My average daily pain is actually pretty good right now, about a 1-2. I started Diclofenac about 2 months ago and it's been an absolute game changer for my pain. Before that, I was about a 5-6 every day.

The pain definitely increased with activities; to the point that I was pretty sedentary. It seemed like everything made it worse. Now that it's so much better, I've started doing things again like walking and PT.

I'm a software engineer so I spend a lot of time at the desk. I've invested in an ergonomic setup and for the most part, the job doesn't cause me pain. Activity wise, I really refrain from any sports. I've started walking a mile a day because I was recently diagnosed with osteopenia and I need to get some weight bearing activity. I start to get sore at the neck at the mile mark but it's tolerable.

I've done PT several times at several places over the years. I've currently doing it and think I found a good one finally. The past few providers I saw made my pain significantly worse. This new one is really taking it slow (crawling, rolling, etc..) to build me back up and I like that. I'm not sure how I feel about a chiropractor. I'm very anxious when it comes to my neck because of the myelomalacia.

I've really been trying to keep pain out of my decision on whether or not to have surgery now. I know I can't be on the Diclofenac forever as it can cause kidney issues as well as other risks but my pain is currently managed well. What keeps me up at night is if I'm doing damage to my spinal cord by not having surgery and the possible consequences of not acting now. That make sense?