Post surgery years later

Wow! After reading everyone’s issues with cervical and lumbar surgery, I feel really bad! I had the best doctor in Las Vegas and the greatest experience with the surgery. I had surgery at c5-7. Mine was resulting from a roller blading accident where I crashed head first into concrete “crushing” those vertebrae. (There was more to it, but anyway...) I walked around for 8 months in EXTREME pain on my left side from the ear all the way down into my back/chest and arm until I couldn’t stand it any more and went to see a doctor. After my surgery I woke up and was so excited! All the pain went away!!!!!! Completely gone like I never had a problem. I ate a full meal 4 hours after the surgery and used the rest room with out help...they were in shock. Today I am nearly pain-free with 80% movement. Haha! I don’t get on anything with wheels anymore with the exception of my Schwinn cruiser.

That was April of 2008. My question is: Is there anyone out there with a similar surgery that started had pinching nerve pain from the same area that returned YEARS later? How do you make it go away? I get a pinching pain at the top of the fusion. I’ve had a pinching on the LEFT side that runs up into my ear. It’s so annoying that it can wake me up at 4:13 am, make it hard to turn my head, etc. etc. etc. I’ve got so much pain that I resort back to lowertab because otc pain medication doesn’t touch the pain. I am 40 years old and don’t want to live in this extreme of pain any more.

My question to anyone and everyone is...have you had this experience? I can’t go back to the doctor because I don’t live in Vegas any more, my doctor isn’t practicing any more and worse, I don’t have insurance that would even cover a visit, an X-ray or mri. Even if I did, Florida doctors area HUGE crap shoot to find a really good one...worse than you think in Vegas.

Thanks for your help.