Surgery & c5/6 foraminal stenosis

Hi Lori and all fellow sufferers,

I had no proper pain control for almost 2 years. Usual meds, the only thing that gave me peace and sleep was a pain patch. Butransorphine, morphine based patch which you wear for 24/7, to begin with I was on 5micro per patch but after several weeks put on 10micro. Never looked back as far as pain is concerned.

Brevis,

I am taking 600mg Gabapentin 3 times a day, 500 mg Naproxen 2 times a day, 3 50mg Amatryptaline per night, 10 microns of pain patch 24/7 and 3 50 mgs of(yes you guessed it)Sertraline per morning, for depression, I am lucky not to feel to groggy but am a pretty chunky weght, guess that counts for a lot. I should have fusion of c4,5,6,7 but have not got the bottle as with complications have only 50% chance of making it without dire consequences.

Hi Lori, Brevis & all:  Had a flare up this weekend, post cervical steroid shot #2.  I think the shot gave me about 10 good days and since I took advantage of them to get things done around the house, it actually caused a setback.  Kinda like when you take Prednisone for a while and then stop.

Anyway, I have not had the surgery and dread it.  You who have had it are the brave ones.  I will not go quietly into the operating room.

As to Tramadol and Methocarbamol (robaxin), I have taken both for years.  Robaxin and Tizanidine are two really good prescription muscle relaxers.  If you have to drive or work, I find that 1/2 tab is the max, as a whole tablet of Methocarbamol (500 or 750 mg) puts me to sleep.  I have taken it since 1996 when a jerkwad hit my truck from behind going 90 MPH and gave me my 2nd whiplash injury.  Now, 19 years later at age 55, I am reaching the point of no return on healing... seems to be a downhill slide.

Tramadol is a so-so pain killer.  Hydrocodone is better but more restricted and more habit forming.

As to heating pads, I just ordered another "Vintage" Battle Creek thermophore on Ebay.  The newer model heating pads in the US do NOT get hot.  They passed some UL standard a few years ago and the newer heating pads have a thermal governor on them, so they dont get warm enough.  Now there is a market on Ebay for vintage 80's and 90's jheating pads that still actually get hot.  The Thermophore 4" x 17" Petite model is perfect for CS sufferers and nwo that I have two of them I feel OK sharing this with you, so there wont be a shortage on Ebay.

Like the rest of you good folks, the last 25 years, and even more so, the last 2, has been a periiod of trial and error on mattresses, pillows, massagers, heating pads, hot tubs, muscle relaxers, supplements and pain killers.

For muscle spasm, I use the Robaxin 375 (1/2 tab) during the day and full one at night, but they can cause stomach upset or tinnitus, just like Naproxen or Advil, as it is like an NSAiD.  I also use the SPZM supplement that I get on Amazon, which my accupuncturist recommended.   3 tablets to repel spams.  Works 8 times out of 10 and in about 20 minutes.  Cost is about $26 USD.

For heating pad, I sleep with the Battle Creek vintage thermophore wrapped around my neck, because it provides real moist heat.  And it gets hot, too.

For pillows, I use the mypillow site pillow, the largest one they make.  They also make a travel pillow that I take in the car.  This is by far the best pillow made.  Most cervical pillows are worth a tinker's damn.

I have a Hot Springs Prodigy Hot Tub set to 108 deg F.  Not sure what that is in Celsius or if you have anything like that in the UK.

For a massager, I have the vintage Homedics Pro massager, 7 speed. Model PA-400H, which has been discontinued by Homedics, and the new ones aren't as good, but you might find a PA-400H on Ebay, if you are lucky.  I am on my 2nd one as the first one died after 10 years of use.  

Last, but not least, after learning that LED treatments were being given by vets to dogs for arthritis issues, I bought a small infrared LED panel.  paid about $150 USD for it.  There is a nicer one called the Willow Curve, but it costs $599 USD, so I bought this one instead. It has red and infrared LEDS, and seems quite effective.  It gets surprising hot, too.  The infrared 880 nm LEDS are supposed to penetrate several cm into your tissue to reduce pain and promote circulation and healing.  Now, I know this sounds like sci-fi balderdash, but it really does stop pain.

Beyond that, I get accupuncture twice per month.  It was weekly, but my insurance plan only covers 15 sessions per year.  For those of you who have recently had surgery (Brevis), I recommend accupuncture for your nerve pain.  I would suggest 2-3 sessions per week, then reduce to 1/week.  An accupuncturist can get those irritated nerves calmed down in the first session, and the pain turned off.  Each subsequent session for me reduced the pain even further.  Flareups still happen, but the accupuncture helps those, too.

Now, I have rabbited on quite a bit, but hopefully something in here is helpful to others.

BREVIS,

Have you tried cutting a 5 micron pain patch in half, giving less dosage? I was on Tramadol for about 10 months and they did not work. When I started pain patch I stopped taking Tramadol, don't take both together. I have several complications including bladder , cannot urinate properly. After 4 invasive(up the inside of the penis)examinations and several scans they concluded there was nothing wrong with the bladder but the Spincter was being affected by the spinal cord being impinged in several places. Luckily I was put on a new capsule which relaxes the Spincter and allows urination.

My last post, which answered Brevis's question about which MyPillow I bought, was deleted by the moderator.  All my postings seem to have to go to the moderator. Not sure if it's because I'm from the United States or why. But this is my last posting I give up. I'm frustrated with the moderator. If you want to contact me I am available on the Facebook cervical spondylosis support group. There I can post without having to go through this heavy moderation censorship.

Hello Lori,

I am so sorry that you are going through this. My neck, too, has many problems in it, caused by two automobile rear-endings 18 years apart, the last one being in 2013, which caused the most severe damage and worsened an existing tiny disc herniation. I have formanial stenosis in more than one spot, severe spinal stenosis at C5-C6, a completely collapsed disc at C5-C6, herniated discs at C4-C5 and C6-C7, many bone spurs in the area, and two offset verterbrae at C5-C6 (this is retrolisthesis). The surgeons want to perform a quadruple spinal fusion, but so far I have avoided it. How? I have been submitting to osteopathic manipulative technique treatments from a qualified doctor of osteopathy. He has given me my life back. I live in California, so I don't know whether osteopathy is available in the U.K., but if you have access to a doctor of osteopathy who is trained in manipulative techniques, then you could reduce your pain and likely stop using painkillers. Here in the U.S., D.O.s attend medical school and acquire the same training as M.D.s, but then they engage in additional training that teaches them to regard the human body as a whole system with great capability for self-healing. The D.O. trained in OMT uses his or her hands to facilitate the healing. While acupuncture is good for pain relief, OMT is great for actual healing of the injuries. This doesn't mean that the stenosis goes away per se, but it means that the pressure on the nerves is alleviated.

Chiropractic is very dangerous for these types of injuries, and I sure hope you haven't tried that. You could end up paralyzed. I also tried one year of physical therapy in 2013 before I found the osteopath. Physical therapy did me more harm than good. P.T. only engages with muscles. It fails to address systemic problems with the way the joints articulate with nerves, fascia, tendons, ligaments, etc.

There is a directory online of osteopathic physicians. I hope you can find one near you.

Best wishes,

Gina

Hi Lowri, I belong to a FB group called cervical myelopathy support group, all spine, joint and muscle conditions. Many members have radiculopathy and myelopathy like you. Surgeons do not normally operate for symptoms of pain only as they feel this can be treated with meds. They will however treat symptoms that effect your quality of life such as paralysis etc. I hope you get the help you need. Why not come and join us in the FB group

Hello!

11 years ago I had a similar problem, constant pain from my neck to fingers on the left hand. Medicin and epidural, I tried everything, it did not help. After more then one year suffering (10 years ago) C5-C6 disc was replaced with an artificial disc Prestige LP. After the surgery, the pain is not constant and it's "better" pain. I'd got Lyrica (Pregabalin) for some years, and now - massage every 2 weeks. It helps not worse.

You need to know, that after the operation you can't be like a new , not exactly... But it may be better.