QuestionHi Leslie. The pain I have every day is a dull ache that reminds me of a tooth ache. It is like the pain you have at the dentist when he puts cold water on a certain area of a tooth. The pain is also a burning pain and I go through times that my shoulders, where is the pain lots of time,is an awful itch. The itch is so bad I will rub or scratch till my shoulders bleed. Now I have more disc problems above and below the fusion. I have been told this is normal. My lower back, T-12 through S-1 has bulging disc also and I have trouble with my hips & down the outside of my legs. It is more right sided than left. That pain is bearable. The worse part is my neck, shoulders, & arms. Cold weather is really bad for me and it makes my pain much worse. Also when the weather is going to change or when it is raining, my pain is worse. I do have muscle spasms and I use heat for that. My pain is deep most of the time but the spasms are of course closer to the skin area. I go to a massage therapist once a week and that helps with the muscle problems. I hope I have given you enough information this time.
Thanks,
Cis Pack
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The text above is a follow-up to ...
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I had a car wreck in 1998 and then had a spinal fusion C3-C7 in March '99. Ever since then I have had a great deal of pain. Right after surgery I could not move either arm and it took a year before I could lift my left arm above my head. Is this normal? Also could not remember a lot of things like hoe to use a can opener I had used for 13 years. Is this normal? After 2 years of being in a great deal of pain, I was given Duragesic patches. Before that I had been taking about 120 Tylox a month but my pain was not controlled at all. I started on 25 Mgs. patches and then was taken up to 100mgs. Then I found my pain was not any better at 25 them it was on 100 so I asked my doctor to put me back on the 25. I am still on the 25 since January of 2002 with no increase. The only other thing I take is Tylox for break through pain. Is it normal for people to have this trouble or am I one of the unlucky few that just didn't have a good outcome. The doctor did say I was lucky that I was still walking because my neck got worst from the time he saw my in December 98 and then again in March of 99. Some of t time my pain is worst at night and I can't sleep. I am lucky because I have a laptop so I do research or watch TV through those nights. Do you have any suggestions on anything else I can do to try and get better? I long to get better and search for a miracle. I have no energy and I fight to make myself get up & go in the mornings. Please help. I am open to anything you suggest. Thank you very much.
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Hi Cis- Thanks for your question- I will try my best to give you some good information.
You and I had about the same surgery, it seems. I'm not sure if the trouble with lifting your arms at first is normal, but it makes sense kind of- the surgery is very invasive, and if it involved those nerves around c4/c5 at all then it could hinder your movement until everything in there was healed and gained strength. I'd have to know more about the surgery to give you a better answer, but if you want to find out I would suggest seeing a different doctor- they are sometimes unwilling to mention it if they think the other doctor did something wrong though.
Not remembering things- all I have here to go on is that I too have this problem, although it was never quite what you ddescribed. I can't recall alot of details about the time from 6 months before the wreck to 6 months after, and I've been told this is common. But what you describe- not knowing how to use the can opener- sounds more like stroke patients talk about. Perhaps you had some minor brain injury (easily could be the case i'd think- I had one, my pupils are still different sizes- anything that causes that much injury to your neck has got to be hard on the brain). Most important here is whether or not you were able to re-learn how to do those things, and whether you can remember them once you've re-learned them.
Regarding the pain- there are a couple of possibilities. there is nerve pain and regular pain. If you want to, ask me a follow up question and tell me what the pain feels like, ie is it deep inside, hard to put your finger on the source of pain, or does it come when you do a certain movement? or is it burning hot pain, feeling shallow maybe even like your skin is on fire, that comes when things touch you, etc? Once I know this information I can give you a better possible route to consider.
I will await this information about the pain- I hope you will continue this discussion as I would very much like to help. I know all about forcing yourself out of bed and how miserable it is, and how being in constant pain leaves you depressed and worn out. Maybe we can figure out a way for it to not be so unpleasant-
I will be online later this evening and will look for your follow-up-
until then, good luck
leslie
Answerok, thanks for the additional information. What I can tell you is mostly about the burning, itching pain. This is nerve pain (neuralgia) and may result from the surgery or from bulging discs/herniated discs/etc. The one that goes around and down the outside of your legs, for example, is called "sciatica"- it is due to a disc problem by the nerve that comes out of the spine there, a large one called the sciatic nerve. I think it's at L1, maybe one vertebrae higher. As for the itching- man, I know what you mean! I've got one of those in my right shoulder, right over my shoulder blade, and it's like it itches under the skin so no amount of scratching helps it. That I don't know what to recommend for- I try not to touch that area since that's what seems to activate it for me.
OK, what I would recommend- and please remember I am not a doctor- would be this:
-for the pain that is deep down- since the weather affects it, and since the massages help it, I am inclined to think it is related to muscles tension or perhaps a form of arthritis. The best things for tension is to do the massages like you are and to stretch, even if it's just a little bit that you can do. If you're sitting at the computer, every so often just take a second and stretch your neck and your shoulders, try to let out some of the tension. A good physical therapist once a week could probably really help you and show you how to do it yourself too. If you want to and have no medical problems with it, you might try taking an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pill when the weather is changing (ie Advil). This should help if what you are feeling is related to arthritis. If you want to pursue this direction further, your regular doctor should be able to tell you if indeed you do have arthritis and how to better treat it.
-for the neuraligia- this is a trickier thing. You probably should see a neurologist to help with it, or at least ask your regular doctor when you go in about the arthritis possibility. Alot of times they will prescribe an anti-depressant for nerve pain- this seems weird, but somehow it has the ability to alleviate some nerve pain as well as help with mental problems. Plus, in my opinion, dealing with all these health problems tends to GIVE people a depressed state of mind-- it's sometimes hard to get yourself going if all you have to look forward to is more pain. The antidepressants take a little while to build up and work, but it is alot less time than the rest of your life, and it is an easy, non-invasive therapy. Another treatment to help with pain from bulging discs is the injection of a steroid, ie cortisone, into the area- it can diminish the swelling there and therefore lessen the pain.
I cannot prescribe anything, but I hope I have at least given you some areas for thought and to mention to a doctor. Until then, stretch those muscles! I hope your doctor can give you more help, and maybe refer you to a physical therapist or a neurologist.
I think there is a good chance to alleviate some of these unpleasant symptoms, so don't give up yet!
good luck-
Leslie
ps- if you have a doctor that you don't feel is listening to you, GET A NEW DOCTOR. There are some who are very good and pay attention to you, and you should always feel like they are focused on what you are telling them.
