Hello all,

This is my first post but I have been reading along for the last 9 months.
I had ACDF on C4-5-6 in Jan. of this year. Apparantly it wasn't a cure-all because I am still having problems with pain in my right arm and thumb, just below C6 on both sides and a large area in the middle of my back between my shoulder blades. It started out with just a small numb area in the middle of my back but since surgery the area is about the size of a postcard and is numb, the pain starts out as a severe itch there and on the outside of my right arm at the elbow and forearm then progresses to burning then severe pain! Sometimes I can just turn my neck a certain way and those areas will just throb with pain!
I am now in the process of getting injections AGAIN to help with the arthritis in the facet joints which they say may be causing the pain? I'm not so sure about that! The plate they put in is at an angle to my spine but they say it doesn't matter if it's crooked, I'm not sure about that either? You would think that if it was crooked it would exert pressure in the direction it is off and press on the nerves but of course they say no. On top of the neck problem they hit a nerve in my lower back when they did the mylogram prior to surgery because of an extremely narrow epidural space then when the opening in my spine didn't close they had to do a blood patch which further irritated the nerve so now I have pain in my left leg that feels like a really bad ache you get after you have hit your funny bone! AHHHHHHHHHH! But it sure isn't funny!! They did and MRI and found narrowing canal along with bulging discs and one ruptured disc on L4, at this point I have lost feeling in my big toes on both my feet. Kind of strange it is on both sides???? So now I am waiting to see what they will do there??
But the good thing is I have finally overcome my depression due to all this and I am taking it one day at a time, keeping the faith that eventually I will be able to join the world of the working class again!

As for GERD and constipation, I use to have ulcerative coilitis, GERD and IBS but I was able to "cure" these problems throwing away my nexium and adding 2tblsp of "Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar" in a full glass of water twice a day. I also stopped eating pork but that was just my preference. It took about 1 day for the GERD to stop and a couple of weeks for the rest.

I "cured" my constipation from taking the pain meds by drinking 4 ounces of Aloe Vera juice mixed in the juice of choice "i use orange juice" but any thing you like will work. It doesn't have much taste so you can add as much or as little juice as you need. I haven't been constipated since I started this and I lost 20lbs.

My mom has diverticulitis and after she started doing the same she hasn't had any more attacks so what do you have to loose?

I wish all of you well and pray that you all find relief from your pain.

Cindy