Quote:
Originally Posted by ginnie
Oh yes, I sure do remember the pain. I jumped right into the surgery to be rid of it. I DID get pain medication from a pain specialist before my surgery. I chose to take them for awhile and try. I gave up after I was unable to move my neck much at all. Just do all the research you can do, and ask all the questions you can. I advise strongly against any chiropractic intervention unless you get a DX and go ahead from a neruo surgeon. I know how hard this is for you. I turned out ok however, after the round two. In some cases, surgery can be the right answer. Herniated disks seldom cooperate, and you don't want them to get worse and impinge on the core of your spinal column. Do you have any shocksrunning up and down your arms? or hands? Any lack of being able to hold on to something, or dropping things? trouble driving, or turning your hear around? Those are some of the things the neurologist will ask you about. Bring someone with you if at all possible when you go to the doctor. That way if you miss something, you will have back up. I also wrote out all my questions to my second neruo, so I would not forget anything. I wish you the best possible outcome. ginnie
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I am curious about the shocks down the arm. I have occasional stabbing pain near elbow area. It comes out of no where and stops as quickly as it came. Is that what they mean by shocks? Regarding the other symptoms that lead to surgery, I did drop a heavy coupon book yesterday but that was the first time that happened. I can really feel the weakness in my left grip when holding a heavy pot or pan on the stove. My right hand grip is 125 pounds and left is only 60 which concerns me. I have never been that weak before. The neck has full motion, no pain really there, just occasional throbbing near where the disc is. Only trouble driving is when I am in extreme pain. It is really getting better. I am sure the doctor will encourage me to do surgery when I see him too, but I am leaning more the other way based more on the personal stories of patients who did acdf. I am going to get 1 more opinion from a specialist, but I really can't wait too long to decide. I really appreciate you taking the time to give me your info Ginnie. I usually do not get this way regarding surgery but I am really stressed about this. It is my spine which is some really serious sh@# and I could wake a sleeping giant in my neck if the surgery causes other issues, but then again, I could possibly have permanent nerve damage if I elect to not have surgery when I shouldn't have. I really just do not know what I am going to do yet. Hey, thanks again!