swelling of throat

Ihave written before about my spinal cord being compressed at C4and C5 and awaiting surgery. I now have swelling in my throat & my tongue also feels swollen.  Could this be connected thru inflamation (inflammation) of my neck/spine? on my MRI scan it showed my cord is compressed to about 1.5 milimeters thick in a side view & on a  downward view it looks to be about 10to12 milimeters wide .can the Dr tell me if surgery is urgent .I am in severe pain 24/7  thank you for your time .    Regards boycee.uk

[PaulMD]

Aside from the spine compression, other things to look at in your situation is the possibility of blood vessel compression as well.  Nerve compression alone cannot cause tissue swelling but blood or venous compression can cause this.  However, these can be a separate problem from the spine compression and can be due to viral or bacterial infection of the upper respiratory tract.  It is best to inform your doctors about this and be evaluated.

Regards.

[boycee]

Thank you for your prompt reply, It was very helpfull. I am still worried though about the length of time im waiting for surgery. It has been about 2 months since diagnosis & it mabye another 2 months before my pre;op assesment, after that who knows? I dont know how long Ican put up with the pain.Im sorry to ask for more of your time  but would be greatful for any advice you can offer. very many thanks to you for your help so far.        Best Regards Boycee

[PaulMD]

While waiting for surgery, it is best to undergo rehabilitation exercises with the guidance of a physical therapist as well as maximizing the pain medications.

[ggreg]

Dear Boy,
Plez do what Dr. Paul said to do in his first reply to you.  Go to the physician who recommended surgery for you or to your general practitioner.  You can likely get a squeeze-in emergency appointment this week.  

Tell him what you've said here, that your throat and tongue are swelling, and that you also have unbearable pain in your neck, and your surgery is months away.  That way, he can do as Dr. Paul suggested, which is find out if you have a respiratory infection or throat infection of some kind, which might be causing the swelling.  Also, he can prescribe medication to knock down that neck pain, which since you have pictures that prove cord compression, he shouldn't hesitate to provide pain meds you.  I've been in a situation where I thought I was choking to death, and it was absolutely terrifying.  I also lived with dreadful spine pain for years, so I know just how awful you feel.  

I just wanted to elaborate on what Dr. Paul has said to you, and to emphasize that it is important you go ahead and get these two matters under control, the swelling and pain, since your surgery is so very far away.  In addition, if you have a respiratory infection and it sticks around, they won't do surgery, which would really be a bummer.  You do not have to sit around and be miserable.  So, I encourage you to visit your doc soon.  

But if you really only wanted to know if the problem with your spine is causing your throat swelling, Dr. Paul has already answered that for you, and sorry for barging in.
GG