highly recommended neurosurgeons?
 

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone here could recommend a neurosurgeon for me to see?
I have a bad cervical disc at the C5/6 level that has calcified into the spinal cord (posterior left side of the ventral cord).

When I use my arms, lifting, and turning my neck, especialy while sitting; the calcium is gnawing into my spinal cord.

The burning pain runs up into my neck muscles into the left side of the base of my skull, and up into my head, and it radiates into both of my arms and hands, causing partial paralysis of my whole upper body.

I also have partial paralysis of my throat, and severe burning throat pain in my muscles and skin that starts at the top of my throat, and burns all the way down into my chest, esophagus, and stomach. I have been to several doctors, and have had just about every digestive test done that is known to man, but they all come back negative.

A GI doctor said that I have a possible gastric motility disorder of the stomach. I am pretty sure that my stomach is partially paralyzed also. Talking and singing makes my throat burn like crazy.

It is not reflux, because acid Reflux drugs do not work and actually made the pain worse;
The only thing that relieved the burning pain was nerve drugs: amytriptaline with neurontin; but I was not able to continue those drugs due to it damaging my prostate and brain.

I cannot prove it, but until I can find a neurosurgeon that will operate on my neck and remove the pressure on my spinal cord, I will never know whether my burning throat, chest, and digestive problems are due to my neck. But I do know for sure that when my neck symptoms get worse, my throat and chest symptoms get much worse too and burn like crazy. And when my neck symptoms ease (lying down on my side), my throat symptoms ease also. So I am 99 percent sure that this is all due to my neck.

The neurosurgeon I went to last year said that the pain in my throat and chest was not due to my neck, but due to cranial nerves. I believe he is right, the pain is coming from the cranial nerves; but I believe this calcium on my spinal cord at the C5/6 level is causing referred pain to the cranial nerves in my throat, breast, and chest. So how can I prove to the neurosurgeon that this is the case?

Also, in June of 2001, I had a CED (cervical endoscopic discectomy) performed, which made my condition 100 times worse, and which I believe is the reason that I have the severe throat and chest pain today. But these throat symptoms did not start until 2 years after the surgery.

I am praying for mercy and some relief from the pain, because the pain has been relentless and torturous for almost 4 years now. At this point, I do not care if I still have some neck pain post surgery, because if it relieves the throat, chest, stomach, and digestive problems, it will be well worth it to me.

I am from Fort Smith, Arkansas, and would prefer to go to the Little Rock, Arkansas, but I am open to traveling to the Dallas, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Memphis, or Nashville area. Honestly, I am willing to travel just about anywhere to find the right doctor who can give me some relief.

I am also on disability, and will be on Medicare starting July 1, 2007. So I would need to see a doctor that accepts medicare.

Thank you in advance

Danny

Dr.
 

I recommend Dr. Anthony Capocelli and he is right in Fort Smith.

Dr. Paul Francel in Oklahoma City. He's a leader in brain and spine surgery in this part of the country. Let me know if you need his phone number.

thanks
 

Yes, please give me his number, and thanks again.

dr
 

Dr Tim Bursen is in NLR . He is good . Also sent you a email . Hope you respond . Roz

thanks for the responses.

Thanks Roz for giving me the name of Tim Bursen.
A registered nurse who works in the Fort Smith area gave me the name of James Adametz in Little Rock. She told me that he was an excellent NS, and helped her husband with his neck condition. She also told me that I would get much better care in Little Rock than here in Fort Smith, that the facilities are excellent there.

Roz, the reason why I need to see a NS is because the pressure that the bone spur is putting on my spinal cord is severely affecting my digestion, and I am slowly wasting away to nothing. It is causing referred pain to my cranial nerves in the brain, which in turn is producing torturous burning pains in my throat and chest. It also burns when I talk.