hello back and neck folks
 

I posted this over in the greetings section and realized, of course, that I wasn't necessarily addressing people with similar conditions and was instead being kind of windy. Anyway, here's my situation. Hoping to learn what I can from folks on this board. And if anybody's got specifics about treatment in NYC, I'm especially interested in that.

After hearing my funky diagnosis, like the rest of you, I guess, I'm looking around the Web for whatever info I can get. So I've read a few of your stories, particularly about cervical spine stenosis, which my neurologist told me I've got after he looked over my MRI report.

The horror stories I've seen so far (I think I read 2 positive reports on surgery vs. 10 negative ones), do have me wondering what the hell to do with this.

At this point, I'm fortunate enough (comparatively) to have some choice. Don't really have any serious pain, though I did have some nastiness in my right arm before I was put on relevan a few weeks ago. Now just the odd tingling in the thumb and index finger when I'm in the wrong position, some burning on the outsides of my arms, but no weakness, luckily (can still do 30+ pushups).

Legs ain't quite right, either ... just feel a little fuzzy around the knees. The legs were going off last year, and for years I'd felt burning across my shoulder blades if I put in lengthy sessions at the pool table, but everything got suddenly worse after I bashed my tailbone sledding about 6 weeks ago.
This stuff sucks, doesn't? But I can see, either I'll get where many of you are now, or possibly get better, maybe through surgery.

But I'm not too optimistic judging by what I've read so far. Maybe I should be glad I feel marginally OK right now, but it's not what I had in mind! I'm 48, used to be reasonably active (too active, my doc said), but now am playing it as cool as I can, waiting to see whether these symptoms ease. No tennis, backpacking, heavy lifting, roughhousing with my kids ... I'm down to working, playing pool, and the occasional one-armed curl and that's it. Doc said there's about zero extra room in C5.

Be glad to hear your tales, for better and worse.

You weren't being "windy" at all neck...that's what most people do...let us know their dx so we can direct them to the place for support. :grouphug: