protruding disc at C5-6 & C6-7...any advice?

i'm a 19 yr old female that was in a car accident in early april of 2007. i was rear ended while i was completely stopped at a red light and i watched this person hit me. they say that made the whole thing worse.  i had x rays performed and was told nothing is wrong.

they then sent me to physical therepy and i went to about 3-4 sessions and the physical therepist felt that i wasn't getting any better and i was too tense and it's be better not to see me right then. then i was sent to a nerosurgen and when he checked my reflexes in my left elbow my arm didn't move at all. my right one was fine. and he went back to my left again and tried to brush it off. i know that wasn't right but he continued like nothing was wrong. he proscribed muscle relaxers and said to go back to my family physican.

then i was told to try light excersie and i should be fine. i started to walk a little more. i noticed i was unusually  weak in my arms. any activity at all is very painful in my arms,, shoulders, back, neck, ect. then i noticed my back throbbing when i try to relax. gradually i noticed numbing in my lower back. i noticed when i tried to walk down a small set of stairs my legs get tingley almost kind of like pins were sticking me. my most recent findings are spasms almsot my entire right side of my body continuously thoughtout the day and all over when i try to relax and fingers sometimes going numb on my left hand.

[sunshine2008]

You and I have a similar situation.How many Doctors have you seen? And If you have not had an MRI yet that would be your first step.After the MRI I think you should see another doctor..(go back to your GP and express your concerns and suggest an MRI  and after your results ask for a referral to a good doctor)    
This is my story...
  I am a 18 year old female and I was  involved in a car accident in March 2007. I was at a complete stop and and two cars rear-ended me( the 1st car that hit me.....their car was totaled and the one behind was messed up).The.pain is always there, most of my pain is in the center of my spine and the left side of my upperback and middleback area.The left side of that area gets numb and tingly. I've had 8 MRI'S(3 cervical, 3thoracic, 1 lumbar, 1 sacral). I was told I have 3 cervical bulging disks.I was given a variety of pain meds,muscles relaxers, and anti-inflammatories(Nothing worked). I went to physical therapy for 2-3 months but was discharged because they told me they couldn't help me any longer. I did ultrasound therapy,traction,exercises,stretching,tens units, 1 adjustment and massages.I recieves 3 trigger point injections in May.I then started seeing a neurologist and had an EMG and NCV study and both came back normal. I then recieved 4 cortisone injections and it didnt work. After my orthopedic said he couldn't help me anymore he referred me to pain management. I recieved an cervical epidural on Septmber 21st...... and that didnt work either(that doctor told me after the 3rd epidural that i would need surgery).I did not go through with anymore epidurals because my parents wanted another opinion.I have seen more than 8 doctors and the most i've gotten is "bulging disks and myofascial pain syndrome" I cant doing anything because of the pain.I was told from the very begining that the cervival disks are nothing to worry about.THIS MY SENIOR YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL.

[Medgirl1]

I am a 41 yr old that was involved in a car accident as well.  Except the person hit me from the front.   I have had MRIs done.  !st Neurologist that I seen said nothing was wrong, then I went to pain mgmt and he seen the problem that I had.  I have three cervical herniations with one bulging.  I also have severe burning in my lower back.   I had the EMG testing done, normal.  I have had my 1st epidural, due for more.  Im hoping that you both have attorneys no matter what.  These accidents do not show symptoms right away in alot of patients, it can occur up to 2 years from the date of the accident.  You could be out somewhere and aggravate an injury and have to relive the pain and suffering all over.  Not to mention you are now prone to arthritis as well when you get older.  The cold weather will be problemsom.  Trust me I know, worked in the medical field for years.  If you feel you arent getting the answers, you have the right to seek a 2nd and 3rd even a 4th opinion on your injuries.  I went to two great Drs here in New Jersey.  One is a neurologist and the other is pain mgmt that has been trained to read MRI films instead of just looking at a measly report.  Good luck and God Bless you both.  If you are in the area, and would like their names... just let me know.

[Glo_worm]

thank ya'll so much for the kind words. ya'll make my injury look so small. i think i'd die if i was in ya'll shoes. if this is all they say i have wrong with me. i just know i've been through 2 MRI'S both showing that i have a protruding disc at C5-6 and C6-7.  and it was also explained to me that i don't have that natural curve in my spine that most other people have. it has been 10 some odd months. i lean over a tub and wash my hair every morning. they say i need to work it out. I'VE NEVER BEEN TO FRUSTRATED IN MY LIFE!!! i literally can not do anything without being in tears and people want to look at me and say it's minimal. like i said before they even sent me to physcologist to see if it was all in my head. i passed the test saying i was depressed. they say i'm hurting b/c i'm depressed. i say no i'm hurting b/c i was in a car accident!! and i'm depressed b/c i'm hurting. it's such a mess. i'm so tired of it all really and truely i am. AGH!!

[lifesgood]

Geez I thought I was the only one....I'm a 42yr old guy with what the Dr that conducted the CT scan 2wks ago said is "one of the worse back conditions he's seen in yrs". 20yrs ago when I 1st aggravated it, the neuro then said that If he operated there was a 90% chance of ending up in a wheelchair, i took my 10% and kept walking.Been on Panadeine forte, valium, pethadeine, endone etc for 20yrs and now I've been prescribed Oxycodine???...Have scoliosis and anterolisthesis, spondylolisthesis....Like you guys I cry in pain, I curse everyone (in slience) and I wanna give up...I have 2 teenage kids...And what annoys me is every lay-doctor wants to give advice. I don't want sympathy, I need empathy...I get depressed, I drink to kill the pain (which is an excuse, not a reason)...I have a neuro scheduled for a few wks and I am so damn scared....But aye thanks guys, I'm feeling it too....I can still smile...

[sunshine2008]

Glo_worm- I know it sucks to be in pain 24/7 with no relief....but I know life could be SOOO much worse. All I can truely say is don't feel sorry for yourself because feeling sorry for yourself will get you no where....except more pissed off at the world (trust me I def. have my days where all I want to do is to tell people off because they don't know how I am feeling and just assume im making a big deal out of nothing), but when I think about it again I realize it's useless.I personally haven't taken any pain pills in more than 4 months because I am a L.P.N(Licensed Practical Nursing) student and they can request a drug test at any time and if i don't pass I would be expelled from high school and would have the program all over again in college(it's worth up to $20,000).
Keep going to different doctors and eventually they will crack the case.(HOPEFULLY SOON!!!) Here is a list a doctors you should think about seeing:
Orthopedic,Neurologist,Physiatrist, Pain management. The next thing I would strongly suggest you get and EMG/NCV test by a neurologist,the test is to measure your electrical activity of your muscles and to measure the conductiong functions of nerves. Also something was suggested to me as a possible diagnosis. It is call TOS (Thoracic Outlet Syndrome) please do some research and see if they may apply to you.



Lifesgood- I hope everything works out with the neuro!!!!! If not keep trying different doctors. Actually try talking to family , friends, friends of the family to get a good refferal to a doctor. The more people you talk the better chance you have of finding a good doctor. Even call your GP and ask if they know any good docs.


         GOODLUCK TO BOTH OF YOU :)

[heidi1954]

i had 4 disc blow in my neck and lower back i had 2 i had them removed and replaced with cadaver bone and metal i am almost like new talk to someone about an operation istill have some pain but meds take care of that now and i can walk