Hi there... I am 33 and I just had my fusion done on 12/17/07 at C5-6. Before this surgery I suffered from blinding headaches, facial pain, shoulder pain (mostly on the right), breathing problems (I would wake up barely breathing), muscle spasms in my face usually under my eyes, temporary loss of sight in one eye, loss of balance, passing out due to the loss of balance loss of bladder control (and this happened at work and my son's very first football game) and numbness in my arms and legs. I went through years of Dr. visits and had been given several different diagnoses and all different medications. Sept. 3rd of 07 I was fed up after loosing the bladder and eyesight within a 2 day span. I dragged my parts to the ER where this neurologist that I no longer see suggested that I get tested for MS and that I follow up with him. He sent me for an MRI of my brain looking for lesions. I see him again, he says, no lesion!, call me if there are any more problems. I left feeling cheated, something was wrong. 2 weeks later I have these spasms in my neck that are jerking my head to the right so violently. I call his office, he calls in Soma. I call back again, I want to know what is wrong. I see him, he says: "why is your neck doing this?" I say, "I don't know, you are the Dr., that is why I'm here!!!!!" He feels all around and says, "yes, you do have a spasm". So, then sends me for an MRI of my cervical spine. I'm already fed up at this point, but I went for the MRI since I had never had one there. I made an appt. with a neuro that had come recomended. She got ahold of the report and the films and made the discovery that my disc was herniated. She immediately got me into a neurosurgeon and they scheduled me for surgery as soon as possible. When the Dr. spoke to me afterwards, he said that he didn't even know how I was able to walk in there, that the disc had ruptured and he described as tree sap down my spinal cord.
Anyway, my percocet is long gone. I've been taking robaxin. I'm trying to ride out the pain, tylenol does not touch it. I feel like I'm being a baby if I call to get more pain stuff. I'm around 3-1/2 weeks out now, but when I sit, I feel like my head is going to fall off, if I stand, pain shoots down my back. To lay down, I feel like I'm choking. I usually stay up all night until I finally pass out from exhaustion because I can find no comfort. Also, does anyone have anything that feels like electric shock shooting across their shoulder blades or arms? I don't know if this is to be expected or if I'm crazy or what? This is sure not the picnic I thought it would be and I feel worse now than I did the day after surgery.
Thanks so much
-Jenn