In your opinion, do you think they'll fix this surgically?
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hello group, brand new here. I am so glad I found this site for some support.
August 2015 I had ACDF at c6-7. I was under the doctors care for a year
About 2 weeks ago I woke up to excruciating pain on the left side of my neck. When I had surgery in2015 it was on the right side. There is no other pain like it. It felt lany help ike the exact same pain I had before surgery. It is going down my left arm, my left leg is numb and tingling in some areas. Embarrassing, but at times I can not hold my urine.
2 days ago I had a test called XR Myelogram cervical, and one called CT cervical spine with contrast.
Findings: mild spinal stenosis at c5-6 & c6-7
Surgical fusion at c6-7
Moderate left foraminal narrowing at c6-7
This is as painful if not more so than when I had my surgery. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I see my neurosurgeon this Tuesday to go over the results. What do you think they'll do?
Thank you for any help anyone can give. Sorry this is so long.
0 likes, 5 replies
Carolineq8 jessejames1882
Posted
So sorry your suffering, it sounds like maybe youve had a muscle spasm due to the the stenosis in your neck, this is a way your body protects an area from further harm but it is excruciating and could be why you have tingling down your arm as you've probably trapped a nerve, now I'm no expert but hopefully this is the case and will ease in a few days/weeks, the neck is very delicate and can take longer to heal. Are you doing exercises for your neck? this has happened to me a couple of times so I understand the level of pain you mention and after my first major spasm it took 18 months to heal. Good luck and let us know what the neuro says 😊
jessejames1882 Carolineq8
Posted
thank you for replying to my post.
My arm is mostly in pain, down the back of my arm, and my neck seems to be getting worse as far as pain goes. I'll come back to my post and let you know what they say tomorrow.
jessejames1882 Carolineq8
Posted
One question, do you know how they fix stenosis? I don't think I can go like this with my pain level without it being fixed somehow
allaroundanne jessejames1882
Posted
I am a retired pain management doc, and if you see a surgeon LOL yes they will fix it surgically. I think you may have two different things going on here. The arm symptoms are related to the mild stenosis and that moderate foraminal narrowing which is constricting the nerve root at C6-7 where it comes out. That is giving you all the numbness and tingling in your left arm. I'd see a pain management doc first and see if a couple of cervical epidural steroids could calm down any swelling you have going on enough to stop your pain and tingly and save you from surgery. In the meantime get an order for physical therapy. Your other problem with your leg and urine I think is related to something going on lower down in your spine and so you need studies done of your lumbar spine. It makes sense if you have arthritis in your neck that you would have it elsewhere in your spine. You need to get this looked at right away as the problem with your bladder can become permanent if left for too long.
jessejames1882 allaroundanne
Posted
Thank you for your reply.
The neurosurgeon I'm seeing tomorrow also runs a pain managment clinic. He s also the same surgeon who did my surgery before. This pain in my neck feels just like it did when I had herniated discs. Its intense pain. And the pain in my arm is now worse. I wake up all night long from the neck or arm pain. I just hope he fixes it.