I am a 46 year old male. On Saturday 1-22-2011 I changed the battery in my car. I don't know what I was thinking. Holding a 30 pound battery while leaning over an engine compartment is a bad idea, especially for someone who has a history of neck problem. I've already one fusion (C5/C6), and I am about to have another one at C6/C7. (Disc problems seem to run in my family.) At about 3 AM the following Tuesday I awoke with extremely intense pain in a couple of places in my thoracic spine. It felt like someone poured acid in there. It was so bad I almost went to an ER. (I would have, but I called the ER and the nurse told me the wait time was about 4 hours.) Since this happened, I've had intense pain in at least two different levels in my thoracic spine. The pain gets worse after I bend over (picking things up, washing dishes, bending down to get something out of the refrigerator or oven, etc.) I also started noticing a weird feeling in my upper chest. It's like a small "spasm" or tickle. At first I thought it was just anxiety, but it's been persistent, and it seems to be getting stronger. It feels like a small involuntary contraction/exhalation. I finally had an MRI today, and saw my surgeon (the one who is going to do the C6/C7 fusion). The surgeon looked at the MRI and said it was normal. He said the pain in my thoracic spine is coming from C6/C7. Doctor, I've been living with chronic pain from a herniated C6/C7 disc for over a year and a half. I've had soreness in my neck, painful "knots" in my trapezius and other muscles in my upper back, pain in my arms, hands and fingers, but I've NEVER had pain in the center of my upper spine before, and I've never had this involuntary "spasm" symptom before. I really think I've injured one or more discs in my thoracic spine, but the MRI doesn't show anything abnormal.I am not a doctor. I know that. I also respect the fact that my surgeon IS a doctor, and a very experienced one. However, I know my body, and I KNOW that some new problem - unrelated to my pre-existing neck problem - has developed. How do I get my doctor to listen to me? What other test is there? I haven't had an x-ray yet. Maybe an x-ray of my thoracic spine while I am bending over would show a slipped disc or something? I am very frustrated. I would appreciate any advice you can give me. Thank you for your time.