“There are six nonrib-bearing lumbar-type vertebral bodies. The lumbarized S1 segment has an enlarged left-sided transverse process which pseudoarticulates with the left lateral aspect of S2.”
 
These were the CT results back in 2019 which left me confused yet hopeful at the same time. Hopeful, because it took me over 15 years to finally get some sort of a diagnosis, but confused as I didn’t know what it meant… 
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That was the start of my discovery about the rare lower back congenital disorder named “Bertolotti Syndrome” that affects less than 7% of the population and often misdiagnosed. This disorder causes bone to bone contact of an "extra bone" at the last vertebrae of the lumbar spine with the sacrum, resulting in chronic lower back pain. 
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For years, it has been a tough daily battle emotionally, physically, mentally… often hidden from the outside world which made it a very lonely path to walk on. The silent battles of not being able to walk at times and “hide” our pain to not feel less or to make it seem we are exaggerating, to feel pain from the moment we get up till the moment we lie down in bed yet to experience pain in the night and unable to turn around but to be too tired to fight against it, the exhausting feeling at times to get through the days while putting up a smile and dealing with people, work and daily activities, there were times that I just wanted to give up… 
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Yet, despite all this, I did get up every time, I did do the things I love to do, I did push through and show up 110% at work because I love what I’m doing, and I slowly learned to not let the pain define me. It was a trial and error process and I had to learn the hard way to know what my lower back could or could not handle, but this pain also taught me a lot of other things that I am grateful for and made me who I am today. 
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Fast forward, due to an unfortunate elevator accident in 2022 where the elevator dropped a couple of floors before reaching the 18th floor of my apartment... I tried to cope with my pain but it became unbearable over time and as a last resort I had a fusion surgery in 2024. I am a Type 2C on the left and Type 1 on the right with an extra lumbar vertebrae (L6 instead of L5), which causes even more instability. This surgery truly changed my life, but it still hurts a lot to hear the devastating stories of my fellow Bertolotti warriors who didn’t get their answers and solutions yet. Therefore, my ultimate goal is to empower and help others going through the same, to give them hope to push through, to raise awareness to general public as well as medical providers, all through sharing my and your stories and other key resources on this platform. 
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Together, we might be able to create a strong community and be an advocate for this rare disorder and finally make a difference for those who are living with this “hidden” Bertolotti Syndrome. 
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                            about my Bertolotti Syndrome timeline since 2004 and my fusion surgery