Post cervical discectomy chronic pain

[Lefty2005]

I was 46 (am female) when I had my injury and at a healthy weight of 130 lbs at 5'3. I was injured in January of 2005 from the use of a mid-sized jack hammer at work. The performing neurosurgeon said I had severe spinal stenosis and if I didn't have surgery immediately I would continue to get worse and need it eventually anyway. My discectomy wasn't approved until July of 05. The neurosurgeon performed an anterior cervical at levels c-3 through c-5 inserting titanium plates and donor bone. (thank you donor whoever you were) He found a piece of torn off disk from c-4 (that lodged itself further down my spinal canal) and related that he felt he got all of it out. He also stated that he believes that there is nothing showing on my x-rays that indicate why I'm still in chronic pain almost 3 years after surgery. At this point he refuses to see me or speak to me. He released me from his care 9 months after the surgery even though I was in horrible pain.
My pain is at the base of my skull, the back of my neck, upper middle of my back, left shoulder, left bicep, left elbow, left forearm all the way to my hand.  I have scary horrible neck cramps that freeze me in place all of the sudden. These happen abruptly (and sometimes mid-sentence) while speaking or just relaxing and last for about 1-2 minutes then repeat themselves. That neurosurgeon has washed his hands of me completely.
I saw a couple of orthopedic surgeons because my general practitioner thought the problem could be a torn rotator cuff. But, they have shrugged their shoulders at me after seeing nothing on contrast MRI's and an arthrogram  They did see a frayed rotator cuff and a ''possible and poorly seen'' torn medial but didn't feel it necessary to do anything arthoscopically. They only told me to see a pain management doctor.
I had been with a pain management doctor for 5 months already, so their comments were of no help.
I had an EMG around 6-10 months after the surgery which did show moderate nerve damage and was told that the good news was that I was healing.
My chronic pain has caused many problems for me.
I had a good paying job with great health benefits before and now have been cut off from them.
I have been unable to work for these past  3 years.
I can't sit up without propping my head for rest for more than a few hours at a time.
My left arm and shoulder experience excruciating pain if I try to lift my arm to the side over shoulder height.
I can't carry anything over a few pounds with my left arm, drive or turn a steering wheel with both arms, sweep with a broom, rake, vacuum, ride a bike or other simple activities unless I pay for it later with horrible pain and a possible trip to the emergency room to get a shot (of tramadol?).
So, I sit and watch everyone else have a life and  I still have hope that I can find a cure for this.
My pain doctor has had me on 50 mg Fentanyl patches for 4 months and I'm afraid of becoming addicted to them. He had me on 75 mg but they caused too many  sleep and breathing disturbances...he has me on vicoprofin for break through pain.  I'm also so afraid of becoming addicted to those so I usually take them only as a last resort prior to a possible trip to the ER.
Who else can I see?
What else can I do to solve this puzzle?
Is this going to be it for me for the rest of my life if it's now been 3 years?
Are their any other tests?
I feel trapped in an incapable body.
None of the doctors will tell me if they think it's permanent.
I NEED to know so I can plan my life and make permanent adjustments.
Can you help?

[ladywolf63]

Oh PS...try a muscle relaxer for those neck cramps...and don't what ever you do get on a benzo..i.e. valium, xanax, etc.....Soma works best for me. I have a plate of titanium in my neck...did they do the same to you?
I can't add you to my friends list, but you can add me if you like. It's good to have ppl like us to talk to..I have a friend that's had this done 18 times..so, he was my sounding board. Ppl like us understand where doc's usually don't. Don't mean to speak bad of doctors, my x brother in law runs
Scott-White...but when it comes to pain, let them walk in our shoes for 1 day and lets see them write their own scripts. ;)
Hang in there, I know it's hard...but it will eventually get leveled out...have you filed for your SSDI yet? DO SO NOW!!!
Will talk more...til then. Good Luck and I hope you have a better day today.
LadyWolf

[ladywolf63]

Hi Lefty, Sorry to hear your surgery didn't turn out as well as you hoped it would. I too am in the same state. It's been since '99 that I had my surgery and it's my left upper extremity also. I'm being a little sarcastic here, but don't you just love the parasthesias and neuraglia you feel. I know you don't. It sounds like you too have neurapathy, where the nerve root got crushed or damaged either in the accident or surgery. Mine was that the doc took a nice little drill bit to drill out my foramen ( the hole the nerve runs thru) and i have the nerve literally hanging by a thread. Yea..OUCH! I feel your pain as well.
I also went the route of fentanyl and MS. STOP the fentanyl if you have breathing problems, this is a serious side affect. Read the insert or look it up online. Call your doctor. You can become addicted to it since it is a heavy/hard narcotic. Have you tried any other pain meds? Fentanyl comes in 25mcg, 50mcg, 75mcg and 10mcg patches...micrograms is alot smaller dose than milligrams if that tells you how strong this medication is. It's normally used to put ppl out for surgery. Yea, it's an anesthetic drug in high doses. DONT JUST STOP THE DRUG ALL TOGETHER!!!! SEE YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT TAPERING.
Living with this does get you down, you do learn to deal after awhile..although it's taken me several and i do mean several years to deal with the pain, the loss of my life and career.
Have you tried Physical therapy?, a TENS unit? Pain Management doctors can be tricky..dont' go for the shots, they will only make the pain worse, but do damage to your joints due to the meds they use. I've watched too many friends indure this pain and the lasting side affects from them.
Planning your life: First get on some anti-depressants, due to chronic pain we go into depressed states due to the life we lead isn't what it was before. There are other tests; mylograms, MRI's with contrast to see if your nerve root is damaged. I just want to warn you, if you thought the EMG hurt, the mylogram is very painful. This patient refused them....being in the medical field for yrs before my accident I learned alot, listened alot and saw alot, we make horriable patients..lol, but we know what the doc's are doing or not doing.
Try to concentrate on a positive attitute. I KNOW THIS IS HARD!!! I went into deep depression due to this. I hope you have lots of family around you to help you out, this helps our state of mind also.
Also, when you go to the doc's..ask alot of questions, make them answer. If you don't understand what they are saying tell them to put it into layman's terms for you to understand. Think about it, do research and then get back with them on the answers to thier "tests", or "meds"...
And if you hurt, by all means go to ER and get something to help you out...I had to with a 50mcg patch of fentanyl on me as well.
Need to talk more about how ya feel and what to do, just holla...I'll add you to my friends list.
I understand where you are at in this world of pain and "where to now" deal, believe me.
With Prayers,
LadyWolf

[justme605]

We have the same symptoms and just had the nerves burned with radio frequency.  It took the pain away for 3 weeks.  For some people it lasts months or years. Something to try.

[bev62]

I am in the same shape as you.  I fell at work in May 2005.  I first had rotator cuff surgery and after I had no relief I was sent to a NS.  I had herniated disks at C5-C7.  So I had an ACDF in Nov 2006. By the time the surgery was done my doctor said the disks had totally colapsed. I've been in worse pain ever since my surgery. I have constant pain and burning in my neck, right shoulder, and arm.  My NS has done every test that could be thought of.  I've had epidural injections, a mylagram followed by two blood patches, CT scans, EMG and nerve conduction test.  He even thought that the pain was coming from my ulnar nerve. So in August I had surgery on my elbow only to find some scare tissue, probably from the fall.  Now I can't even feel my ring finger or pinky and I have a nine inch scar on my arm.  Even my doctor said there was no improvement from the surgery. Since my injury was the result of a work accident  I'm having to deal with workers comp on top of everything else.  I still have not been able to return to work.  I have an appointment in two weeks to start pain management.  I go back to my doctor next week and I expect he will say that I am as good as I will get and give me an impairment rating.  What kind of impairment rating did you get?  I don't know if he will try to send me back to work or not.  My job was very physical and repetative. I had a pychological evaluation a few months ago and was advised not to even drive because of my depression. I have two small children ages 4 and 7.  I have to have help to even care for them. So wonder why I'm depressed?  After reading some of the post on this forum it seems that there are a lot of people in the same shape that we are in after having a fusion.   I wish I had some advice, but I can only put you in my prayers and hope we can get some kind of relief from the pain soon. Good luck.