Quote:
Originally Posted by glenntaj
--did you have your back surgeries?
I ask because it seems to me premature to dismiss your back/spinal issues from contributing to your neurological symptoms; really extensive imaging and nerve conduction studies might be called for, as problems with the peripheral nerves can produce symptoms that can be exactly mimicked by problems with the spinal cord or the nerve roots exiting from them. The distinction is basically "how far up" (meaning how close to the central nervous system) the problem lies, and this is not always easy to determine.
|
The first was a simple fusion, 4 levels however, the hardware quickly failed and the second one was much more extensive, from the neck to the tailbone (LITERALLY) I don't know the levels, i.e. L-5, C-6!! I just know I was under anesthesia for that one for over 20 hours over at Jackson Memorial in Miami. It was a back/front/back surgery in that they went in the back first to remove the faulty hardware (they discovered broken and loose screws), then they went in through the front to fuse then finished up fusing in the back. There was a complication which is why I was under for almost a full day. My neurologist has assured me the spine surgeries are not the cause of my neuropathy. We've done so many tests and tried so many different drugs I feel like I'm his "test case"! He's been very good with me. It's just disheartening when I realize that this is the way I will spend the rest of my days and nights - in constant pain. I like Susanne's suggestion that pot has helped some. I was never a pot smoker, but if it gives relief, I'm guess I'd be willing to give it a try, who knows.