[bskinner13]

Particularly the bit I bolded? I would just ask the neuro but they are literally impossible to get a hold of, and I am anxious.

"Coronal localizer shows no evidence of significant scoliosis. Sagittal images show show no evidence of subluxation or dislocation. There is hypointense signal noted at the C3-C4,C4-C5,and C5-C6 interspace levels. Craniovertebral junction is unremarable. Axial images were obtained from C2-C3 inferiorly.

Impression: Mild disc bulges at C4-C5 and C5-C6.
C4-C5: Mild disc bulge is noted. This leads to mild impression upon the ventral aspect of the thecal sac.
C5-C6: Mild disc bulge noted.

I don't go back to the neuro until the 2nd, this is from my cervical spine MRI. Thanks.

[Dr. Smith]

Medical Definition: hypointense

Showing signal intensity lower than that considered average or reference to a tissue.
http://wikbio.com/en/dictionary/defi...of/hypointense

I think (subject to correction by others) it means you've got degenerative disc disease like the rest of us.

Doc

[bskinner13]

Originally Posted by Dr. Smith

I think (subject to correction by others) it means you've got degenerative disc disease like the rest of us.

Doc

Thanks. I'll have to look into that. I tried googling around and I get the impression that that could be what's causing my stabbing, shooting pains in my arms...but then again I have neuropathy as well, so it's hard for me to understand what is causing what. I still don't really understand any of this.

[Jomar]

Originally Posted by bskinner13

Thanks. I'll have to look into that. I tried googling around and I get the impression that that could be what's causing my stabbing, shooting pains in my arms...but then again I have neuropathy as well, so it's hard for me to understand what is causing what. I still don't really understand any of this.

You might list all of your pain & symptoms, there are conditions that don't show up on MRI.

Do you have a repetitive or desk job?
Could the arm symptoms be some sort of RSI?
Any previous head/neck trauma- whiplash/sports injury/weightlifting?
If those apply -maybe visit our Thoracic Outlet Syndrome forum for more info -
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum24.html

[bskinner13]

I do have a desk job, and no previous injuries that I know of, but I did used to do gymnastics and things when I was a kid. The initial reason I went to the doc was for what I thought were muscle spasms- very intense (but infrequent) stabby pains in my left triceps area. They did an EMG, and told me I have some sort of peripheral neuropathy, (which could be caused by my sever B12 deficiency, as it's dymylineating?) and also some damage, they suspected, around my C7. I had the MRI and voila, C7 is cool, but everything else is messed up I guess.

The arm pain is not constant, but it is awful. When it happens all I can do is take muscle relaxers and try to rub icy hot all over it and pray it goes numb. I never know when it's going to happen, how severe it will be, or how long it's going to last.

All of this is very confusing, because I don't really know what is neuropathy and what is something else. This is all very new to me.

[Dr. Smith]

Without going back through all your posts (I'm a bit pressed for time right now), is it safe to assume you're taking decent amounts of methyl-B12 (not cyano-) 1000 - 5000 mcg/day on an empty stomach?

Confusion is understandable. Things like PN and DDD (degenerative disc disease) can be pretty nebulous with regard to symtoms and presentation. I have both, and they seem to be pretty well defined in my case, though there have been times when I've wondered about causation.

Both can involve a lot of detective/home work, particularly for triggers. My wife gets something similar to what you describe in your arm (but in her neck/shoulder) and for the longest time could not find/make any connections/predictions (when, severity, duration). It took my watching her closely for several weeks to point out stress triggers she was unaware of, because of a delay between the stress trigger and the pain. We're still working on it, but now when I see her doing what I know will aggravate it later, I can at least try to intervene...

If anyone recommends physical therapy, try it, but if it's not working, rather than give up, seek out another therapist. We've been down that road several times now, and therapists are not created equal; their training, knowledge, and experience can vary greatly, and where one does not succeed, another can work seeming wonders.

Gotta run for now...

Doc

[Dubious]

Originally Posted by bskinner13

Particularly the bit I bolded? I would just ask the neuro but they are literally impossible to get a hold of, and I am anxious.

"Coronal localizer shows no evidence of significant scoliosis. Sagittal images show show no evidence of subluxation or dislocation. There is hypointense signal noted at the C3-C4,C4-C5,and C5-C6 interspace levels. Craniovertebral junction is unremarable. Axial images were obtained from C2-C3 inferiorly.

Impression: Mild disc bulges at C4-C5 and C5-C6.
C4-C5: Mild disc bulge is noted. This leads to mild impression upon the ventral aspect of the thecal sac.
C5-C6: Mild disc bulge noted.

I don't go back to the neuro until the 2nd, this is from my cervical spine MRI. Thanks.

Multilevel degenerative disc disease...no focal significant problems from what you wrote...doesn't mean you don't hurt though!