legs.)
I'm somewhat confused/concerned that you're being prepped for surgery without the doctors having a clear indication of where the problem is that's causing loss of sensation in your legs. (Again, I'm no expert and I'm sure they know more than I do.) I suppose it's possible that they'll want to do exploratory surgery to attempt to determine the location of the nerve impingement (assuming it's a nerve root impingement.)
In that case, your doctor should explain to you clearly what they believe they're looking for and how they'll know they've located the problem.
In my case, back in 2008 I had exploratory surgery for a nerve root impingement that did not show on an MRI w/Contrast. Before I went in for surgery, the Neurosurgeon, his team and I talked through the surgery, and the electronic device that would be wired up to my lower back,legs and toes to help them find the source of the impingement. I'm fortunate that my surgery to alleviate that impingement was successful and I recovered full use of my left leg.
If your doctor is talking to you about surgery, make sure you understand what it is he/she is looking for, how they'll know when they find the problem, and what your recovery time is expected to be.
Please do post a follow-up.