Severe Neck / Back Arm Pain

[Raygun99]

gamboolman

Thanks for your input: Along with the multitude of others..

Your sob part II part sounds excruciating. I don't think anyone can describe the individual pain. Scales of 1-10 seem to be a joke when you are taking multiple doses of Tramador etc.

I don't relish spending the rest of my days seeking the magic / mystery solution. I am 68 and relatively healthy. Always played sports, golf, Pickleball etc.. This just hit me like a ton of bricks. Had my 2nd round of injections yesterday, a CT Mylegram scheduled next week and Surgeon Consult the following. Hopefully I will get a logical explanation and best course of action.

 

[PatrickA5]

There are several Facebook groups for people considering spine surgery. I found a couple of ACDF groups that I read daily. The vast majority of people are glad they got the surgery. A few very vocal ones tend to show up on each post telling how their surgery backfired. It happens.

Get several opinions. I had 2 neurosurgeons and 1 ortho spine surgeon. They all said things will not get better without the surgery. My surgeon (the ortho spine guy) had me do physical therapy and shots, but nothing is actually going to "fix" the problem if you've got injury to your spinal cord.

Don't wait too long if you have neurological problems as things might not get better after the surgery and will most likely get worse. Surgery "should" keep things from getting worse - although there are plenty of people that end up having more pain after the cord and nerves are decompressed. You never really know. It takes 12-24 months to know for sure what your final outcome will be after surgery as it takes that longs for nerves and the spinal cord to figure out how it wants to respond.

 

[CRLLS]

Raygun, I can sympathize with your situation. I am 67 and never had any problem myself. Up to Last August.

I had instantaneous, excruciating leg pain late last August while I was working on my A/C unit 2 days after felling three trees. I tried to let it be for a couple of days. Norco did nothing. On the 3rd day I went to the Immediate Care Center where they just suggested I see an Ortho guy. I asked about any X-rays. They seemed to think it wasn't necessary. I pressed the issue. I wanted to know there was no trauma. They begrudgingly took X-rays. It showed nothing was broken. At least that was eliminated. Went to Ortho that took me 5 days to get appointment. Another few days to get an MRI and was diagnosed with 4 bulging disks L2-3, L3-4, L4-5 and L5-S1, three of those with stenosis and 2 with facet arthropathy. He suggested I go to PT and also see a pain specialist. This took a full month! Up to this time, I could not get a good night's sleep. I slept in a recliner . It took me up to 5 hrs to get to sleep, then 1-2 hrs sleep and then 1-2hours of pain all night long. Pain guy prescribed 300mg, then 600mg Gabapentin before bedtime. The 600mG level did the trick. I got spinal injections to help with the day pain, twice with no improvement! PT seems to be helping 2-1/3 months later. I still have some level of pain but I can do most around the house chores now.

I fear surgery like the plague (or Covid-19). I had "routine" gallbladder surgery last May and the anesthesiologist f*cked up my throat that only now, 6 months later, is fully(ish) recovered. So much for "routine" I can relate a few other "stories" of botched "routine" surgery on relatives and friends.

So IMO, do whatever you feel is right. Not just what the Dr. says will definitely fix it. Try anything non-invasive first. Chiro, Acupuncture, CBD oil, anything. Nobody can guarantee results. What works for others will not necessarily work for you. Nerve pain is not simple to fix. There is a reason the Dr's have a "practice".