Looking for advice

[krdo391869]

Has anyone had a c5\6 disc herniation that has caused pain shooting threw left shoulder from the back to the left hand finger tips? How do you determine when it is bad enough for surgery? How much worse is it going to get?(symptom wise) Thank you for any responses.

[bluespence]

I currently have DDD at C6/C7 and some other stuff in the same area. i also had shooting pain down my entire arm and my fingers were numb. I am currently doing physical therapy and if this doesn't work then we are going to discuss surgery. But deciding when or if to have surgery should be btn you and your doc and get a second opinion if you need too. Hope that helps..

[krdo391869]

I thank you for your answer. I guess what I am looking for is what I can expect symptom wise down the line. Some sort of progression. Thank you

[lisae1972]

I also have C5/C6 herniated discs and yes it does progress unless you find an intervention that works besides surgery.I hurt my neck 2 years ago at work while lifting a patient.In the beginning I had the numbness of my upper arm and left hand and fingers.It did,over time,progress to include pain in the arm and fingers as well as my left shoulder.I also have a sort of numb tingling up the left side of my face and the back of my head.I have nights that I don't sleep at all.I use Lidocaine patches,Voltaren Gel,TENS unit,but what I have found to give me at least some relief is Lyrica and cervical traction at home.I take Oxycontin,Dilaudid and Percocet and none of them touch the pain at all.I take those for pain from the treatments I had for breast cancer.I have been putting off having the injections in my neck but I will eventually try it.I had thought seriously about having the surgery and being done with it until I found out that they cut the front of your neck.That just gives me chillbumps lol.I know how you feel and I hope that you can find some relief.

[krdo391869]

I can certainly see that worry about the incision in the front of the neck. I already have been advised about the shots (nerve blocks) but my physician said that they don't work all the time. I then asked about surgery and she said only as a last resort. Apparently I will still be on all of these meds even with surgery. I guess I will never get my quality of life back to where it was. I want to cut the pain pills in half due to the amount but it is at a point now where outside of the numbness and pain in the arms and shoulders that I cannot. I don't think I could function at this point without them. It as you know is hard to get going in the morning. I used to say a bad neck day was someone squeezing the back of my neck all day but now it is like having a 12" cinder block on it all day. Has this problem progressed into other discs? It has now become a chore just to bed over and pull up a pair of socks in the morning. I hope that in the future you find something that works please let me know if you do. Thank You for your response. And Good Luck in the future.

[noneck]

Sounds like classic disc disease of the neck. Surgery may be the only thing that helps. But I would try cervical decompression and P.T. with a cold laser machine, before any surgery. I'v had 6 neck fusions and with the pain I had the scar on my neck was the last of my worries. If you have arm problems confirmed by M.R.I. you probably are a candidate for surgery, and it will get worse without surgery. There can be permanent damage to your arm if ignored. Above all you must be ready for surgery and can't live with the pain anymore before considering surgery.

Hope I Help

[richmill1]

I had c5-7 fused in Feb and got my life back..when pain can't be touched by drugs and more conservative treatment does not work..surgery is needed...fusion is actually pretty routine...the 5 guys I know that have had it all had good results...
when you lose muscle strenght it's time to get serious..good luck

[krdo391869]

If I made the decision to have surgery how long is recuperation? How long would I be off from work? Will I get all of my strength back? Does it still mean I will be on meds? The disc herniated are c5\6 and c6\7 both are pushing into the spinal cord. What are the risks? I am a plumber\welder for 20 years and my doctor doesn't think I could do this anymore. Is this true? I have 2 young boys so I pretty much have to work. Any advice or answers would be great. Thank You.