My twice weekly visits to PT have been helping to reduce my neck pain, briefly. By a day or two later I'm always right back to where I started. I have a cervical traction unit that I use every day or two, a stim machine to help relax the muscles, lots of stretches and exercises that I do at home, and still I have pain. In August I had an MRI which showed 3 bulging disks. Clearly, with the pain that sometimes shoots down my arms, the disks are pinching some nerves. I also have arm weakness when I lift anything overhead (think: hairdryer).
After 3 facet injections, the orthopedist suggested something called radiofrequency ablation. Essentially, he'd be going in to the same area as the facet injections and heating the pinched nerves to deaden them. Obviously, the pain will lessen if the nerves don't feel anything. He said to think about it and get back to him. After mentioning it to my PT, she suggested that I call a place called the Laser Spine Institute. Supposedly they are the best in the nation at minimally invasive spine surgery. She said that it might be a good idea to have a consultation with them just to see what they say about my condition.
I finally got around to calling them and sent my MRI in for review. Then I had a consultation. I don't know why, but all of my medical issues (why do I have so many?) end up being a challenge for my medical providers. There was a tech and a physician's assistant reviewing my MRI with me. The images were up on a large computer screen. Even I could clearly see the 3 bulges. But then the PA pointed out a shadowy line across the C-7. Looking at another view of the same area, you could see a spider-like pattern through the C-7. He told me it was a fracture, and asked if I had ever been in a car accident or had any neck trauma. Nope, not that I recall! Upon further review of the MRI he noticed that there was also what looked like a fracture of the C-5. WHAT?
In addition to that, he said that my spinal column is narrow. Some people could have bulging disks and not be bothered by them. But someone with a narrow spinal column has less space to spare. Essentially, these 2 guys were wondering how I'd been walking around with this mess in my neck all this time. They asked what my pain level was on a regular basis, and I said 4 to 5 on a scale of 1 to 10. That doesn't include the days that I wake up near tears, unable to move my neck. The PA told me that he had some neck problems from playing football as a kid, and if he was ever in "level 4" pain on a daily basis, he'd be sitting right where I was (in the consultation chair).
The good news is that they thought the surgeon could definitely help me. In fact, the PA even said that he thought it would help the migraines also! He seemed to think that the surgeon would find my case extremely interesting. The only problem is that I have to get clearance from the Lyme specialist to have surgery, or I have to wait until after I'm finished with the treatment. At least they will do all of the legwork to get clearance.
I know spine surgery is risky, but the pain I've been dealing with on a regular basis - in addition to my other health issues - can really make things difficult. I spend so much time at PT, and yet the therapist doesn't know what to do with me anymore. I'm willing to do anything now!
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