LuLu
OOPS! Dont want to throw anymore into the mix for you!
thanks,
missy
oops! I meant to write I have NO experience with herniations and I am thankful for that.
good luck,
Lulu
hi bananas,
TM must have been awful, from what I have heard of it!
Yes im trying to get into PT but I have to have one more MRI cervical flex/extension. the herniation thing is a bit more complicated for me as I have some that are compressing my spinal cord including the thoracic one. I now have cervical myeopathy from them and my legs get spastic and extremely weak and I cant walk. I am trying to avoid surgery. Lots of people have herniations and they generally dont cause a problem, its only when they compress nerve roots, or your spinal cord that it becomes a problem and/or if you have stenosis.
So i hope to start soon and maybe will help, but once you get myelopathy it becomes like another ball game.
thanks for the input
Hi. I have TM, with small lesions in my cervical spine. They have caused numbness and tingling in my arms and legs.
Last month I had a new place between my shoulder blades, which prompted a new spinal MRI. It showed no thoracic and no new c-spine lesions, but I have a herniation in my thoracic, same place as you. It may have been there for years and just didn't show up in my one prior t-spine MRI.
I can't really say if my new slight symptom was because of the disc or because of my old lesions. It hasn't caused me any great pain, but I've had a hard time sitting up and standing straight probably all my life. I was a terrible sloucher as a teenager, part of that invisible, no self-esteem personality type thing.
I have bladder and bowel issues, and these have come up since the diagnosis of the TM. Attributable to the cervical lesions, or to the newly-discovered bulging disc? Who knows?
Anyway, that got me into physical therapy, and by strengthening and stretching the muscles around my neck and shoulders, I have much better posture, and much better stamina. This is after just six visits.
Ren, Karen and Lulu,
thank you for responding, im really kinda bummed out about things and I really appreciate the concern, advice and kind words. I will check out the website too, an double check with PCP too, thanks so much again,
mary
Have you been here:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Neurology/Thoracic-Disk-Herniation/show/295455
Google thoracic spine herniations. The listing from eMedicine has good info.
"When a herniated disc compromises thoracic nerve roots, the patient may present with the symptoms listed above as well as radicular pain. This pain may be intermittent or constant and is usually described as electric, burning, or shooting in nature. The distribution is often bandlike, spanning the anterior chest wall. The T10 dermatomal region is most often described as the focus of pain, irrespective of the level involved. When cord compression and myelopathy are present, pain can be in any dermatome distal to the site of compression."
Get some pain medication if you need it. Wishing you the best.
hey Karen,
Thanks for the concern, yes I have Percocet, zanaflex, klonopin. I dont have chest pain but a heavy feeling right in the middle of the sterum and when it first started I could touch the exact spot at the level of where the herniation is the md did it around my right rib cage. Thoracic radiculopathy. Now it just seems its my whole chest. I have no real chest "pain" per say, but I will get it checked out anyway by PCP.
i have had so many MRI's in the last 7 month 7 to be exact, we know my herniations are pressing on the cord, I dont know why i have to have another one so we can say that when I flex and extend my head I further compress my cord, so if that is the case so what? I never flex and extend again my head again?, how does this effect my tx??? I dont know.
thanks for caring, ur sweet.
mary
Hi,
I recently had the same symptoms you are describing. I am currently in a flare. I had a stress echo done approximately 6 months ago due to shortness of breath and chest pain. All was clear. Cardio thought it might be due to MS. Everything else checked out okay.
Sorry you are in such discomfort. I would follow up your PCP tomorrow but I agree with you, it's probably thoracic issues.
Good luck and let us know how things go.
Ren
Sorry to hear you are having a difficult time and the resultant pain. I have no experience or knowledge in spine herniations. While reading your post, what came to mind is that your neurologist is giving you solid advice that you not start PT until the results of the additional MRI come in. You need to be careful with yourself.
It's also good advice to make sure the chest pain you are experiencing is not cardiac related.
Do you have pain medication? A patient has an absolute right to be treated for pain. Maybe a trip to the ER is in order if you're having chest pain to make sure it's not cardiac related.
Take care.
lulu,
I just got off the phone with my neurologist who said go to PCP and have checked out. I just had an ekg, and echo and stress test with thallium like 2 years ago I believe, everything was cool. I dont smoke, im not overweight, my cholesterol has always been good, i was a vegetarian for 13 years, but got low iron so recently started eating meat again to get my iron up quick.
It is the sterum that hurts, it was wrapping around the side of the herniation at T7/8 and now it is heaviness and around the whole T7/8 area, The PT said today that is usually what people feel with Thoracic herniations.
But I am going to go to my PCP and get it checked out just in case. No arm, jaw, chest pain at all, no change in heart rate or difficulty breathing, just heavy and uncomfortable.
Lulu have you ever had a thoracic herniation with cord compression? or cervical with compression at all?
thanks for your concern, as someone who had a heart attack I know you know from whence? you speak. Is that the expression? :o)
thanks as always,
mary
Missy,
you write -
"I feel as if i am being suffocated a bit. My sternum hurts and it feels like bricks on my chest on and off throughout the day. It wraps around to one side and now it feels like it wraps around my whole thoracic region. "
and the first thing I think of is
"have you been seen by a cardiologist for a full work up?" Those symptoms could also be heart related. Women present heart symptoms totally different than most men - believe me because I had a heart attack last year.
At least be sure it isn't heart related by having it checked by a docotr. If it continues, do not hesitate to go to the ER.
I have experience with the herniations - I hope someone else here can be of help.
my best,
Lulu