Want to understand my MRI for I'm concerned.

[hufferklan]

I have major pain in my neck, shoulder, shoulder blade and goes throughout my right arm. I have numbness and loss of strength in my daily use of my right arm and hand. (just lifting a coffee mug)
I was first told that i had muscle spasms and was given muscle relaxers and inflammation meds, the pain was so bad i would be in tears, only thing that helps just a bit was putting my arm up. I have been taken off work for how many pain meds I take to control the pain to a level I can bare.

Finally after having gone to chiropractor, acupuncture, pain meds a doctor had a mri completed.

this is the results:

Mild straightening of the normal lordosis. Marked levoscoliosis with tilt of the head to the right. Normal cord signal. Normal cervical medullary junction and c1-c2. 2centimeter cyst or polyp at the floor of the left maxillary antrum. Complex 3 cm cephalacaudad by 1.5 cm AP dimension mass in the anterior left neck, probably at the lower pole of the left lobe of thyroid. there may be a smaller 5x7 mm mass or lymph node posteriorly.
C2-C3: Normal
C3-C4: Normal
C4-C5: Mild focal central endplate complex without latrerlization. Normal canal and foramen otherwise.
C5-C6: Moderate soft disc herniation into the right nerve root entry zone and right foramen causing moderately severe stenosis at those sites. No cord contract. Normal left foramen and entry zone.
C6-C7: Moderate right lateral disc endplate complex which does extend into the right nerve root entry zone and right foramen causing moderate entry zone and moderately severe right foraminal stenosis. Normal left foramen. No cord contract or flattening.
C7-T1 Normal
Additional findings: Normal facet joints. No central canal stenosis. No myelopathic cord signal.

Impression:
1. Severe levo scoliosis and tilt of head to the right.
2. No myelopathic cord signal or significant central stenosis.
3. There is moderately large right lateral soft disc herniation into the right lateral canal and fight foramen at C5-C6.
4. At C6-C7 there is a moderate right lateral disc endplate complex into the right foramen and right entry zone.
5. Complex mass left lobe of thyroid, not adequately seen or evaluated on this MRI.

The pain and numbness is always there even with the pain meds, it just makes it bearable and me sleepy. Im 42, I just work up one morning, 5 weeks ago and felt stiff and just kept getting worse. Was buried alive at the age of 10, had a few car accidents with one being in the last 2 years.

I just wonder how therapy helps when I have something pressing on my nerve and with surgery they cut it away. I dont want to mask the pain as its been tried doing for this long. I see a specialist in a week. My regular doctor stated that the c5-c6 is a herniated disc and that c6-c7 is bad. But i want to have a better understanding of what this MRI had stated so I can have a better knowledge to make the best decision on treatment and recovery. Im a single mom of 5 kids, ages range from 17 to 3. Im just very concerned.

I had thyroid surgery 17 years ago and had most removed, whats left has pulled me through this far and not have to take meds. I knew of a "new" growth 5 years ago and they stated they didnt think it was cancer but to keep watching it. so had an ultrasound and waiting on the results on that and blood work.

Thank you for any feed back.

[selmaS]

  Hi...I know getting a DX and treatment plan can be very confusing...but from what I was told when I had loss of cervical lordosis that it can be due to the muscles pulling everything the wrong way...this could cause things to compress the spinal cord.....so this could be why therapy is suggested. Surgery on the spine can leave you with more issues then you started with....and some medical INS will not cover surgery unless other methods are tied first.

For me, therapy did help my loss of cervical lordosis.....good luck and do let us know what you end up doing and your progress.