Disc issue, hopefully thats all

[josh92629]

I have a degenerative disc between c-6 and c-7.  I have a lot of pain running through my left arm that i believe are cause from the degenrative disc as diagnosed through a cervical MRI.  I have pupils that are of different sizes and have had muscle spams and "vibrations" in my legs.  Can this be from the nreve issues from the degerative disc?  I have had a brain CT that was negative, chest x ray that was negative, and have been clearing through an opthamologist for optical nerve issues.

[kay290]

I had spinal cord compression in 2 discs(C5-6 & C6-7) with a multitude of neuro symptoms like yours and it included blurred vision. Google cervical myelopathy and if you can't find one of your symptoms google cervical myelopathy with vision problems etc and it will come up. The neck will make your body go haywire. The arm pain is not good and causing permanent radiculopathy/weakness damage if not corrected. With spinal cord compression causing neuro symptoms my research stated the the sooner you decompress your spine with surgery the better. Permanent damage if more likely the longer you delay surgery. I only delayed my surgery 6 months and still have vision,spasms,twitching,numbness problems one year post-op. Good luck. You must rule out other causes first and an MRI of the brain is a must. Be prepared for specialists not knowing what they are doing. Many docs can't get the fact that probably all your symptoms are related to the one issue-your neck. Go with your gut. Thank God I did because I would probably be disabled by now if I listened to everything the docs said.  

[caregiver222]

You need to distinguish between an MRI and a dye-contrast MRA.

You require both.

I am concerned about the unequal pupils.

A chest x-ray is meaningless.

A CT scan, in addition to the hazards, does not provide one tenth a clear image as a 3T MRI/MRA.

[josh92629]

Thank you for your posts.  I have thought about getting an mri of the brain but after getting a ct scan and a cervical MRI I am thining about getting the back issue resolved first.  My pupils being different sizes did not start until this disc issue starting causing me pain do I have to believe it is related.  I also believe the spasms and twitching in my legs are either caused the the nerve issues in my neck or by anxiety.  I really appreciate your responses and I will keep going till I get this resolved.  Thanks.

[Dr Sharma]

Hi there. The arm pain could be due to the cervical disc degeneration. The anisocoria could be due to some eye drops if you have used. Unequal pupils are also seen in association with migraines along with muscle spasm and the vibration legs. It is good that brain, eye have been examined and found within normal range. Check with your neurologist for a migraine work up since other causes related to the brain have been ruled out.  Other metabolic systemic diseases like diabetes, hypothyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis need investigation along with any B12 deficiency.
Kind regards

[SLadylani]

Yes, this could be a spinal cord issue related to degenerative disk disease. Having an opthamologist to follow up is good, I would also suggest seeing a neurologist for possible an MRI of the brain as pupils that are different sizes are not normal at all. I would also ensure that the damage is only restricted to the cervical area of c-6/7 and not elsewhere as well. Just remember, Xray, CT scan, and MRI are all different, and definitely remember you don't deserve to live in pain, so persistance with prpoer diagnosis and treatment is important!