[jakatak]

Well, the numbness in my big thumb, the burning at the base of my neck, the pain that radiates down the arm when I reach or turn my head the wrong way. The two epidurals....didn't last. I'm seeing 2 neurosurgeons in the next month. The first one is on Tuesday. I see the second one (he did the surgery on Brad Johnson's neck..the former Viking quarterback. The fact that I have the bulging disc at C5/6, leads me to believe that it seems inevitable. I don't want permanent nerve damage. It's bad enough that I have PN in my feet! Any ideas...short of the knife?

[surgery sceptic]

Originally Posted by jakatak

Well, the numbness in my big thumb, the burning at the base of my neck, the pain that radiates down the arm when I reach or turn my head the wrong way. The two epidurals....didn't last. I'm seeing 2 neurosurgeons in the next month. The first one is on Tuesday. I see the second one (he did the surgery on Brad Johnson's neck..the former Viking quarterback. The fact that I have the bulging disc at C5/6, leads me to believe that it seems inevitable. I don't want permanent nerve damage. It's bad enough that I have PN in my feet! Any ideas...short of the knife?

Hi Jakatak,

not much knowledge on cervical injuries but I guess discs are discs! firstly, is the epidural the same as a nerve block? if so then you have tried this! also, a bulging disc can eventually heal itself but it does take a long time, sometimes up to 2 years but you have to be prepared to put the hard yards in. not lifting heavy objects, use excellent posture, dont rest your head forwards or backwards but 'balance' it on your spine, try to maintain your spine in an s shape not C. ie dont slump, it forces the verterbrae onto the discs more and causes wear and tear more quickly. inversion therapy and traction are ways to 'open' the vertabrae and relieve the disc from pressure. if all else fails and you continue to have nerve pain that you absolutely cannot put up with, surgery is an option but one that needs huge consideration. we are told back surgery has 75/80% success rate, but if someone has a 10/10 pain level, and it is reduced to 8/10 this is considered successful....though I imagine not to the patient . fat soluble b1 and methyl b12 are recommended, I hvae found the methyl b12 but not the other yet so cannot comment if it is successful or not. it is meant to help with nerve pain. hope this helps you some, whatever you do, think long and hard before thinking surgery is the only answer. I wish you the best in your search for help and hope you find it soon!

[Leesa]

Hi Jakatak ~ I don't know if you'd be willing to try this, but it works for me. I have a cervical herniation at C4-5, and when mine starts acting up i put on my soft cervical collar and it STOPS it right then! I guess it aligns things the way they're supposed to be, and all symptoms stop, including the severe headache!

You can get the soft collars at a pharmacy. They aren't very expensive ~ around $10-12 or so. They're well worth it. Just a thought to save you some misery.

Best of luck at your doctors' visits. Let us know how you come out. Peace, Lee