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Pain in Neck with Cervical Radicalpathy
Grace302 March 12, 2012 I Suffer in My Neck from Two Buldging Disk's C6 And C7 With Cervical Radicapathy. My Neck and Shoulder Are Very Tight And I Have Knot's in My Neck All The Way Around And Both Arm's Down to My Elbow's My Right Hand In My Finger's And Wrist Extremly Hurt. I am in CHRONIC PAIN EVERYDAY. I have been To 3 Pain Management Specialist. I Have been on Narcotic. Recent Trips to The Hospital Because Of My Pain. My Pain Affect's My Lifestyle I am Living In Depression. I Have Been doing my OWN RESEARCH. These Doctors Don't Seem To Have An Answer Or Any HELP FOR MY CHRONIC PAIN. This has been going on in my Life Since Janurary 2010. I ABSOULTY LOVE TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AND ENJOY MY LIFE WITH MY SON. I PRAY ALL THE TIME THAT MY PAIN WILL AT LEAST EASE UP. Now I am On Celebrax I can say it doe's help with the inflammation. However Celebrax is Killing My Stomach. Please If You Have Any Answer's Or Any Pain Like I do I would So Appreciate Your Reply.......
Grace, a cervical radiculopathy that stems from disc herniations can be corrected surgically. I went through the same thing. My problem originally started in 1994. I had to deal with the pain, numbness and weakness in my right arm until 2001, when FINALLY my Social Security Disability went through and I had Medicare so the surgery would be covered. I was working when I originally had the herniations but lost my job because of being out on disability for a prolonged period of time, and couldn't afford to carry COBRA insurance, so my only choice was to wait until I could get Medicare through Social Security.
I DID have a lot of trouble, however, FINDING a doctor who finally admitted that my problem was able to be corrected surgically. I went to every doctor I could find from my own GP (who, bless his heart, never gave up on me and, probably against his will, prescribed me Vicodin for all those years until I was operated on), to orthopedic doctors, to accupuncturists to a pain management doctor who had me on so much medication it was a miracle I could even stand up. I was accused of everything from faking pain to get meds to doctor shopping to collecting pills so that I could sell them, I heard it all. I finally tried one last time to do pain management when the doctor took one look at my x-rays and MRI and said "this is a surgical neck. We can fix you. Wait here, I'll be right back!" He ran from the room and returned with another doctor who, it turned out, was a wonderful neurosurgeon. He removed the ruptured discs and replaced them with sterilized cadaver bone, and then put in a 4 inch titanium plate held in place with four screws. It worked like a charm and I didn't even need pain meds following the surgery! They had given me a large dose of steroids before they woke me up from the surgery to prevent swelling of the spinal cord and that's the only reason I can come up with that I was able to leave all those years of taking hydrocodone (Vicodin) behind without so much as a hint of withdrawal.
Had I not had a myelogram before the surgery I would be in perfect health today. It was the myelogram that left me with the adhesive arachnoiditis that will one day have me in a wheelchair. But I did have the test, because my surgeon said that he would prefer that I had it and the doctor who did the test told me that there were no risks involved as long as I didn't have an anaphylactic reaction to the dye. They never mentioned that the covering of my spine could become permanently inflamed from the dye or that the nerves inside the spine would stick to each other and form clumps that couldn't be surgically separated without killing me. So I went for the test and will pay the price for the rest of my life.
PLEASE be careful about allowing doctors to inject steroids into your spine via epidural injections. These injections have been implicated as one of the chief causes of adhesive arachnoiditis. If you want to know more about it you can do a Google search for ADHESIVE ARACHNOIDITIS and get thousands of links with SO much information on it. You need to be aware of this as a possibility before deciding to go ahead with epidural injections of any kind.
If I were you, I would look for a doctor near you who is able to do the surgery (it's called an anterior cervical discectomy with fusion, or an ACD and F for short) and have it done. Just refuse to have the myelogram if they ask you to. You are within your rights as a patient to do that. You will be pain free and back to normal before you know it. You will no longer have to live with the pain and suffering of a cervical radiculopathy.
Ghilly
I DID have a lot of trouble, however, FINDING a doctor who finally admitted that my problem was able to be corrected surgically. I went to every doctor I could find from my own GP (who, bless his heart, never gave up on me and, probably against his will, prescribed me Vicodin for all those years until I was operated on), to orthopedic doctors, to accupuncturists to a pain management doctor who had me on so much medication it was a miracle I could even stand up. I was accused of everything from faking pain to get meds to doctor shopping to collecting pills so that I could sell them, I heard it all. I finally tried one last time to do pain management when the doctor took one look at my x-rays and MRI and said "this is a surgical neck. We can fix you. Wait here, I'll be right back!" He ran from the room and returned with another doctor who, it turned out, was a wonderful neurosurgeon. He removed the ruptured discs and replaced them with sterilized cadaver bone, and then put in a 4 inch titanium plate held in place with four screws. It worked like a charm and I didn't even need pain meds following the surgery! They had given me a large dose of steroids before they woke me up from the surgery to prevent swelling of the spinal cord and that's the only reason I can come up with that I was able to leave all those years of taking hydrocodone (Vicodin) behind without so much as a hint of withdrawal.
Had I not had a myelogram before the surgery I would be in perfect health today. It was the myelogram that left me with the adhesive arachnoiditis that will one day have me in a wheelchair. But I did have the test, because my surgeon said that he would prefer that I had it and the doctor who did the test told me that there were no risks involved as long as I didn't have an anaphylactic reaction to the dye. They never mentioned that the covering of my spine could become permanently inflamed from the dye or that the nerves inside the spine would stick to each other and form clumps that couldn't be surgically separated without killing me. So I went for the test and will pay the price for the rest of my life.
PLEASE be careful about allowing doctors to inject steroids into your spine via epidural injections. These injections have been implicated as one of the chief causes of adhesive arachnoiditis. If you want to know more about it you can do a Google search for ADHESIVE ARACHNOIDITIS and get thousands of links with SO much information on it. You need to be aware of this as a possibility before deciding to go ahead with epidural injections of any kind.
If I were you, I would look for a doctor near you who is able to do the surgery (it's called an anterior cervical discectomy with fusion, or an ACD and F for short) and have it done. Just refuse to have the myelogram if they ask you to. You are within your rights as a patient to do that. You will be pain free and back to normal before you know it. You will no longer have to live with the pain and suffering of a cervical radiculopathy.
Ghilly
I send you this post with All My GRATITUDE! namnam46. I am new to this website and your Help Help's Me. It seems that the Dr's I have been to just cannot Help me. I am going to see my 4th Pain Mangement Dr Next Week Praying That This Chronic Pain can be Solved Once And For All. You have Mentioned Injection's in your Post and Yes I have recieved them in the Past for My Neck. However My Body doe's Not take to the Injection's that The Dr. was giving me. Which left me no choice but to go back to my Family Dr. And get on Pain Medication Which that doe's not even HELP Now. I am VERY DEPRESSED. This CHRONIC PAIN IS AFFECTING MY LIFESTYLE AND DOING THING'S THAT I SO VERY MUCH LOVE TO DO WITH MY SON. I AM 39YRS OLD AND HOMEBOUND. I AM SPIRITUALLY, PHYSCIALLY, MENTALLY AND EMOTIONALLY AFFECTED WITH THIS CHRONIC PAIN IN MY LIFE. YOU HAVE BEEN SO VERY KIND WITH ALL YOUR HELP AND YOU SAID YOU WILL CHECK IN ON ME THAT IS SO VERY SPECIAL OF YOU THIS FEEL'S SO GOOD TO TALK TO SOMEONE WHO IS GOING THROUGH WHAT I AM GOING THROUGH. MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU ALWAY'S!
Grace,
I'm heartbroken to hear of the pain that you are going through daily!! No one should have to go through that type of pain. I know exactly what you are talking about as I, too, have disc bulges at C3-C4, C4-C5 and C6-C7. I don't have the Cervical Radicapathy but I have DDD and Facet DJD so I know a lot of the same problems that you are facing.
Did any of the PM Clinics you went to suggest the epidurals? If not you need to find a PM Clinic that does the epidurals and give it a try. I will admit that I didn't have any luck with the epidurals but many MedHelp Members have had wonderful results with them. I hope that you will give it a try as anything is worth a try to get out of this pain that you are in!!!
Please keep in touch with us and let us know how you are doing. I will be keeping track of your progress and hope you get the help that you so rightly deserve!!
Looking forward to your updates.........Sherry :)
I'm heartbroken to hear of the pain that you are going through daily!! No one should have to go through that type of pain. I know exactly what you are talking about as I, too, have disc bulges at C3-C4, C4-C5 and C6-C7. I don't have the Cervical Radicapathy but I have DDD and Facet DJD so I know a lot of the same problems that you are facing.
Did any of the PM Clinics you went to suggest the epidurals? If not you need to find a PM Clinic that does the epidurals and give it a try. I will admit that I didn't have any luck with the epidurals but many MedHelp Members have had wonderful results with them. I hope that you will give it a try as anything is worth a try to get out of this pain that you are in!!!
Please keep in touch with us and let us know how you are doing. I will be keeping track of your progress and hope you get the help that you so rightly deserve!!
Looking forward to your updates.........Sherry :)
Grace.... You poor thing you haven't had any treatment for the herniations? Has your doctor tried prednisone or steroid injections? Any physical therapy? Have you tried the warm moist heating pads for arthritis pain it helps neck and back pain too...or maybe ice on your neck. You will have to be persistant if your doctor are not helping you or go somewhere else. I hope you find some pain relief soon.
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