bulging disc in neck..help
 

I just found out I have a bad bulging disc in my neck. I have been having severe pain in my neck and into my left elbow for about a month. My pain dr already has me on oxy 20 mg 3 xa day for other back related problems. Anyhow he says i need surgery. Has anyone had this done ? I'm scared to death and in a lot of pain and my dr will not give me anything stronger. Any advise would be great.

I have no advice at all I'm afraid, but being the wife of some-one who has multiple bulging discs and at times, un-imaginable pain, I just wanted to tell you that I understand what you're going through.

I hope that you get some relief soon...:hug:

I had a ruptured disc....
 

....several years back, in my lower lumbar. Had surgery....INSTANT RELIEF! I wish the same for you!!!!:hug:

balmy,

I know the horrific pain. :eek: And have had two cervical fusions. As Friends2U said, instant relief when they were done! Of course these were two different years...but to wake up and feel NONE of that familiar pain was great! If the doc is saying surgery, I would listen. You don't want permanent nerve damage. The surgery itself, to me, wasn't bad at all. You do not feel the hardware if fusion is what you are speaking of. All I felt was the incision in my neck and the pain with that was like nothing more than a bee sting. :) I wish you well with your decision. And I should have added. My second fusion was outpatient; I was up and about (still felt sedated of course) by 3:00 pm that afternoon. So, you see...it is not that bad. Of course there are others that have had to have more done. I am just speaking of two levels done at different times.

Could you tell me what you took to help the pain? My dr has me on 20 mg of oxy 3 x a day and zanaflex. The oxy helped my other pain but does not touch the neck area. The zanaflex works but knocks me out. I have hurt all day today and tomorrow I'm calling my dr for some help.

Balmy,

To be honest with you NOTHING I took touched the pain. I wrote out a long list the other day to someone asking the same thing. All I could do was to use heat and ice and/or take a strong med to help me sleep. Sometimes it was an ER trip for a shot of Toradol. Long story but I eventually found a PM that found the culprit was the C3/C4. When he did the selective nerve root injections and/or facet injections was the first time I had relief in 3 years! He did a set of two injections 3-6 months apart and then it was fusion time. But the C3/C4 issues were different than my C5/C6. The latter was herniated and sent pain into my thumbs.

Oxy and Zanaflex are pretty strong and I certainly understand why Zanaflex would knock you out. It did me too. It was only with the injections that I got true relief. But as my PM said, the pain would keep coming back. So, if your doc is leaning towards surgery I can see why. You didn't say what level but I am guessing the C5/C6 or C6/C7. Maybe even C4/C5.

For now, or until you can talk to the doc, take the meds and see if an ice pack or even heat (whatever works) will help a bit. Normally the ice pack would numb it up enough where I could fall asleep. But be careful...you don't want to keep the ice on your neck for more than twenty minutes. Let us know what the doc has to say tomorrow. It could be that he might go with something stronger or maybe even suggest an injection...just not sure.

Balmygirl,

If you only have one level and one bulging disc...You might only need to have surgery at one level...I have three levels fused, though I have problems from C2 to T2...I am fused at C4/5, 5/6, and 6/7...I have a 360 fusion or an around the world :)...This simply means that I have hardware in the front and the back of the neck....I have a plate in the front and rods and screws in the back...If I had needed to just have the front of the neck fused I think I would not have had much pain with this fusion....but I will not lie the posterior surgery is very, very painful and is for about six weeks...I have no regrets though about my surgery, though I now need more surgery...

I do not think at this point that pain medication will help you with the type of pain you are experiencing....I think you need to see a surgeon and discuss possible surgery with him.....Good luck...

It could be easy
 

I had a disc at C5/6 which was pressing on the spinal cord and making half of me weak. The surgery was a simple diskectomy with no fusion at all. I was pain=free immediately, and have stayed that way.

Idid have surgery about 3 years ago on my c5 c6 where they took my bone form my hip an fused itto my discs it was such a releive not to have the pain and the tingling down left arm and the fingers and hands. When I got done with the operation the the only part that I hated was wearing the neck brace for 6 weeks. My neck did not hurt at all actually it was the hip thatwassore . Beleive me I tried everything from therpy to injections to wearing the fenenal patch. I am so glad that I went through the operation. Good luck with you decision.

I know what you are going through I took the advise and chose the operation I had a fusion of my c 5 c 6 and also I had my spin realigned. It was the best decision that I ever made. I did try the norm therapy injections and the fentanyl patch and nothing worked. The only thing that was annoying to me was that I had to wear a neck brace for 6 weeks 24 hours a day and and my neck didnt hurt and the tinkling in the fingers and hands and the numbness went away. So it was worth it. My hip was the only thing that hurt after the operation but that only lasted a week or 2 so if you didnt get the operation I would recommend it. Good luck

MRI showed bulging discs C4-6
 

I have appt. with neurosurgeon on 9-29.Just wondering if anyone here had same thing and if you tried chiropractor and/or physical therapy first before surgery?Not sure what my doctor will say and a little nervous to find out.I work for the postal service and have to be able to lift/toss packages up to 70 pounds everyday.I love my job and hope I can continue doing it,but wonder if I will keep injuring my neck in the future?Any advice would be greatly appreciated.All the best to you all here!:)

I had surgery on my neck in 2006 after a car accident replacing 3 of my discs with artificial, it has been absolutely wonderful. Saved my life, without it I could have been paralyzed. I still have some pain in my shoulders and arms. I am not able to move my neck as fully as before but the surgery was a Godsend.
Just make sure you have researched the neurosurgeon that is doing the surgery for you to make sure that he is Board Certified and does a lot of this type of surgery per year.

Good Luck to you,

Don't be afraid of cervical surgery - I had immediate relief from the worst of my pain.

With a one level, you may just be able to have a simple disectomy.

If you have the fusion, you may not need the plates, screws, etc.

Mine was a 2 level, done without hardware, using my own hipbone, in 1999.

I would do it again if I was in such pain.

good luck

My neck was probably injured at first by an auto accident back in the 80's, however, carrying mail (9 years) and distribution clerking (7 years) aggravated it to a point where even after surgery, I finally became disabled. Lifting/repetetive motion puts a great strain on your cervical spine. It's something to discuss with the neuro.

Chiro did nothing for me. PT made the pain worse.

I wish you luck, and you may be in a better situation than I was, however, don't push yourself to a point where you are living on pain killers and risk losing function.