Scared Fingers turning bluish, hands read and ice cold
 

Time to be nervous again. Went to the OSS office and saw the PA so I didn't have to wait too long. Did a few tests with my fingers, hands and arms and listened to my concerns and symptoms. Having pain in my neck, tightness in my neck and shoulders. Knots in my shoulder blade area. Muscle spasms in my entire back and neck. Most significant symptoms are heaviness in upper arm, odd feeling in wrist, hand getting ice cold then red then first 2 joints on fingers turn bluish only on left hand. He felt is was a bit early for adjacent disk syndrome but you never know. (Was hoping for positive words of wisdom) They didn't take x rays but decided to go right for an MRI with contrast. Have an appointment for Monday at 8AM for MRI and appointment on Tuesday at 4PM with either the PA or OSS. I HATE the WAITING GAME :(
************************************** **********
12/9/2010 ACDF C5-6 C6-7 with plate, screws,
BMP & bone fragment filled cages
2/14/2011 trying to go back to work as a teacher
2/17/2011 starting PT
wearing bone stimulator 4 hours a day
DDD, arthritis, herniated disks, pinched nerves
3 months saw a little bit of bone growth (YEAH)
4/15/2011 Home Tens Unit

Dealt with the pain and issues for more than 5 years
tried PT, chiropractic, acupuncture, cervical epidural shots and selective nerve root blocks prior to surgery

I'm sorry to hear that...
 

Hi,

I'm so sorry to hear that, you've come so far!! Did you over do it? Hopefully it's just a little set back and you heal quick.

I will pray for good results, try to take it easy for a while.

Keep us posted how your MRI goes.

TOU.... Cathie

Cathie Thanks for your reply. trying not to let my mind wander to much. But it is difficult. How are you feeling? Are you out of the hard collar? If so how do you feel and are you using a soft one? If you are a mom, Have a wonderful Mother's Day :)

If the MRI doesn't "show" anything that might be causing those symptoms , then I would look into thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) to see if it is the cause.
The symptoms just sound very TOS like to me.

Tos ?
 

What is thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS)? haven't researched it yet. But I would appreciate any information you have. Thanks

Positive toughts!
 

hi,

Yes, I'm out of my hard collar, still wear ita bit when my neck gets tired and sore, and I also use a soft one when I need to. Just finally starting to drive again, just short distances ( I live in small town, and haven't ventured to the city yet). Feel pretty good, I still have pain n numbness in my 2 fingers and right shoulder blade but mostly when I've done too much. Off all the narcs now except for a couple of percacet a day and a muscle relaxer in the late afternoon. ROM isn't very good still but I'm practicing everyday.

I hope everything goes well on Monday are you feeling any better or are your symptoms still there? How frustrating to have a set back when you were just getting to feel like normal again. :( hang in there.

Yes, I'm a Mom of 3 teenagers, plan on doing absolutely nothing tomorrow! Lol
Happy Mothers Day to you too!!

Let us know how everything goes when you get your results. TOU.
Cathie

We have aforum for it too- check the sticky threads on it for symptoms & info.
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum24.html

THe Saga continues
 

:eek:Okay, I went back to the OSS. Generally speaking the MRI was fine.
Straightening of the cervical lordosis and cervical dexroscoliosis
C2-3 buldging without central or foraminal compromise
C3-4 buldging without central or forminal stenosis
c4-5 diffuse buldging with effacement of the ventral thecal sac no forminal stenosis
C5-6 no central or forminal stenosis
C6-7 no central or foraminal compromise
C7 - T1 unremarkable
T1-2 buldging

So they want me to go to a vascular surgeon and have some other things checked out. Made an appointment for May 16th. I didn't want to take any more time off of work.
Hoep all is well with everyone. I have my regular 6 month post op in mid June.

I was thinking about you today, wondering how your appt. went.

So, I'm not sure what all that means? Did they actually give you any sort of diagnosis for your symptoms or are they just passing you off to the next specialist? Does all the bulging discs mean the ACDF was not successful, or is it all normal?

Sorry to hear you're still not feeling well.... hope you get some answers and relief soon.

Thanks for the message
 

I think that the bulging was probably there prior to surgery. When I looked at the MRI nothing seemed to protrude out too much that I thought it might be a problem. Most people have some bulging so that does not concern me. I trust my OSS and if he feels that the symptoms do not involve the cervical spine directly and he doesn't need to do anything then I am fine with that. The MRI showed that the area that was fused looks great. I see him mid June for my 6 month check and for x rays to check on the bone growth. Hoping I can stop wearing the stimulator and start taking the anti inflammatory for arthritis. The MRI only shows soft tissue and not the bone growth. I thought that I would need to go to another specialist but wasn't sure who. I had and still have an appointment with my rheumatoid arthritis doctor for the end of the month but didn't want to wait because I didn't think he was the right specialist either. There is a problem with the circulation and not sure why. Some family members think it is Raynauds since it does run in the family. I hope not. Thank you for thinking about me. The Saga continues. No more PT as insurance had denied yet agin.

FrenchFri -

Unfortunately, I have experience with Raynaud's, TOS and also neck & shoulder issues. I have had surgery for TOS and had complete relief of those symptoms and I'm going on 8 years . . . During the pre-surgery TOS days, I had episodes that sounds similar to what you are describing regarding your hands. It was freaky at first to see the fingers dead white/bluish followed by another area that was bright red. Both colors were definitely not normal. The doctors felt it was Raynaud's and I just had to watch it and try not to trigger the episodes. I don't think it was necessarily tied with TOS but it was more tied to an upset nervous system so the nerves overreacted (i.e. turned blue, ice cold, etc.).

Are they sending you to a vascular specialist just to rule out any vascular compression issues? Given the fairly recent neck surgery, it could be that the neck and shoulder muscles need more time to calm down.

Just some thoughts! I hope it settles down for you soon!

Thank you for your response. I appreciate your thoughts. Yes, I was referred to a vascular surgeon. I was lucky to get an appointment for Monday after work. not sure what he will do during the consult. I just hope that the symptoms present themselves during the appointment. Today the first digit on my fingers looked almost black, then dark blue and then red., but not too cold. i am getting pretty concerned about the symptoms. Don't really want to take any more time off. What type of surgery did you have for TOS? Time will tell. Just want to get some answers.

Surgery for TOS - My 1st rib was removed along with a bone tumor. I was predisposed to TOS due to the tumor compromising the outlet but the trigger was a 4 car MVA. I ended up with the 1st rib resection and shoulder surgery due to the MVA and will need my neck fused at some point in the next year or two.

He will likely do some provocative arm and neck tests to check for thoracic outlet along with testing for other possible diagnosis. He should order vascular studies to rule out any vascular compressions but if he feels it's Raynaud's, he may not. They basically diagnosed me with Raynaud's based on the symptoms and left it at that.

Is there any chance you can have an undiagnosed shoulder injury? The reason I ask is when I injured my other shoulder, I went through a rough time with terrible vascular and neuro symptoms. The ortho surgeon was convinced I had vascular TOS as there was an 18 degree difference in the two arms, along with color changes, swelling, etc. They fixed the torn labrum and the vascular symptoms disappeared.

Thanks
 

Thank you for all of the information. I don't think I have a shoulder injury, but one never knows. Time will tell. I can't wait until I have this appointment on Monday. I'll keep you posted.

Still not sure what is causing issues
 

Still on the rollercoaster. Went to the vascular surgeon. He did a dopler on the left wrist and said that there was excellent bloodflow to the hand. When he continued with the exam he found an irregular heartbeat that concerned him. My internist/cardiologist is in the same building. I h ave MVP but I don't think that should cause the problem. Maybe the Tens Unit? They brought me right in had a quick exam and an EKG. I guess they heard something so I wore the Holter Heart Monitor for 24 hours. Handed it in on Friday and should hear by Monday. Assuming it isn't anything serious or they would have called Friday night or sometime over the weekend. I have an appointment this Friday with the Rheumatoid Arthritis Doctor, getting a ton of bloodwork for him and internist on Tuesday with a full physical the following Friday. Just love all the doctor visits. Then my 6 month check with OSS on June 8th. Hope there is enough bone growth to stop wearing the Cervical Stim. The joys of getting old.
Hope everyone has a painfree and enjoyable weekend. :)

************************************** **********
12/9/2010 ACDF C5-6 C6-7 with plate, screws,
BMP & bone fragment filled cages
2/14/2011 trying to go back to work as a teacher
2/17/2011 starting PT
wearing bone stimulator 4 hours a day
DDD, arthritis, herniated disks, pinched nerves
3 months saw a little bit of bone growth (YEAH)
4/15/2011 Home Tens Unit

Dealt with the pain and issues for more than 5 years
tried PT, chiropractic, acupuncture, cervical epidural shots and selective nerve root blocks prior to surgery

Sorry to hear about the potential heart problems! I hope everything turns out okay and this was just an episode that goes away without further incidents. Alternatively, if they find something that it is completely treatable. My daughter (9 months old) had something show up on her latest EKG so she'll need surgery when she gets up to 35 pounds to correct that problem.