((((((((((((((((((((( DocJohn )))))))))))))))))))))))))))

((((((((((((((((((( Team and everyone )))))))))))))))))))))

I *do* plan to be back to gain support for myself and family members. There's no better place on the internet to find caring information via people sharing their stories and what they've learned. There just isn't.

I apologize for the "quick disappearance". I woke up one day with my world completely upside...with everything in it focused on finding out what my pain was from then getting it resolved.

I wrote about increasing symptoms in the spinal forum not long before my world changed.

I woke up like any other day, but something woke me up...extreme pain. I knew immediately it was nerve-type pain because I live with Trigeminal Neuralgia. It was horrendous and I tried to to work it the best I could with the tools and meds I had for the TN. There was no managing it.

My left neck, shoulder and arm were as if someone were sticking hot pokers in at certain places...a neverending source of pain it seemed. On day 4 of this (suspecting it was coming from my neck and the two cases of whiplash), I went to the ER where their main concern was my heart since it was on the left side. I wanted to make sure that I was physically safe myself too. Once they ruled that out, I felt relief for the first time with a big shot of dilaudid. When they came to check on me about 40 mins later, the pain was already coming back full-force. They gave me a "top-off" shot of more, but it didn't touch it. I went home in the same pain.

I immediately called my neurolgist/pain management specialist who got me in right away. See, during this time my left arm was very weak in certain movements and the numbess and tingling were severe as well. He examined me, set me up for an epidural steroid injection and sent me for an MRI...giving me an initial dx. consisting of saying that I had herniations in my cervical spine that were pinching nerves.

I went for the MRI the next day where it felt like I was being tortured but made it through. I saw the specialist again two days later with the MRI in hand. It said alot of big words, but basically my neck is a train wreck. I have three herniated discs (one being the biggest culprit pinching the nerve between C6-7) and one bulging. I have stenosis, lateral recess, bulges, etc. One heriniation was contacting, but not compressing, the spinal cord, and one was contracting it (whatever that means).

He gave me the epidural. I have to back up and say that I'd been told twice by physicians that I can *not* have steroids...just can't. I was desperate, though. The pain was so bad that I didn't care about the complications really. I felt *immeidate* relief. My meds were increased...making me foggy-headed.

Though the steroid epidural working immensely in helping the pain, they came at a great cost to me. For about four days, I was mentally, physically, emotionally and cognitively partially just, well, absent. After about four days, I thawed out in those respects, but all of that came back in out of control ways. I had horrible stomach problems, bad muscle spasms everywhere (even so big that twice my leg wouldn't work from spasm), and even contracted thrush because it affected my immune system.

So I just dealt with trying to maintain in different ways while I was sent to see a neurosurgeon and up until the time that I had surgery (which was in the latter part of July). The surgeon said I really had little options in doing the surgery because I had significant weakness in my triceps. I guess that says something about the degree of damage to the drs.

I went through my surgery with flying colors. I was/am so blessed. My recovery is going well and they'll be taking an x-ray to check fusion on the 22nd of this month. I hope it's going well. I have to use a bone growth stimulator, so I'm hoping it's going well.

I'm almost back to me. I still have some nerve pain in chest area (and arm pit) and left wrist. I still have some numbness in first two fingers. However, the bad stuff is gone. I have to be careful about how long I sit at the computer, how much typing I do, etc., because I can notice the pain ramping and I still have some herniations/bulges in there that we're waiting on to heal.

I have to tell anyone who is looking at cervical fusion that I had nothing but the best experience, and it was the best thing I've ever done for myself. Shoot, when I woke up, I didn't even know which side the incision was on...there was zero incision pain.

So that's what I've been up to these last few months while I've been absent from my duties, and I'm so sorry that it was just like I dropped off the face of the earth. I kept telling myself every day that the next day would be better...that I'd be back to normal.

Though I'm closer to normal now, I still have to be careful and will be limiting my computer time to avoid further damage.

All that said, I come back to the first paragraph...there's no better place on the internet for information, support and shared experience, so I will definitely be back!!!! I'll be back as a member...to care, share my experiences and knowledge, participate in this wonderful membership.

Thank you so much for the kind words and always know that NT, the members, the team will always have a special place in my heart.

KD