Just got back from the doctor - back specialist

[ashling]

They had this 3 or 4 page thing to fill out before I got there (2 sided) with questions out the wazoo in small print (well, small for me, anyway - the other doctor I go to on a regular basis is an opthamologist who is sending me to a neuralopthamologist next week) ...
anyway, I fill out this thing asking to rate the pain, etc. The first question was "What Outcome to you want from this appointment" or something like that. ##@%$!!

So I put "World Peace (and eliminating the pain would be nice)" The doctor got a kick out of that. He told me "I have to tell you, if I could do anything about that I wouldn't be here. So I said I would settle for the second choice.

Anyway, I am going to have to have surgery of vertabrae in my neck that are impinging on my spinal chord, probably in April.

Damn, one thing after another!

Anyway, I try to put my problems into perspective, and realize that they don't amount to a hill of beans compared to those of some other people here .... but one or two DU vibes would be nice anyway.

As I left I told the Doctor that we'd work on world peace at our next meeting. He smiled.

One step at a time.
:rofl:

[LeftyFingerPop]

1. Best wishes to you ashling...

I have the same problem; I know how it feels.

Wishing you a successful outcome, and speedy recovery. :pals:

[ThomCat]

2. I am going to send you bucket-loads of vibes.

I hope your surgery goes flawlessly and your pain goes away completely! :hug:

I'm glad they know what's causing your pain and it's something fixable.

[AwakeAtLast]

3. {{{Waving fingers in the air}}}

A former colleauge's husband had the exact same thing done, and he felt immediate pain relief.

Here's hoping the same for you!

:hug:

[Raven]

4. Get a second opinion about that surgery. I don't know if you have the same neck problem that I had

but I went to a surgeon at Brigham& Womens in Boston and he said that after drugs and then shots, surgery was the last option and he told me that in many cases the problem went away.He recommended physical therapy. I didn;t believe him and I had terrible pain in my shoulder and arm...awful pain. But I did the therapy and it is gone. It has been at least 5 years now.

[ashling]

6. Mine is already past physical therapy

the MRI showed the vert. actually poking into the spinal chord and crimping it pretty majorly in a couple of places. The pain in my arm is extremely intense at times, but that is from the nerve which extends down into my arm. If it were just that, I would opt for something less intrusive, but this problem affects my balance and walking issues as well.

I am going to have another MRI on my lumbar region.

Anyway, my goal is world peace, so ..... LOL

And, BTW, it is a second opinion

[libodem]

5. good luck vibes to you

I've had a fusion in my neck and it really helped. I had vicious migraines and hella neck pain for years. The Neurosurgeon made me wait until I had numbness and tingling in my hands before he agreed to do the surgery. The 6 weeks of wearing the hard collar has hellish, night and day. I couldn't even lift my arms over my head to comb my hair for awhile. And it hurt like a bitch. The donor bone came off my sternum, that was fucked-up. But I'd do it all over again. I'm not sure about the lumbar fusion.

[bluesbassman]

7. My Chiro just had his neck done.

Worked out great. The techniques have really improved over the past few years. He feels better than he has in years. I'm staring down the barrel for L4/L5 & L5/S1 pretty soon. White knuckling it gets old after awhile (I hate taking meds).

Good luck ashling, I'll be rooting for you.:pals:

[old mark]

8. My wife has chronic neck and back pain for years now - you have my

support and best wishes.
Sometimes surgery is the only choice and it sounds like this is it.

mark

[ashling]

9. Thank you all

I would like to answer each persons post individually, but this thing really makes it a pain ti sot here that long ... plus it makes it hard to focus/concentrate ... which is especially bad for a graduate student. I keep getting farther behind. Looks like I may be putting graduating back yet another semester