I am waiting for my first consultation with my neurosurgeon in two weeks. My symptoms and MRI read similar to yours. I am off work since I use my hand to draw and the neck problems have resulted in such severe pain running down my right hand I can no longer hold a pencil for more than a few minutes. My fingers are always numb and pain is unbearable.

How well do you cope with the pain meds they have you on? I'm currently on high doses of oxycontin, which dulls the pain, makes you sleepy, but really doesn't work well for nerve pain. Just helps you tolerate it.

Have you been given other options besides surgery? Being in Ontario, Canada we have different type of health care, with little options for choosing doctors and second opinions, we have to be put on referral lists and wait to be called. It's a very slow process.

I sympathize with what you are going through, my entire life has been put on hold because of this. Keep positive and smiling!

I had C4-C5 disectomy and fusion five years ago. it helped a lot and took away the pain. I was losing the ability to use my left arm which is now fine. Unfortunately I now have arthritis in the area where the nerve comes through the vertebrae on the left of C4. I got a shot for it, and this helped, but one day I may need for them to open up that hole so the nerve is not being pinched.

I also now have herniated discs at L1 and L2 and bulging discs at L3 and L4. I was told two years ago I needed surgery, and now I can barely walk. The pain if horrific, and my legs have gone numb. I do not want to develop paralysis from the waist down and will be seeing the neurosurgeon next Tuesday.

I am 58 years old (male) and I have had a two lumbar fusions, one in 2004 and the other in 2005. My symptoms were buttocks pain and numbness and weakness and atrophying of the thigh muscles in my right leg.

The fusions worked beautifully, all my symptoms went away and I became normally active once again. A year or so after the last fusion my hips started bothering me. My primary care doctor sent me to a rheumatologist, suspecting I had RA. Sure enough, I was diagnosed with not only RA, but also Ankylosing Spondylitis. The infusion treatments (Remicade) and weekly injections (Methotrexate) were not started early enough to halt the deterioration of my hip joints. I had both joints replaced, one in 2006 and the other in 2007.

Last year, I assume either due to the RA or AS, I started having shoulder pain and numbness in my arms and hands. An Orthopedic surgeon determined I was in need of a two level fusion in my cervical spine (C4/5, C5/6). This procedure was done in April of this year and my pain and numbness went completely away and I regained strength in my hand and fingers. Awesome!

Five months after the fusion surgery, I started having constant pain on the left side of my neck. An MRI last week revealed significant deterioration of C2/3,C3/4, since the last MRI in April. The surgeon is sending me for a facet joint injection. He said we need to try this first because the next step would be to fuse my entire neck, which he said "is not good at all".

After this lenghthy diatribe, my question is this: What mobility, if any, will I have with my entire neck fused? Anyone had this done? Any help would be appreciated!

Hello, My first surgery started w/severe cord compression C-5/6. #2 Surgery C4/5. Both surgeries collapsed because of non-union of bone, my own hip bone. Both hips, and they sure do flare up when it"s cold and rainy. My #3 surgery was to repair the two non-unions w/ hardware. Somewhere between a screw indenting the thecal sac and the reverse kyphosis, I did not know I had. I Stuck my hand up for the big revision C-2/3 to T-2/3. This is where the first lammy was aborted because of a hole in my esophogus. They waited two months for that to heal and then proceed w/ the big lammy. Well, I never quite recovered from that, I was in and out of hospitals more than my underwear for 6 months. Osteomyelitis, a non-tuberculin acid fast orgaanism was eating away at my C-spine bones and also broke my collar bone. I was in the hospital for three months with a total of four surgeries, mainly to clean up the infection and restabilize w/hardware internally and a halo. I then went onto a Rehabilitation hospital to learn how to walk w/20lbs. on my head and chest! So, when signing a consent for these surgeries please remember me. I wish you the best and please keep us informed! WTR Nymph

I had cervical stenosis and had decompression, laminectomies done from C-7 to C-2 during my extended journey to Dx of PD. It was done by a neurosurgeon and an orthopedist. I had such excrutiating post op pain that I looked like a stroke victim - shuffling, not moving my arms, couldn't hold up my neck, etc - after a week of this uncontrolable pain, I was referred to psych evaluation. I didn't have the wherewithal to demand an MRI. Three months later an MRI was done and found to have what they called a "bruise" on my cord - interpretation - a bleed. It took me a full year to recover and never did get back to my baseline. Two years later, I had herniation of C-4-5 which was fused without problems.

I did have stenosis, but my symptoms of pain, stiffness, numbess and foot dragging was really due to PD . Did I have unnecessary surgery - maybe, but one cannot be for sure on that. Was I misdiagnosed by my symptoms - Yes.

MY advise is get a second opinion, maybe even a 3rd opinion, find the best Neurosurgeon ( I had the same one as Teddy Kennedy had for debulking his brain tumor) stop all NSAIDS and ASA per your doctors advise at least 2 weeks before surgery and make certin your symptoms are not steming from something else. Good Luck
Tulip G

I have a similar condition to what you have. tingling and intense pain in my hands arms and shoulders. I have yet to see my surgeon on the 15th to discuss a treatment plan for me. Have already gotten two cortisone shots, two weeks apart, pain usually returns between a week and 10 days. Last week, I had a Stellar Ganglon Root block, a rather painful injection in the front of my neck. that was not as effective as the cortisone shots, but served as a diagnosis of where my pain might come from.

I am also undergoing physical therapy, which involves repeated next traction, heat, ultrasound, and massage. The PT doesn't seem to do that good for me. Some of my own exercises I've developed, seem to work just a little better, and my PT instructor says they are safe to do.

As a computer programmer, my programming days have ended. I cannot use the keyboard anymore, and have to rely on MacSpeech Dictate, a nice program which takes down my dictation. It works quite well, but does not get along with Skype, so I cannot receive calls during dictation.

If you wind up deciding to get surgery, I would be most interested in knowing what type of surgery will be. There are several types, some of which are noninvasive endoscopic treatments, which in my case, I am not a candidate, because my condition is far in advance.

My condition started happening last July, it came on rather suddenly over a period of a few weeks. I do not know the cause of why it happened, it could've been just a simple situation where I slept kind of funny.

John

Hello and of course I wish you well in having your cervical spine evaluated. I have had multipal surgeries on my cervical spine, with all of those symptoms you mentioned. My last was Aug 30th ten weeks ago. I presented with all of what you said and it was a successful fussion C3-7 a big big surgery. I am fine 10 weeks later with more relief than I ever hoped possible. If you do have to have surgery, keep in touch with this list, they helped me through it all and gave me hope that things will turn out OK. This surgery hurt alot, it was a 10 at times while healing, but gosh It was worth it to get the relief from pain that I had. I was on morphine for 7 years after a failed fussion at C6-7. Get second and third opinion, and make sure you understand all the medical terminology. ASK QUESTIONS do not be afraid. Let me know if you need anything as I do have a good knowledge of proceedures. ginnie and by the way good luck to you

I'm scheduled to have a spinal fusion surgery on 12/8/10 and was beginning to have cold feet about it. I am so glad I checked this web site and found some positive feed back. I would love to hear from anyone else that has had this surgery and know how they came out.

I had C3-7 done. Had prior fusion C-6-7 that failed. As far as mobility, I still have C1-2 and that alone allows me plenty of mobility. I did take physical therapy at just 4 weeks too for eight weeks. I would do the surgery again, as the pain before was just not tolerable even with meds (morphine). I had no choice. I was told I had to do it by three doctors, and believe me I didn't want to. My recent results are good but not perfect for sure. I have some shocks yet to my left hand at times, but if that is all I can live with it. My pain doctor was the one who told me to go get the surgery, so advised. Get the best doctor you can, and get another opinion too. I am in much less pain now. I still have DJD and DDD but I am hoping this holds and that I can have some quality of life. I really hope all of you who have spinal conditions on thisost have the best possible outcomes, and that your holidays are peaceful, with lots less pain. ginnie

hello,

I have had my c-5 thru c-7 fused on june 14, 2010. I have pain now in the middle of my shoulder blades, burning pain. I take two norcos a day and still have pain. The doctor hasn't cleared me to work will I ever be normal again?