Aa
Neck Pain
I have been told that there is nothing more that can be done for me. But I don't believe that can be true. Even if nothing can be done to fix my pain, isn't there some way to manage my pain better so I can return to work?
THANK YOU MED HELP AND THE DOCTORS VERY MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!!
1994
July-neck pain of unknown origin. Tests revealed a disc problem at C6-C7 and the disc was removed in November. No fusion. Within 10 days of surgery, I returned to my normal schedule of working 10-14 hour days six or seven days a week, including extensive travel.
1996
January 16: Rear-ended. Felt burst of pain at left base of neck. Think I blacked out momentarily. Shaking badly. But because the pain was just a burst, I thought I was OK. I contacted my neurosurgeon's office and was sent for a neck x-ray, which showed no fracture. Within 24-36 hours of accident developed severe neck pain in left side of neck; head tilted and turned far right.
Feb - Aug: Because the neurosurgeon said I had whiplash, I turned to a D.O., who treated me with heat and small manipulation (no cracking of neck). She also referred me for acupuncture, massage, and rolfing. Nothing helped except that the D.O. would give me shots of pain killer in my neck and shots of torodol (spelling?) for the headaches. These gave me a couple of hours of relief. Weight dropped from 116 to 90 lbs by June 1996.
May 1: MRI of neck - protruding disc at C5-C6, slight impingement on spinal cord.
June: On the advice of my doctors I stopped working. The neurosurgeon put me on darvocet, told me not to read, watch TV, drive, etc. and prescribed 3 weeks of daily physical therapy.
For several months, I had been having incidents where I felt I might pass out. It was like blackness coming over me. In late June, I passed out after I got home from physical therapy. I experienced a couple more such episodes after physical therapy and physical therapy was discontinued. Brain MRI -- I was told it was normal; however, EEG showed a spurt of abnormal activity in right front. A second EEG confirmed the burst.
August: Myelogram/CT Scan. The neurosurgeon then told me surgery was an option. I was in so much pain, I was willing to try anything, and since he offered no other suggestions and none of my other doctors had any other ideas, I agreed to surgery.
October 24: SURGERY: As I understand it, the doctor enlarged the left side foramen at C4-C5, C5-C6 and C6-C7 and did "nerve releases."
Complications --Very low blood pressure and lost 500 or 600 cc. blood. When I regained consciousness, I could not find my left arm when I reached for it with my right hand. I could not move my left arm. I could wiggle my fingers and move my wrist a little, but had no wrist strength. If my arm was not supported it just flopped; dangling in front of my body. My neck hurt a lot. I have a long scar running down the back of my neck.
November: EMG, which showed nerve root damage at C5-C6 and C4-C5; neck x-ray to check foramen, which I was told was normal.
December: Physical therapy evaluation. The physical therapist expressed surprise that my shoulder had not subluxed. As I understand the results of her evaluation, the majority of my shoulder muscles were not functioning.
1997-1999
1997 Physical therapy - primarily focused on range of motion and strength of arm and shoulder and working with hand.
I fell twice during early 1997 - lost my balance as the result of stumbling over/into something. The first time I hit my head on my treadmill and was diagnosed with a slight concussion. I don't remember whether I went to the doctor after the second fall. MRI neck and upper thoracic spine. Finding: no change from presurgical myelogram/CT scan. Tried a TENS unit on my neck, but it really aggravated neck pain. I was given the following medications (that I can remember) in various combinations and dosages during 1997-1998: Neurontin, Roxicet, Ultram, Zoloft, Trazodone, Florinef, Duract, Demerol, Valium, Baclofen, Darvocet, Percocet, Laclulose.
Aug. 98 Moved to Oregon. I hoped to find new doctors who would take a fresh look at my problems and to attend school as sort of self-vocational rehabilitation, because I was not receiving professional help. As of August 98, I was on the following medications: Tegretol, Zanaflelx , Prevacid, Synthroid, Cycrin, Estropipate, Propoxyphene-N 100 W/ APAP 650, Senacot-S.
Feb-Oct 99 Treated in OHSU pain program. Tried Neurontin (again) - I could not tolerate it (again); could not stay awake, memory problems. Tried Nortryptiline - allergic reaction - shaking, mouth ulcers, stomach. Physical therapy - aggravated neck pain to the point where I could not even get up. Three nerve blocks done without anesthesia to determine if I was a candidate for deenervation. May - began taking Oxycontin 10 mg. twice a day. It took me a couple of months to be able to tolerate Oxycontin - made me feel unpleasantly out of focus, upset my stomach, and I would fall asleep about one to two hours after taking it. As a side effect of the Oxycontin, my intestines have stopped functioning without 3 or 4 Senacot-S and Super Dieter's Tea daily. I am extremely fatigued.
June - deenervation of nerves on left side of neck at four levels. After about 6 weeks, I noticed that the pain in the top part of my head had improved somewhat and that I was having less difficulty with blurred vision. However, neck pain was not better. (The procedure was not supposed to help my left hand and arm pain/hypersensitivity and it did not.) I was also warned that the relief provided from the procedure might last only a year. After deenervation, more physical therapy which exacerbated my neck pain.
Misc. I have been evaluated for RSD - the doctor concluded that I did not have RSD. I have received psychological counseling throughout this ordeal.
Current Status
NECK
1. Unremitting neck pain. When I sit for more than 20-30 minutes, the pain begins to escalate. The worse the pain, the more my head turns involuntarily to the right. There is a point of stabbling pain in the mid-left side of my neck and the pain radiates up my jaw to my left eye and temple. I also have pain at the area where the burst of pain occurred at the time of the accident. Sometimes I feel the pain in my teeth and tongue and it feels like my throat is constricted. I cannot wear necklaces or turtleneck - things touching my neck irritate it. In addition, I cannot wear articles of clothing with straps, because it makes my neck and shoulder/arm pain worse.
2. Pain across the back of my head, with swelling in the ocipital area. The worse the pain in the neck, the worse this pain is. No one has ever explained why the swelling occurs.
3. Extremely limited neck mobility.
4. Pain in left arm and hand increases as neck pain increases.
5. I still have headaches in the top of my head and since the beginning of this year they have been getting worse.
6. I have difficulty concentrating and memory problems.
7. I do not sleep well, because I cannot get my neck comfortable or because I disturb my sleep by moving to a position that bothers my neck. I am constantly fatigued.
8. My appetite is poor or non-existent.
9. I have low back pain when I sit; it is like the neck pain radiates down my back.
10. Activities: I can manage about two hours of activity before I have to lie down for four to six hours, but I cannot sit without support for my head and neck for more than 20 minutes. Thus, I carry a highback ObusForme seat back in my car to use at school and other places where I must sit.
My two functional hours include dressing, etc., meal preparation, housework, bill paying, seeing doctors, attending class, and occasionally walking my dogs. Consequently, if I have class, that and getting dressed are the only things I will be able to manage that day. I rarely clean my apartment; I cook only the simplest of things, and I paper trained my dogs so I would not have to walk them. I do not go to movies, concerts, the theater, church or out to eat. I avoid shopping, using the Internet for most purchases including groceries. I avoid car trips of more than 20 minutes and find riding the bus to be too painful because of the jolting. Some days even the impact of walking hurts my neck. If I try to sit at the computer for any period of time and type, it exacerbates both the hand and neck pain - my head turns to the right making it very difficult to type because my body must face the keyboard while my head is turning away from that direction.
LEFT HAND, ARM & SHOULDER
1. I have limited mobility of my left shoulder, and it is still weak.
2. My left arm, hand, and shoulder have areas of hypersensitivity and areas of "numbness". My left thumb and pointer finger, the back of the hand, and the palm are very hypersensitive - I cannot stand to touch paper, cold air and cold water are very painful, folding clothes is very painful, touching cold metal or cold dishes is very painful. Typing is very painful. For some tasks, I can reduce the pain and hypersensitivity by wearing a Jobst compression glove. However, this is not practical for other tasks. My left hand has shrunk, and it generally feels like there is electricity running through it or that it is being bombarded by sharp things. There is also a loss of sensitivity - for example, if I have several things in my pocket, I sometimes cannot tell what an item is by touch.
CURRENT MEDICATIONS: Oxycontin, Valium, Advil (take 4 at a time), Prempro, Propandol (for tachycardia which I developed sometime after the accident); Synthroid, Celexa, Senacot-S (3-4/day) plus Super Dieter's Tea. I wear a Jobst compression glove on my left hand.
THANK YOU MED HELP AND THE DOCTORS VERY MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!!
1994
July-neck pain of unknown origin. Tests revealed a disc problem at C6-C7 and the disc was removed in November. No fusion. Within 10 days of surgery, I returned to my normal schedule of working 10-14 hour days six or seven days a week, including extensive travel.
1996
January 16: Rear-ended. Felt burst of pain at left base of neck. Think I blacked out momentarily. Shaking badly. But because the pain was just a burst, I thought I was OK. I contacted my neurosurgeon's office and was sent for a neck x-ray, which showed no fracture. Within 24-36 hours of accident developed severe neck pain in left side of neck; head tilted and turned far right.
Feb - Aug: Because the neurosurgeon said I had whiplash, I turned to a D.O., who treated me with heat and small manipulation (no cracking of neck). She also referred me for acupuncture, massage, and rolfing. Nothing helped except that the D.O. would give me shots of pain killer in my neck and shots of torodol (spelling?) for the headaches. These gave me a couple of hours of relief. Weight dropped from 116 to 90 lbs by June 1996.
May 1: MRI of neck - protruding disc at C5-C6, slight impingement on spinal cord.
June: On the advice of my doctors I stopped working. The neurosurgeon put me on darvocet, told me not to read, watch TV, drive, etc. and prescribed 3 weeks of daily physical therapy.
For several months, I had been having incidents where I felt I might pass out. It was like blackness coming over me. In late June, I passed out after I got home from physical therapy. I experienced a couple more such episodes after physical therapy and physical therapy was discontinued. Brain MRI -- I was told it was normal; however, EEG showed a spurt of abnormal activity in right front. A second EEG confirmed the burst.
August: Myelogram/CT Scan. The neurosurgeon then told me surgery was an option. I was in so much pain, I was willing to try anything, and since he offered no other suggestions and none of my other doctors had any other ideas, I agreed to surgery.
October 24: SURGERY: As I understand it, the doctor enlarged the left side foramen at C4-C5, C5-C6 and C6-C7 and did "nerve releases."
Complications --Very low blood pressure and lost 500 or 600 cc. blood. When I regained consciousness, I could not find my left arm when I reached for it with my right hand. I could not move my left arm. I could wiggle my fingers and move my wrist a little, but had no wrist strength. If my arm was not supported it just flopped; dangling in front of my body. My neck hurt a lot. I have a long scar running down the back of my neck.
November: EMG, which showed nerve root damage at C5-C6 and C4-C5; neck x-ray to check foramen, which I was told was normal.
December: Physical therapy evaluation. The physical therapist expressed surprise that my shoulder had not subluxed. As I understand the results of her evaluation, the majority of my shoulder muscles were not functioning.
1997-1999
1997 Physical therapy - primarily focused on range of motion and strength of arm and shoulder and working with hand.
I fell twice during early 1997 - lost my balance as the result of stumbling over/into something. The first time I hit my head on my treadmill and was diagnosed with a slight concussion. I don't remember whether I went to the doctor after the second fall. MRI neck and upper thoracic spine. Finding: no change from presurgical myelogram/CT scan. Tried a TENS unit on my neck, but it really aggravated neck pain. I was given the following medications (that I can remember) in various combinations and dosages during 1997-1998: Neurontin, Roxicet, Ultram, Zoloft, Trazodone, Florinef, Duract, Demerol, Valium, Baclofen, Darvocet, Percocet, Laclulose.
Aug. 98 Moved to Oregon. I hoped to find new doctors who would take a fresh look at my problems and to attend school as sort of self-vocational rehabilitation, because I was not receiving professional help. As of August 98, I was on the following medications: Tegretol, Zanaflelx , Prevacid, Synthroid, Cycrin, Estropipate, Propoxyphene-N 100 W/ APAP 650, Senacot-S.
Feb-Oct 99 Treated in OHSU pain program. Tried Neurontin (again) - I could not tolerate it (again); could not stay awake, memory problems. Tried Nortryptiline - allergic reaction - shaking, mouth ulcers, stomach. Physical therapy - aggravated neck pain to the point where I could not even get up. Three nerve blocks done without anesthesia to determine if I was a candidate for deenervation. May - began taking Oxycontin 10 mg. twice a day. It took me a couple of months to be able to tolerate Oxycontin - made me feel unpleasantly out of focus, upset my stomach, and I would fall asleep about one to two hours after taking it. As a side effect of the Oxycontin, my intestines have stopped functioning without 3 or 4 Senacot-S and Super Dieter's Tea daily. I am extremely fatigued.
June - deenervation of nerves on left side of neck at four levels. After about 6 weeks, I noticed that the pain in the top part of my head had improved somewhat and that I was having less difficulty with blurred vision. However, neck pain was not better. (The procedure was not supposed to help my left hand and arm pain/hypersensitivity and it did not.) I was also warned that the relief provided from the procedure might last only a year. After deenervation, more physical therapy which exacerbated my neck pain.
Misc. I have been evaluated for RSD - the doctor concluded that I did not have RSD. I have received psychological counseling throughout this ordeal.
Current Status
NECK
1. Unremitting neck pain. When I sit for more than 20-30 minutes, the pain begins to escalate. The worse the pain, the more my head turns involuntarily to the right. There is a point of stabbling pain in the mid-left side of my neck and the pain radiates up my jaw to my left eye and temple. I also have pain at the area where the burst of pain occurred at the time of the accident. Sometimes I feel the pain in my teeth and tongue and it feels like my throat is constricted. I cannot wear necklaces or turtleneck - things touching my neck irritate it. In addition, I cannot wear articles of clothing with straps, because it makes my neck and shoulder/arm pain worse.
2. Pain across the back of my head, with swelling in the ocipital area. The worse the pain in the neck, the worse this pain is. No one has ever explained why the swelling occurs.
3. Extremely limited neck mobility.
4. Pain in left arm and hand increases as neck pain increases.
5. I still have headaches in the top of my head and since the beginning of this year they have been getting worse.
6. I have difficulty concentrating and memory problems.
7. I do not sleep well, because I cannot get my neck comfortable or because I disturb my sleep by moving to a position that bothers my neck. I am constantly fatigued.
8. My appetite is poor or non-existent.
9. I have low back pain when I sit; it is like the neck pain radiates down my back.
10. Activities: I can manage about two hours of activity before I have to lie down for four to six hours, but I cannot sit without support for my head and neck for more than 20 minutes. Thus, I carry a highback ObusForme seat back in my car to use at school and other places where I must sit.
My two functional hours include dressing, etc., meal preparation, housework, bill paying, seeing doctors, attending class, and occasionally walking my dogs. Consequently, if I have class, that and getting dressed are the only things I will be able to manage that day. I rarely clean my apartment; I cook only the simplest of things, and I paper trained my dogs so I would not have to walk them. I do not go to movies, concerts, the theater, church or out to eat. I avoid shopping, using the Internet for most purchases including groceries. I avoid car trips of more than 20 minutes and find riding the bus to be too painful because of the jolting. Some days even the impact of walking hurts my neck. If I try to sit at the computer for any period of time and type, it exacerbates both the hand and neck pain - my head turns to the right making it very difficult to type because my body must face the keyboard while my head is turning away from that direction.
LEFT HAND, ARM & SHOULDER
1. I have limited mobility of my left shoulder, and it is still weak.
2. My left arm, hand, and shoulder have areas of hypersensitivity and areas of "numbness". My left thumb and pointer finger, the back of the hand, and the palm are very hypersensitive - I cannot stand to touch paper, cold air and cold water are very painful, folding clothes is very painful, touching cold metal or cold dishes is very painful. Typing is very painful. For some tasks, I can reduce the pain and hypersensitivity by wearing a Jobst compression glove. However, this is not practical for other tasks. My left hand has shrunk, and it generally feels like there is electricity running through it or that it is being bombarded by sharp things. There is also a loss of sensitivity - for example, if I have several things in my pocket, I sometimes cannot tell what an item is by touch.
CURRENT MEDICATIONS: Oxycontin, Valium, Advil (take 4 at a time), Prempro, Propandol (for tachycardia which I developed sometime after the accident); Synthroid, Celexa, Senacot-S (3-4/day) plus Super Dieter's Tea. I wear a Jobst compression glove on my left hand.
I'm a 17 year old girl. I was in a car accident January 15 2000.At first i didn't have any pain. When i got home that night I started to have a sharp pain going up my neck. I thought it would go away.Two days later I went to the ER with pain so bad it put me on my knees.They did an X-ray and CT they both came back normal. They told me to go home and take a motrin and the pain would go away.It is now Ten months later they did a DMX and found lorn ligements,2 bugling disks at C4-5,and 2 hernaited disks at C6-7.An EMG was also done they found sever nerve damges at several levels of my neck.I have been through facet nerve blocks,chiroprators,CT'S,MRI'S,X-rays,DMX'S,EMG,and anything else they can stick on me or in me.
I am having things where i can't see,feel,talk,and i start to shake really bad this happends when i move my neck the wrong way!I get headachs that won't go away for weeks at a time.
I am having things where i can't see,feel,talk,and i start to shake really bad this happends when i move my neck the wrong way!I get headachs that won't go away for weeks at a time.
In my c3 and C4 I just foud out I have a bugling disc . What is the treatment for it. I was his by a semi in January and am now having problems. When the accident happened I had gotten a x-ray done and my C3 and C4 were inverted so I dont know if it hasnt healed or not or it it will.
Hi, I am researching always to better my upper and lower back pain situation. I have had several injuries. Auto accident causing severe head injuries at age 16. Low back disc surgery at age 19. Constant head and back pain since. Age 30, concussion from bomb blast. 8 gun shot wounds. Billroth 2 stomach surgery and duodenum bypass in 1987. Chronic kidney stones and now gall stones too. Stomach and intestinal bleading. Required 9 pints of blood in July of this year. And for past 3 years according to daily diary, long term memory loss. Todays symptoms are severe headache, loss of ballance, blurred vission, tingling in fingers of both hands, neck pain, low back and traveling down right leg pain and stomach pain on right side, nausea, sleeplessness, confusion at times and no appetite. Present meds are Tylonol 4, 4 x a day for pain control, 30 mg of prevacid 2 x a day, for stomach bleading, Atenolol 50 mg 2 x a day for blood pressure, B 12 1000 mg injections one time a week and a host of daily vitamins and nutrients to prevent malnutrition. Therapy treatment is electro accupunture along vital meridian points daily. I am no longer able to function and earn a living financially. Is there any more I can do in any area. It has become a total hardship for my wife to care for me and I would like to do more to help myself. HMO insurance does not cover a lot. SSI disability insurance very low. Any advice in any area would be much appreciated. Age is 59 and worked as International Private Investigator to age 56. Many job related injuries. Thanks, Don Huard
hey
I need 7 names of CERVICLE BONE so pls can u find it.....
thanx see u later
waiting for yur reply
I need 7 names of CERVICLE BONE so pls can u find it.....
thanx see u later
waiting for yur reply
I so feel for you, I have not had the probs you have had. I "sprained" my neck 20 years ago, along with really bad physical therapy then, I suffer everyday. Chronic pain and alot of times an inability to physically get up out of bed. I have had recent physical therapy. The therapists figured traction was a cure all, so I was willing to try anything. Traction resulted in a bright flash in my eyes, head, violent nauseau and vomitting, and weakness in my left side very severe. The MRI has shown a bulging disc at C4-5 and nerve compression at C6-8. The docs "aren't that excited about it" so I continue to be in terrible pain. I have been on relafen, celebrex and now going to lodine. I was also prescribed Paxil for some unknown reason, which I quit taking right after the news article on a tv magazine show. I have had no relief and am so looking for a cure. Or at least to wake up one day, just one is all I ask, to be pain free after 20 years, I wish it could happen. I so wish that you can get better, if so let me know, I will try anything.
Get a big gun.Shoot yourself in the ******* head,Pain is gone.
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