Hi, I've had a c6/7 discectom in 1997, and L 3/4/5 laminectomy and fusion in 2006 for a spinal cyst. And here I am back again.

This time I have pain, weakness, tingling in my left arm, and an MRI that shows bony neural foraminal stenosis at C5/6 that corresponds to this. There is some pain in the upper back that might be due to bone narrowing at C4/5. An epidural helped make the pain bearable, but the neurological symptoms are still there, and perhaps getting worse. (I've been dealing with this since early September only. Before then I felt fine.)

I have a feeling surgery will be recommended, and I'm not up for any new fusions.

My MRI is unchanged since 2010, when I had pain in my neck, which improved greatly after an epidural and then glutathione injections.

Getting older, more arthritic, I sense surgery in my future. Is there anything more minimal out there these days? I see the spine surgeon tomorrow for his opinion.

Thank you.

Liza Jane

Have you tried physical therapy yet? If not, I would certainly give that a try before undergoing ANY surgery. Physical therapy many times will help with these symptoms, making surgery unnecessary. I would try that before undergoing surgery. You're just NEVER the same after surgery, and you're sometimes even worse! As you well know, sometimes the pain is even worse after surgery, and the pain is NEVER gone!

So try therapy first. Give it a GOOD try too. Not just a session or two but a good long try.

I wish you the very best. Let us know what happens, will you? God bless. Hugs, Lee

I had been seeing a neuro-chiropractor is a hands-on massage type guy, not a big cracker. Very smart, he didn't think he had much to offer me, and thought I needed to get a full workup before we spent more time. I didn't find it very helpful, and I think he's very good.

I saw the surgeon, and he ordered a scoliosis series, EMG/NCS of my arm, and a myelogram, all being done tomorrow. He wouldn't hazard any opinion about whether I could make it without surgery or would need surgery; he simply said we don't have enough information to know what is causing the nerve problems, and we need to gather more information. After the tests, we can discuss what is needed or not needed. So maybe he will think Pt is okay, too. we shall see.

Oh God, don't EVER see a chiropractor unless you want to end up paralyzed. Even just ONE "crack" could put you in a wheelchair.

What you need is the kind of physical therapy that they have in regular therapy clinics. Can you get a referral to a therapist? Really & truly, therapy has helped worse problems than yours, and KEPT them going for a good long time. I'd give it a try -- it's a while lot better than surgery!!! Ask your doc about it. See if he can't get you into a therapist as soon as he can. You won't regret it. God bless. Hugs, Lee