I have cervical stenosis in 5 discs c2 thru c7 c5 to c7 are severe the rest are mild the doctor wants to fuse the 5 discs and I am so scared of losing my range of motion after recovering from the agony of surgery I must have the worst neck in the world can someone help me with advise I have pretty bad symptoms now my hands are tingly. And a little numb my right foot is numb when I put my shoe on my legs are weak right one worse and I limp. Help help help
Hi,
You will get lots of help and advice on this site, you have many fellow sufferers.
My c/s began at levels c4,5, 6,7 and now requires complete fusion of cervical spine, nothing to be done until absolutely needed.
My symptoms included numbness/tingling in both upper limbs, numbness of toes in both feet, then progressed to very heavy legs and bladder dysfunction. Much pain in both arms,shoulders and neck. Now take various meds for pain and lately put on bacaflan for leg spasms.
Symptoms of c/s vary from person to person, some feel no pain, others, like myself, lots of pain. Pain control is very important because it can be 24/7.
Mike.
Thanks for the reply mike ..what happened that you need to do all your disks? Was it adjacent disc syndrome .. the first doctor I saw told me he would do 4 or 7 he wouldn’t know to he saw it .. I ran out of his office I had know idea he was thinking about doing all 7 why couldn’t he do 5 or 6 why. 4 or 7 the next doctor said he would do 5 c2 to c7 the fort 2 discs looks good on mri and catscan I saw a third doctor who said just do c5 to c7 because they are the only 2 severe ones sounds to good to be true I am skeptical what do you think
Also mike how do you feel about no range of motion when they do all 7 of your discs
Mike how long did you prostate feel heavy before you lost bladder control.. mine felt funny for the first time yesterday thought it was a side effect from the 200 grams of trazadone the doctor prescribed me on Monday I am scared now I heard you don’t want emergency surgery... don’t know what to do. Help. Help help
Hi thomas,
My main problem are osteophytes (bone spurs), growing inside the spinal canal and pushing into the spinal cord. Originally at c5-c6. My neurologist wanted to operate from front of neck to clear root problem on left arm/shoulder, then, 6 months later to operate from back of neck to try to remove bone spurs from spinal cord (although he could not guarantee success as bone spurs were very close to adjacent blood vessel.
I signed the consent forms there and then. Due to various delays, cancellations and c**k-ups on their part (hospital), my operations didn't go ahead until it was to late and a full fusion was necessary but not recommended until really needed, due to constriction of movement and possible future failure.
My bladder problems came on gradually until I realised I could not urinate standing up and had to sit for about 15 minutes until bladder felt empty. My neurosurgeon would not accept that the fault lay with spinal cord problem and I had to jump through hoops for almost about year until finally my urologist videod the internal workings of my bladder and it was found to be "involuntary spasms of the sphincter muscle interfering with the bladder movement". I was put on Tamsulosin to relax the sphincter and allow me to urinate more easily.
I do not want to panic you, mine was probably not the normal experience of c/s sufferers.
Mike.
Thanks again mike... I appreciate you going over your personal experiences.... as I haven’t made a decision yet on who is going to be doing my surgery and what they will be doing I have been up all night panicing ... I am seeing my pain management doctor tomorrow I am hoping he can help stars me in right direction and maybe give me a sedative to relieve the panic nights I have been having..once again thank you for your comments
Hi, your neck is like mine. Wow, I haven't had fusion and the last specialist that I saw said that he wasn't going to touch anything. He had a crazy look on his face after looking at my X-ray, CT scan and MRI. Shook his head and said that he wasn't going to touch it. I liked his honesty but was sad to know that I couldn't get any help. He offered the idea of getting a mylogram. I said nope ain't doing that so Thomas I don't know what to tell you. Pray on it.
Hi what symptoms do you have my right leg is heavy I limp and my right foot is numb I already saw 3 surgeons one said do them all which means means I never would move my neck again 1 said do 4 and 1 said do 1. I am going to get my fourth opinion tomorrow it’s very difficult to know what to do I will keep everyone informed good luck with your neck Delores please let me know what’s going on
Mike haven’t heard from you how have you been?
Hi thomas,
Good days-bad days. I have been getting physio for my heavy legs but last time I could hardly walk afterwards. My legs and lower back really hurt and the leg spasms are worse than ever. If I wasn't on my pain meds it would probably be agonising, and I have a return of sciatica pain in right hip.
What meds have you been prescribed for your pain control?
I take it you have private medical insurance for all of these different opinions your getting, I got one.
Mike.
Hi mike along as I get prior approval I can see all the specialist I want
I got an mri of my upper back tomorrow since I get extremely claustrophobic I am going to get anesthesia
How are you making out mike?
How are you doing Delores?
Hi Thomas, I've been down and out of commission for a few days. Fibromyalgia really cutting up. I'm having such a hard time getting out of bed. I know that I literally burned myself out by doing too much. How are you doing these days?
Going to see surgeon tomorrow to review my upper back mri which I did Sunday ..... so hard to make decisions on this as it extreme quality of life decision
Oh no I’m prostate was bothering me last week and I believe I am imputant now ... I am seeing the surgeon today I had surgery causes sexual dysfunction and now I have it before surgery this is terrible I am 53 years old and still had hoped to meet someone oh boy this is terrible I will see what surgeon says. Help help help
I think I need a neurosurgeon not an orthopedic surgeon at this point ... what does everyone think. Help help help help
Hi thomas,
C/S presents many problems for some and few problems for others. Possibly because of my numerous medications, or, probably because of my spinal cord problems, I have not been sexual active for about 4 years now. This has put tremendous stress on our marriage and is not something that my beautiful wife of 48 years of marriage deserves. My gp is unsympathetic on this matter, simply telling me it's all in my mind and advising me to get viagara on the Internet. My neurosurgeon was much the same insisting that the spinal cord would not be responsible, the same person who insisted my urology problems were not caused by my c/s until my urologist proved otherwise.
You have to face up to the fact that your life could well change for the worse, and you will have to make the best of it as you can.
Mike.
Thanks mike my surgery is set for the 17 th of may and I am seeing a urologist on the 8th to discuss hopefully I will get some hope but won’t know anything for sure until we’ll after the surgery