em_jon98
05-09-2004, 10:50 PM
I'm not sure if I shared this before, so here is the brief synopsis:
Just before my two month post surgical follow up, my primary care physican ordered an MRI of my cervical (neck area) spine. I was having pain in my ear, neck, shoulder, and arm, and had significant weakness in my right arm. The MRI revealed three herninated discs in my neck, and one was a very large herniation.
I went back to see my spine surgeon. He sent me out the door with a script for four weeks of physical therapy, but told me that he was only sending me to PT because he felt like we should try some conservative care before moving on to other things, and said, "You know where this is headed."
Since then, I was taken off of Advil by a neuro that my PCP had me see because half my face went numb and she thought I might be showing an early sign of starting to have a stroke. My head is fine, but no Advil means that my pain spirals out of control and I now have to be on the heavy duty painkillers just to keep it in check.
I had my follow up with my spine surgeon on Friday. He doesn't feel that I have regained any strength in my arm, and is worried about my pain level. He is recommeding surgery and feels that I will make a full recovery with surgery.
So, I have to decide if I want to have the surgery, which I probably will because I am tired of being in severe pain or doped up all the time. Also, I have to decide when to have it. With Lindsey's birthday so close, I kind of want to wait. However, I really want to not be feeling like this for that long, and we have to get moving with the projects around the house so we can get it on the market by late June/early July, and so I think I may do it sooner. My surgeon can schedule me as soon as May 17, which is a week from tomorrow. I'm not sure I can get my act together to arrange everything that quickly, but if I have surgery on the 17th, that gives me three weeks to recover before Lindsey's birthday.
It just really sucks all the way around :(
Just before my two month post surgical follow up, my primary care physican ordered an MRI of my cervical (neck area) spine. I was having pain in my ear, neck, shoulder, and arm, and had significant weakness in my right arm. The MRI revealed three herninated discs in my neck, and one was a very large herniation.
I went back to see my spine surgeon. He sent me out the door with a script for four weeks of physical therapy, but told me that he was only sending me to PT because he felt like we should try some conservative care before moving on to other things, and said, "You know where this is headed."
Since then, I was taken off of Advil by a neuro that my PCP had me see because half my face went numb and she thought I might be showing an early sign of starting to have a stroke. My head is fine, but no Advil means that my pain spirals out of control and I now have to be on the heavy duty painkillers just to keep it in check.
I had my follow up with my spine surgeon on Friday. He doesn't feel that I have regained any strength in my arm, and is worried about my pain level. He is recommeding surgery and feels that I will make a full recovery with surgery.
So, I have to decide if I want to have the surgery, which I probably will because I am tired of being in severe pain or doped up all the time. Also, I have to decide when to have it. With Lindsey's birthday so close, I kind of want to wait. However, I really want to not be feeling like this for that long, and we have to get moving with the projects around the house so we can get it on the market by late June/early July, and so I think I may do it sooner. My surgeon can schedule me as soon as May 17, which is a week from tomorrow. I'm not sure I can get my act together to arrange everything that quickly, but if I have surgery on the 17th, that gives me three weeks to recover before Lindsey's birthday.
It just really sucks all the way around :(