Jeffro Posted October 23, 2004 Share Posted October 23, 2004 My wife has a pretty bad problem with her upper back and neck. Below, I show the letter she sent out to some of her friends. I thought one of MY friends might have some feedback or advice. ANY help or advice is appreciated, of course. Please email any responses to me at Jeffro135@aol.com Thanks in advance, Jeffro I am asking for your help with this problem. I have cervical spine problems with pain affecting my neck, shoulders, arms, & hands. The pain is not terrible. I do not take anything stronger than ibuprofen. The pain in my right hand stops me from doing simple things. I had an MRI of my neck done. Basically, my problem is: 1. A herniated disc with spinal cord impingement between cervical vertebrae # 6 & 7 2. Disc herniation between cevical vertebrae 3 & 4, and 4 & 5 3. Disc protrusion at thorastic vertebrae 1 & 2. I saw a neuro surgeon yesterday & he is pushing for immediate surgery - disc removal, bone graft, fusion, & insertion of a metal plate. I know I must do something soon, but I want to explore all options. I am interested in finding hospitals & physicians that are on the cutting edge of technology. If you or those you know have had personal experience with cervical spine problems within the past 4-5 years with good results, please let me know. Thanks, Darlene Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted October 23, 2004 Share Posted October 23, 2004 Hey Buddy I cannot help with medical reference or knowledge, but know my prayers are with you to help you and your wife thru this.... Wink Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted October 23, 2004 Share Posted October 23, 2004 Have you had a second and/or third opinion on her case...? Would she consider going out-of-state for treatment...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffro Posted October 23, 2004 Author Share Posted October 23, 2004 Tightloop, Thank you for your prayers and good wishes....... I do appreciate it. SiGLady, Yes, she has been to several doctors, and YES, she would consider going anywhere for help. Thank you for your response. Best to all, Jeffro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted October 23, 2004 Share Posted October 23, 2004 Jeff-- Access the Internet for all it's worth. The data is THERE. At the VERY least it'd be a solid jumping-off point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffro Posted October 23, 2004 Author Share Posted October 23, 2004 Thank you all for your feedback. Appreciate all of it and all of you. Best, Jeffro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Burwell Posted October 23, 2004 Share Posted October 23, 2004 Jeffro, How long has she had these symptoms ? And where exactly is her pain down into her arm(down the thumb side or the pinky side)? Does it reach her hand? Just pain or numbness/ loss of sensation? Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffro Posted October 23, 2004 Author Share Posted October 23, 2004 Jeffro,How long has she had these symptoms ? And where exactly is her pain down into her arm(down the thumb side or the pinky side)? Does it reach her hand? Just pain or numbness/ loss of sensation? Dan Dan, First, thank you for responding. She has had the symptoms for about a year..... progressively getting worse. The pain is down the arm and on the thumb-side of the hand. She has pain, numbness, and some loss of sensation. She also gets occassional "electric shock sensation" on the thumb-side of her hand when she tries to grasp something (this is only occassionally though). Thank you for any advice and/or feedback. I do appreciate you taking the time and effort. If it works better for you, feel free to respond by email. My email address is Jeffro135@aol.com Best regards, Jeffro (Jeff) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriss Grube Posted October 23, 2004 Share Posted October 23, 2004 Well my problem was from getting whacked by a car and in my lower back but the fusion and disc removal has worked great. It's been about 1.5 years since surgery. Best advice is don't screw around too long because the nerve damage will become permanent if left go. There are a bunch of new surgeries for problems like your wifes that don't involve a fusion. If it is just the disc they can repair them now. Check out Back.com. Lots of info on the newest tech. out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhino Posted October 23, 2004 Share Posted October 23, 2004 Jeffro ... First of all, I'm not a medical professional ... so take my comments for what they are worth! Your wife's problem can be very troubling, both in coping with and with making decisions as to treatments. I have a couple of relatives facing the same problems, so we know what it's like. Here is a site that may have some useful information. It's primarily about lower back injuries (lumbar and sacral), but there may be something for you here: http://www.back.com/ Along with what Chriss G said, if she is having numbness and loss of motor control, it's probably to the point where more conservative treatments are of use. If it's "just" pain, you can afford to be conservative. When you get into the numbness and loss of control, especially if it's progressive, you don't have that luxury. There is a topic about lower back injuries where we discussed this that you may find of interest. If I were involved in this, I'd get a second opinion from another neurosurgeon ASAP. If they concur, then you know what she needs to do ... and without delay. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffro Posted October 23, 2004 Author Share Posted October 23, 2004 I really do appreciate all of your suggestions and comments. Thank you all very much...................... and if anyone has any further ideas or feedback, I would appreciate hearing from you. Thanks to all of you, Jeffro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougCarden Posted October 23, 2004 Share Posted October 23, 2004 Jeffro, I know this is heresey, but please also contact a chiropractor and check that route out. My father had a past back injury, and a couple of discs were herniated several years later, they were talking surgery. The chiropractor interviewed him, took Xrays, asked him if he was having certain symptoms, and she pegged him to a "T". She told him that it would take about 9 months of at least 2 visits a month to get his spine and especially his neck back into alignment. 4 months later his discs were healing and he no longer has any disc related problems, and his stomach indigestion is gone as well. Disclaimer, I am not a chiropractor and didnt stay at a Holiday Inn Express either. I just know that My father, who has farmed all his life and beat himself up, is still going strong at 66 years old with a minimum of problems, his back and neck are not one of them. One of my shooting buddies and mentors is a Chiropractor. If you havent tried one please do, and if you dont like the one that you intially talk to, try several more. Every one is different. Good luck in your quest. Having been injured on the job and banged up I can relate. My prayers are with your wife! DougC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffro Posted October 23, 2004 Author Share Posted October 23, 2004 Doug, Absolutely NOT heresey. I want to hear from everybody/anybody who has had good and bad experiences ..................... with mainstream and non-conventional methods. Thank you very much for taking the time to respond and offer your suggestions. We are exploring all avenues right now and appreciate ALL feedback. Thank you again, Jeffro (Jeff) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBF Posted October 28, 2004 Share Posted October 28, 2004 Jeffro, I am not a doctor either, hell I'm not even that good a gunsmith. This guy ( Neurosurgeon ) has been my " goto " guy since the same surgury mentioned above ( bone grafts and titanium plates and screws ) was reccomended by my first consult Neurosurgeon. He is the best surgeon who has not operated on me. ( twice ) His peers regard him as a gifted surgeon who does not operate unless it is absolutely required. My father in law, who is retired from anesthesiology practice reccomended him highly, his Neurosurgeon needed surgery and used DR. Striebinger. I was thinking you were in the KC area ? Dr. C.M. Striebinger MD. 913-432-1100 9119 W. 74th. st. Overland park KS. Good luck with this, I can vouch for it beeing a real drag. Travis F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffro Posted October 28, 2004 Author Share Posted October 28, 2004 Travis, Thank you for the input. We are in St. Louis, Missouri, but Overland Park isn't too far to go for a good doctor for something of this nature........ if need be. We will give him a call and check out that option. Thank you very much for taking the time and effort to respond. I very much appreciate it. Best to all, Jeffro (Jeff) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulm540 Posted October 28, 2004 Share Posted October 28, 2004 Well my problem was from getting whacked by a car and in my lower back but the fusion and disc removal has worked great. It's been about 1.5 years since surgery. Best advice is don't screw around too long because the nerve damage will become permanent if left go. There are a bunch of new surgeries for problems like your wifes that don't involve a fusion. If it is just the disc they can repair them now. Check out Back.com. Lots of info on the newest tech. out there. Ditto on that one, Ask for a second opinion as soon as you can. Looks like it is only affecting the sensory part of the Nerve/ SC ( It is still a concern) but could become a motor problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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