Help

You will get lots of help and advice on this site, you have many fellow sufferers.

My c/s began at levels c4,5, 6,7 and now requires complete fusion of cervical spine, nothing to be done until absolutely needed.

My symptoms included numbness/tingling  in both upper limbs, numbness of toes in both feet, then progressed to very heavy legs and bladder dysfunction. Much pain in both arms,shoulders and neck. Now take various meds for pain and lately put on bacaflan for leg spasms.

Symptoms of c/s vary from person to person, some feel no pain, others, like myself, lots of pain. Pain control is very important because it can be 24/7.

Mike.

Hi thomas, 

My main problem are osteophytes  (bone spurs), growing inside the spinal canal and pushing into the spinal cord. Originally at c5-c6. My neurologist wanted to operate from front of neck to clear root problem on left arm/shoulder, then, 6 months later to operate from back of neck to try to remove bone spurs from spinal cord (although he could not guarantee success as bone spurs were very close to adjacent blood vessel.

I signed the consent forms there and then. Due to various delays, cancellations and c**k-ups on their part (hospital), my operations didn't go ahead until it was to late and a full fusion was necessary  but not recommended until really needed, due to constriction of movement and possible future failure.

My bladder problems came on gradually until I realised I could not urinate standing up and had to sit for about 15 minutes until bladder felt empty. My neurosurgeon would not accept that the fault lay with spinal cord problem and I had to jump through hoops for almost about year until finally my urologist videod the internal workings of my bladder and it was found to be "involuntary spasms of the sphincter muscle interfering with the bladder movement". I was put on Tamsulosin to relax the sphincter and allow me to urinate more easily.

I do not want to panic you, mine was probably not the normal experience of c/s sufferers.

Mike.

Hi, your neck is like mine. Wow, I haven't had fusion and the last specialist that I saw said that he wasn't going to touch anything. He had a crazy look on his face after looking at my X-ray, CT scan and MRI. Shook his head and said that he wasn't going to touch it. I liked his honesty but was sad to know that I couldn't get any help. He offered the idea of getting a mylogram. I said nope ain't doing that so Thomas I don't know what to tell you. Pray on it.

Hi thomas, 

Good days-bad days. I have been getting physio for my heavy legs but last time I could hardly walk afterwards. My legs and lower back really hurt and the leg spasms are worse than ever. If I wasn't on my pain meds it would probably be agonising, and I have a return of sciatica pain in right hip.

What meds have you been prescribed for your pain control?

I take it you have private medical insurance for all of these different opinions your getting, I got one.

Mike.