newbie
 

Hi

Another newbie to the board, but not new to spine pain. My story started in about 2000, with arm pain and finger & thumb numb. In 03, I let a NS do a lami at C3-6. Stupid of me! I was in worse shape when I woke up. My arm didn't work for a year. Go to brush my teeth, the brush would go in my nose. I found an excellent ortho, who fused it all, cadaver bone, and enough titanium to wire a jet. Things were fine for about a year. Started to have pain in the scapular area. Pain doc did steroid trigger point shots once, they worked, but I have diabetes also, and that shot my glucose up. New pain doc says that I have scolliosis, kyphosis, and radicuopathy from the fusions. He did 12 Botox injections. Then I told him about the pain in the left side of my neck. He says its osteophytes. Where did they come from? No answer. This guy closed his practice, and I had to find another new PM. She did 14 Botox inj. The stuff works, and I'm 6 months out from the last, not ready for more. I hate the side effects.

So now where the osteophytes are, it feels like a lump the size of a baseball. I don't know where to start to treat this. Ideas please? I also have lumbar issues, and may eventually have that worked on. I also have torn the meniscus in both knees, making me a little wobbly when I walk, and one needs to be replaced in 3-4 years.

I use a TENS, am on Cymbalta, can't use a lot of other pain meds due to random drug tests at work. I've checked around on the SCS and would love to have one, but 2nd PM said I wasn't ready for that, and suggested radiofluoscopy instead.

I'd love any feedback on how and where to proceed with this!
Thanks

Osteophytes or bone spurs are something that most people develop (most generally) after age 40. For some, they don't cause any symptoms or probs., but, unfortunately, as you know all too well, for others the things can be a bear.


I'd ask a GP, rheumatologist, physical therapist, or similar what he/she thinks in terms of treatment re: osteophytes.

I know that some people have had minimally invasive procedures done to remove 'em, yet, as mentioned earlier, most people do have them after a certain age and they are most apt to recur.