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Shooting pain from under the left shoulder blade
I am having shooting pain along the left side under my left shoulder blade down my left side in the back under my left arm, to the front breast area.
Went to an orthopedic surgeon, and a neurologist, based on my recent MRI they say I need spinal fusion surgery of my c4, c5 c6 c7 in the neck. The neurosurgeon wants to have a brain MRI and MRI with dye and EMG test done to see what is going on with possible other problems.
I have been taking Lyrica, and Voltrean anti inflammatory, and the pain comes on in waves when I resume a daily activity.
Some of my pain may not be from the neck they want to find out if there is something else.
Any clues to what might be an alternative to surgery and possible other ailments would be appreciated.
Do injections work better than the meds?
Does surgery ever work?
Went to an orthopedic surgeon, and a neurologist, based on my recent MRI they say I need spinal fusion surgery of my c4, c5 c6 c7 in the neck. The neurosurgeon wants to have a brain MRI and MRI with dye and EMG test done to see what is going on with possible other problems.
I have been taking Lyrica, and Voltrean anti inflammatory, and the pain comes on in waves when I resume a daily activity.
Some of my pain may not be from the neck they want to find out if there is something else.
Any clues to what might be an alternative to surgery and possible other ailments would be appreciated.
Do injections work better than the meds?
Does surgery ever work?
It’s perfectly normal to be anxious in your situation; your world has been turned upside down by this. Prior to my surgery I never really understood anxiety or depression; I didn’t know it could have such a profound effect on a person. I’ve always been a very strong person emotionally, and have always dealt well with crisis, but this surgery thing is completely different.
Do you have a lot of chest pain and pressure, is that why you think something is wrong with your heart? If you’re that concerned have it checked out, but I will tell you that I thought the same thing too. I let my neck problems deteriorate to the point were I was almost out of my mind in pain before I got a diagnosis. I’ve had low back problems and surgery. And I had similar nerve pain in my leg, as what I was having in my upper extremities, but I had no idea what was wrong and I thought maybe it would go away, that's a man thing, we do a lot of stupid things like this.
So one minute I’m working, the next I’m told that I’m going to need surgery and I’m at home taking pain killers and muscle relaxants. I was scared and depressed and was in a lot of pain, I had chest pain and pressure, it went from my back right through to the front. And it seemed like my heart was beating too fast. My Doctor was perfectly willing to order a stress test and others on my heart if I wanted. But she said I didn’t have any of the risk factors for heart disease and that chest pain can be cause by cervical disorders, and also that my anxiety was probably making it worse. So I decided not to have any tests. You’re going to have to have a complete physical before your surgery, its standard practice. If there’s something wrong with your heart they won’t operate.
Neck pain is only one aspect of cervical spine disorders, its not uncommon not to have it. The degeneration you have, the foraminal stenosis, bone spurs etc are pinching some of the nerves in your neck. These nerves go to various places in your upper extremities, such as the shoulder and shoulder blade area, chest, arms, hands and others. Once the pressure is taken off those nerves roots, you won’t have so much pain. They’ll be able to fine tune your diagnosis with the EMG.
What you’re going through is also probably very stressful on your husband, he probably feels helpless at times and it’s hard to see someone you care about in pain. As far as your co-workers, it’s not possible for people who have not been through similar circumstances to have any idea of the physical and emotional toll something like this takes on a person.
I had trouble sleeping too, I had to have a sleeping pill prescribed, and it helped a lot. You might want to ask your Doctor about it. Just make sure its safe to take with your other meds. I was taking Temazapam 30mg and then after surgery I went down to15mg. They don’t like to prescribe sleeping pills because they can be addictive, but I didn’t have any trouble getting off of them, you’ll feel better if you get more rest.
As far as Neuro or Orthopedic surgeon, I really don’t know. I don’t have any personal preference. I had my low back surgery done by an Orthopedic Spine Surgeon and my neck done by a Neurosurgeon, they were both competent. Some people say that Neurosurgeon are better with nerves, but Orthopedic Spine Surgeons generally do a fellowship in spine surgery in addition to their other training. None of them have what you would consider a good bedside manner, but it’s more important that they know what there doing. If there’s something else you need to know just let me know.
Take Care
Do you have a lot of chest pain and pressure, is that why you think something is wrong with your heart? If you’re that concerned have it checked out, but I will tell you that I thought the same thing too. I let my neck problems deteriorate to the point were I was almost out of my mind in pain before I got a diagnosis. I’ve had low back problems and surgery. And I had similar nerve pain in my leg, as what I was having in my upper extremities, but I had no idea what was wrong and I thought maybe it would go away, that's a man thing, we do a lot of stupid things like this.
So one minute I’m working, the next I’m told that I’m going to need surgery and I’m at home taking pain killers and muscle relaxants. I was scared and depressed and was in a lot of pain, I had chest pain and pressure, it went from my back right through to the front. And it seemed like my heart was beating too fast. My Doctor was perfectly willing to order a stress test and others on my heart if I wanted. But she said I didn’t have any of the risk factors for heart disease and that chest pain can be cause by cervical disorders, and also that my anxiety was probably making it worse. So I decided not to have any tests. You’re going to have to have a complete physical before your surgery, its standard practice. If there’s something wrong with your heart they won’t operate.
Neck pain is only one aspect of cervical spine disorders, its not uncommon not to have it. The degeneration you have, the foraminal stenosis, bone spurs etc are pinching some of the nerves in your neck. These nerves go to various places in your upper extremities, such as the shoulder and shoulder blade area, chest, arms, hands and others. Once the pressure is taken off those nerves roots, you won’t have so much pain. They’ll be able to fine tune your diagnosis with the EMG.
What you’re going through is also probably very stressful on your husband, he probably feels helpless at times and it’s hard to see someone you care about in pain. As far as your co-workers, it’s not possible for people who have not been through similar circumstances to have any idea of the physical and emotional toll something like this takes on a person.
I had trouble sleeping too, I had to have a sleeping pill prescribed, and it helped a lot. You might want to ask your Doctor about it. Just make sure its safe to take with your other meds. I was taking Temazapam 30mg and then after surgery I went down to15mg. They don’t like to prescribe sleeping pills because they can be addictive, but I didn’t have any trouble getting off of them, you’ll feel better if you get more rest.
As far as Neuro or Orthopedic surgeon, I really don’t know. I don’t have any personal preference. I had my low back surgery done by an Orthopedic Spine Surgeon and my neck done by a Neurosurgeon, they were both competent. Some people say that Neurosurgeon are better with nerves, but Orthopedic Spine Surgeons generally do a fellowship in spine surgery in addition to their other training. None of them have what you would consider a good bedside manner, but it’s more important that they know what there doing. If there’s something else you need to know just let me know.
Take Care
Thank You Kalvin, going for my consultation with the neurologist which was recommended by my orthopedic surgeon, he is going to go over my MRI with imaging, cranial MRI, and EMG test I had last week.
It makes me wonder if I had a heart condition how long it would take to get a doctor to see me? Pain has a way of changing a persons demeanor.
They had me on oxycodone,valium,valteran anti inflammatory. And now Lyrica. Anxiety in my daily routine seems to bring on the worst of the pain to the point I feel like it's going right through my heart. My husband is supportive but he has a hard time figuring the right thing to do. We go through ice packs, heating pads, pain cream rub downs, light massages. They all help at times but not all the time. Going to bed is the hardest thing to do, as is getting up. My sleep time ranges from 1-5hrs a night. I am still working, but my co workers don't seem to understand the type of stress the pain is causing and it is becoming harder to cope with them. My husband has been checking on people who have had neck fusion surgery and they have been positive.
I am still apprehensive because the pain doesn't feel like it's in my neck itself, and it's hard to imagine surgery correcting all my pain issues. But the docs seem to know that the M/O is never the same for some of my neck issues, narrowing,degenerative, bone spurs,etc. If surgery is my only option should I have it with my orthopedic surgeon who specializes in neck and spine, or see a neuro surgeon?
It makes me wonder if I had a heart condition how long it would take to get a doctor to see me? Pain has a way of changing a persons demeanor.
They had me on oxycodone,valium,valteran anti inflammatory. And now Lyrica. Anxiety in my daily routine seems to bring on the worst of the pain to the point I feel like it's going right through my heart. My husband is supportive but he has a hard time figuring the right thing to do. We go through ice packs, heating pads, pain cream rub downs, light massages. They all help at times but not all the time. Going to bed is the hardest thing to do, as is getting up. My sleep time ranges from 1-5hrs a night. I am still working, but my co workers don't seem to understand the type of stress the pain is causing and it is becoming harder to cope with them. My husband has been checking on people who have had neck fusion surgery and they have been positive.
I am still apprehensive because the pain doesn't feel like it's in my neck itself, and it's hard to imagine surgery correcting all my pain issues. But the docs seem to know that the M/O is never the same for some of my neck issues, narrowing,degenerative, bone spurs,etc. If surgery is my only option should I have it with my orthopedic surgeon who specializes in neck and spine, or see a neuro surgeon?
The alternatives to surgery would be medications, such as an anti-inflammatory to reduce swelling and pain, muscle relaxants to calm spasm, and narcotic painkillers to alleviate pain. Spinal injections can also help relieve neck and related upper extremity pain, I’ve never had them, but I know they’ve helped a lot of people. There’s also Physical therapy, which may include gentle massage, stretching, therapeutic exercise, bracing, or traction to decrease pain and increase function.
This is a very extensive surgery you’re contemplating. Dependant on your pain levels, I would try all the various meds and injections first, they might just help. If you decide to try PT make sure that your Surgeon specifies the exact type of therapy he wants you to have so that the Therapists know, and stay away from Chiropractors. Their fine for low back problems, but don’t let one touch your neck.
Finally, for a surgery this extensive you should get at least one, if not 2 more opinions. And yes these surgeries do sometimes work, although you wouldn’t know that by reading these boards. Surgery should only be used as a last resort and don’t commit to it until you’ve tried all other options and gotten other opinions. If there’s anyway I can be of help to you just let me know.
Best of Luck
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