C6-C7 injury

[Bijou1]

I have a c6-c7 disk herniation pressing on the right side of my spine.  I have been dealing with alot of pain and, intially, some weakness and numbness in my shoulders and right arm.  I am in a profession where lifting is required.  The neurosurgeon I have seen strongly recommended surgery and has a good reputation.  The pain has gotten better and it has been about 4 mo-I have had an epidural steroid injection that helped a little.  I am taking neurontin 600 mg TID, celebrex 200 mg BID, Methocarbimol 750mg BID.  I have noticed some numbness in my feet and am wondering if this could be a side effect of one of the meds or if this could have anything to do with the herniation.  I have never had any numbness here before and it is getting progressively worse over the past week.  I know it is hard to give a suggestion of the cause without examining directly but in general could this be caused by either the herniation or one of the meds?  Thank you so much for your suggestions.

[stormcloudfyre]

HI,
I had  C6/7  Fused by Clowards proceedure in Feb of 1982 thatas 21 years aproaching with  NO PAIN not one  twinge. Thesurg was simple I wsa released 2 days after surg  I had no pain folloing surg.  requiring any  medication.  What are you wiating For !  

I coach Cyclists at the  olympic level  and  weight lifting is a hoby of mine.

  NOTE   I had a  BOne WEDGE not an  Autogelous   Paste put in my disk  space.  In my  associationwith   c6/7  Fusion  recipients I do not advise the PASTE I need  C1/2 and  4/5 Fused  I WILL ONLY HAVE it done with the WEDGE!

IF the doctors read this  TAKE NOTE I DO NOT KNOW OF A SUCESSFULL  FUSION using the  bone paste! its just a  Floppy way to do a Solid task ! The results are  no pain relief.

There is  A  Disk  WEdge  made of  pourous  titanium/ nickel alloy that is now available from a Montreal  Canada Lab. This is supposed to replace the  disk space in fusion surgery. The porous nature of tha allowy allows  it to   promote  bone and  blood vessle formation throughout the body of the wedge.
This looks  like a  real pracrical  sollution.      

All  proceedures I know using  wedges Are  happy Solid and Pain free.


This wedge Is  of  BOVINE Calf  Bone  not human.  There was ) rejection factor.and it seems   imune to attack by prednisone a drug that I have to take periodically, for  pulmonary Function.      


NOTE I AM not a Physician just a person  Well informed on current medical technology. Neurology/ orthopaedic are opbviously my  real  interest.  

Peter


  

The fusion was Xrayed  2 months ago it is  found to be  healthy and  rigid.

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-JT]

The numbness in your feet is not caused by the disc (especially if it's both feet rather than one side) and it's unlikely to be a side effect of the meds you mention. It sounds more like the beginning of a peripheral neuropathy, which is a condition that affects the nerves to your limbs causing numbness/tingling/odd sensations.  There are many possible causes, but the more common ones include diabetes, alcohol, nutritional deficiencies, protein abnormalities, and thyroid disease. Consider getting a neurology referral for an EMG and bloodwork.
   However, the fact that it's getting worse within a one week period is a little concerning as most peripheral neuropathies start out slow and gradually ascend to the knees and include the hands over a period of several months to years.  If this continues to rapidly worsen, spreading quickly up your legs and arms, and is accompanied by weakness or shortness of breath, you need to talk to your primary care doc or possibly go to an urgent care center for further evaluation.  There are some peripheral neuropathies that present acutely, one of which is called Guillain Barre syndrome which requires medical attention. This is an immune mediated illness and often follows a cold or flu.  Watch your symptoms. You may even want to give your doc a call and just let them know what's going on.

Good luck.