Pain Management Community

Hello Dolphins....MiMi in NC....I normally post on the FM board...I also had cervical (neck) surgery....and it took a MRI for them to figure out what was going on with me....I had extreme pain in my shoulder down to my fingers...before I ended up having surgery to fix it...

I hope that you will find out soon....as I know how bad pain can feel...

Take care and good luck....

MiMi

There is a lot of things to do to see what is wrong, but not all work so you have to take it one at a time.

When I started having severe pain in my neck, not only did it take the Dr.s months and months to figure out what was wrong, I finally found the right Dr. for the job. He is a Spinalsurgeon. Only works on Spine. I had x-rays, cat scan, MRI and then last but not least I had 3 spinal tabs where they injected dye up my spine into my neck and that was there final answser. I started of by having shots in my neck, I had facet blocks and I ended up having a total of a little of 50 shots. None of it worked. Neck surgery is dangerous, but that was my last resort. He said do the surgery or suffer with my pain. I've been on medical leave for 5 1/2 months getting myself healthy. I'm not there but I have to return to work on 6/6/11 or lose my job. I had surgery on my knee, my hand and just had surgery on my neck. Just got out of the hospital. They removed 3 of my lower disks then put in a titanium piece of steal and screwed it to the remaining part of the disks they removed. I can't move my head at all. I was told to do absouletly nothing for 2 weeks until I go back to see him. The scar is diagonal on the right side of my neck, and about 1 1/2 - 2 inches long. I leaned overl earlier to pick up something from the floor and now I know why he said do nothing. That gave me iintense pain in my neck. Kind of like straining. Can't swollow but that will get better over the days. He said a full 6 weeks recovery if all goes well.

So after all that get an MRI done. Demand it. Some Dr.'s are pretty lacks about things.

I still have another disk out in my back that needs fixing. I've had 2 surgeries in my lower back also. They removed thos disks in my back in put ray cages.

Sorry I was long winded and hope your feeling better soon.
Beautiful Buffalo

I am a bit confused, you say in this post that your scar is 1 1/2-2 inches long, but in another post today you said it was 5 inches long. That is a huge difference???

Take care, Annette

Hi Dolphins05.
Simply put, ask your dr for an MRI since the xrays looked fine.
I was in your same situation with neck etc pain. Xrays didn't show anything except the bones which were okay. Finally I was referred to a Neurologist who made the request for the MRI.
I remember when the nurse told me I had a herniated disc. She read the report to me and simply said it reads "rather large heriated disc". We both laughed at that because there are proper terms and sizes that are supposed to be used.
At any rate; I had the surgery without much hesitation and even though I still have some problems I am not sorry that I had the procedure done.
I did choose (because I was a candidate) to have a replacement disc done. My dr used the Prestige Artificial disc.
If you find this as an avenue, you can find this info on the web.
Good Luck with your persuits.
AcheyBreakyBody

Hi Annette,
We must remember that we are RNs and understand these things better than most.

For example, I have upon a few occasions,read of persons writing about spinal cord compression at L-5/S1. We KNOW that there is no cord present at those inferior levels.

Many also have unrealistic fears of the dangers of their surgeries.

I recall one woman who actually wrote that she had a "90% chance of being paralyzed from the neck down" and would lose all sensation if her spinal cord was "nicked" during a lumbar fusion. Poor thing opted to live in pain due to this irrational fear.

MDs should explain the real risks and the frequency of the procedure's being performed.

I asked my surgeon how many multi-level fusion he had performed and if he had any patients die either intra-op or post-op. He had performed over four hundred fusions and had one patient die post op of a pulmonary embolism.

Regarding the length of the respondent's incision: yes, that stood out for me, too. I have no idea or concern. My three-level cervical fusion scar is about 2" in length. It is barely noticeable unless one is looking for it.

If anyone considering spine surgery has questions about what the possible sequale can be, it is vital to discuss the facts with your surgeon and pay no heed to horror stories.

Did Buffalo have a cervical or lumbar fusion? I cannot figure that out.

Could the "three spinal tabs (sic)" actually be disco-grams?

A "spinal tap" is a lumbar puncture. This is usually done as some sort of diagnostic measure. Why, Buffalo, did you have this done?

I HAVE VERY SIMILAR SYMPTOMS, HOWEVER I HAVE MORE AREAS AFFECTED. IT IS MY LEFT SIDE I HAVE NECK PAIN (CHRONIC), SHOULDER PAIN NUMBNESS DOWN ARM AND FINGERS, PAIN IN LOWER BACK HIP, RUNS DOWN LEG (BACK AND SIDE), INTO BUTTOCKS. I CAN'T TURN MY HEAD TO THE LEFT SIDE VERY FAR AT ALL, MY LEFT ARM WILL NOT ROTATE, I CAN'T RAISE IT LIKE YOU WOULD RAISE YOUR HAND, ONLY TO SHOULDER LEVEL FAR AS I CAN GET IT UP, SAME ON SIDE, BUT CANT GET UP AS FAR. I HAVEN'T HAD INSURANCE OR BEEN TO THE DR IN 7-10 YRS. I HAVE FIBROMYALGIA. I RECENTLY DECIDED TO GO TO THE CHIROPRACTOR, HE LOOKED AT EX-RAYS TOLD ME I HAD AN NECK INJURY, THAT WAS 10-15YRS OLD, MY NECK WAS COMPLETELY THE REVERSE AS IT SHOULD BE, STAGE 3 DISK DEGENERATIVE DISK IN NECK WITH 3 LG BONE SPURS OUTSIDE VERTEBRA, AND SEVERAL SMALLER BONE SPURS ON THE INSIDE, SEVERAL UP AND DOWN MOST VERTEBRA, DIFFERENT SIZES, WHEN I SAY SEVERAL..I LOST COUNT AS HE POINTED TO THEM, AND ONES FORMING..MAYBE 6-8. MORE SPURS ON LOWER BACK, BUT HE SAID DISK AND VERTEBRA LOOK GOOD. HE ADJUSTED ME , AND ADMINISTERED ELECTRO TREATMENT TO LOWER BACK. I WAS WORSE, COULDN'T WALK FOR 2 DAYS. WENT BACK HE ONLY ADJUSTED NECK, AND DONE MUSCLE COMPRESSIONS, ANOTHER SHOCK TREATMENT..I FEEL NO BETTER! HE SAID EVERYTHING IS MUSCLE PAIN IM FEELING, BUT ITS NOT! I STILL EXPERIENCE CHRONIC PAIN, AND LIMITED, TO VERY LIMITED MOBILITY. I HAVEN'T BEEN BACK, I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE GOING BACK WITHOUT HAVING MRI, OR SOME OTHER TEST, BECAUSE HE DID SAY I HAD ALOT OF NERVE DAMAGE PRESENT ON SEVERAL NERVE STRANDS(#'S) 2, 8,6,7 I DON'T REALLY REMEMBER BUT SEVERAL. HOWEVER, THE NEXT VISIT HE SAID ONLY MUSCLES WERE CAUSING PAIN? PAIN HADN'T CHANGED, IT HAD ONLY BEEN 2 DAYS! ON X-RAY HE SHOWED ME WHERE NERVES STARTED AND RAN ESTIMATED, BUT HOW IS HE TO KNOW ACTUALLY HOW MUCH DAMAGE IS THERE, AND IF ADJUSTING MY NECK WOULD NOT MAKE IT WORSE, HELP IT, OR WHAT IF HE CAN'T SEE THEM? I HAVE TRIED TO GET INTO A DR (PAIN MGMT), WHICH A PHONE DR HAD TOLD ME TO NOT GO BACK SEE THEM OR NERVE SPINAL DR. THEY WON'T SEE ME WITHOUT INSURANCE. I AM TRYING TO GET INSURANCE, HOWEVER I HAVE NO DIAGNOSIS, CAUSE HE DIDN'T GIVE ME ONE, AND HASN'T ENTERED ANYTHING INTO HIS COMPUTER FOR REPORT, INSURANCE COMPANIES WON'T COVER PRE EXISTING CONDITIONS FOR 12 MONTHS, I CAN'T TOLERATE THIS PAIN ANYMORE. IT CONTINUES TO GET WORSE, AND I CAN'T HAVE A NORMAL LIFE, HAVEN'T IN SOMETIME. I'M ABOUT TO B 35, AND HAVE 3 GIRLS. I AM UNABLE TO WORK, MY HUSBAND IS FRUSTRATED, CAUSE FOR A LONG TIME, HE DIDN'T BELIEVE ME, THAT IT WAS AS BAD, BUT NOW HE SEES IT IS AND WANTS ME TO DO SOMETHING! I WANT TO DO SOMETHING BUT JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT THE RIGHT THING IS TO DO, SEEMS EITHER WAY I LOOK, I WILL RUN INTO PROBLEMS! DOES ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE EXPERIENCE, OR KNOW WHAT I SHOULD DO, WHAT SORT OF DR I SHOULD SEE? I AM TRYING TO PURCHASE INSURANCE ASAP, WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO, I WOULD LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND MAKE APPT AS SOON AS I HEAR FROM INSURANCE COMPANY FOR ACCEPTANCE. THANKS FOR ANYONE THAT CAN, AND IS WILLING TO HELP ME WITH WHAT TO DO.

What it's suppose to say is I was told it would be a 1 1/2 - 2 inch scar, but it ended up being a 5 inch scar. Now you shouldn't be confused.

it is probably still quite inflamed as you are still newly post-op.
It takes about a year (a little more or less depending upon age, skin resilience, etc) for the scar to mature,

I totally pre-check doctors especially surgeons. I always see more than one. I ask them how many of the surgeries I or my family member will have, have they done, what is their complication rate, infection rate, etc. I want numbers, not "none", or "hardly any".

I also check out the hospital(s) they are affiliated with, and call the nursing station for the unit I would go to, and ask what their nurse/patient ratio is. I have found that is the greatest predictor of infection rates. I have even called recovery rooms and spoken to the nurses there.

I also had an anterior cervical disc surgery and my scar doesn't show at all, he put it in the natural crease in the skin. I have to stretch my neck to the other side to show it to people. It is only an inch and half to two inches long. BeautifulBuffalo explained it down below.

Hugs, Annette

You are right, now I am not confused. I agree with Swank. It does take awhile for the scar to fade away. Mine is almost completely invisible, it is in a crease on my neck.

My son's plastic surgeon recommended he put sunblock on his facial scars to make them fade out faster and not turn dark. You might consider this once the skin is well healed. My son used it for at least a year.

Take care, Annette

Thank you. I think I have found a connection between the pain going through my arm and neck which actually starts if I pinch the ligament between my elbow bone. Sort of like hitting the funny bone. That could be a start. Thanks for the well wishes.

That's ok, sometimes it takes alot to explain the simplist things. Don't give up BB. I've been through two ops and am still fighting to stay strong. My kids are grown but I have 5 grandkids that are awesome. Hope you feel better soon yourself and find the help you need.

Thanks for the tip, I will do that. I was told had I not had the surgery in 04, had I slipped or moved wrong, I could have been paralized, so I am still here only with other aches and pains that pop up along the path of life. I was actually hoping that some of the apparatus they put in adjusted some but not the case. Thanks again, hope you are doing well.

So sorry for the problems you are having, mine now seem minute. I hope you can get the help you need, there has to be some type of program that will help you. Yes they tell me I'm showing signs of disc degeneration as well, go figure. I keep prodding along because I have 5 grankids and will be 50 this year, it sucks getting old but I guess that's sometimes the price for being stubborn and working too hard. Best of luck to you and I really really hope you can fix what's wrong and feel better.