Not Knowing

[THS]

A long story I'll make shorter.

I'm pecking away on this computer and can't get the numbness out of my thumbs. For a few weeks now I've had tingling in my fingers off and on throughout the day, and I chalked it up to sleeping in a funny position that left me with a stiff neck.

It got real bad, like an electric shock down my whole right arm on Monday night, so tuesday I go to medical and they say "It could be nothing, or something critical." Boy, that made me feel real good! They scheduled an MRI along with a bunch of C Spine X-Rays, and now I wait. What does Critical mean when we are talking about the lack of feeling in my hands!

This stinks! And now I can do nothing except want for an MRI, and wonder what might be in the future.

Possible spinal constriction was the reason for the MRI. Scared the heck out of me!

Tom

[Matt Ulberg]

Dang, Tom. God luck, my prayers are with you.

I have C-spine issues from rodeo/rough stock/car-wreck/groing up in the 70's and 80's.... My left hand/4th and 5th finger tingle often. Doc syas I am doing well enough not to warrant anything drastic at this point...

Do you so a lot of work at a desk? Is your workstation ergonomically correct? Two things taht help me...

Good luck.

Matt

P.S. The hoster and belt are great! I am loving my Para 40 and shooting C-cla limited this year (frst year).

[lynn jones]

i know it's a hard to do, but relax. i had some simular type of symptoms

it's probably carple tunnel syndrome. do you type a lot? i use gel pads for the keyboard and mouse. this made all the pain go away. i hope that's all it is.

good luck,

lynn jones

[SiG Lady]

I have similar symptoms all the time... it's pinched nerves in neck, elbows and shoulders, arthritis in places, and poor quality pillow on the bed (have you priced pillows lately????!!!!!!) It goes away reliably if I exercise arms and shoulders with a bit of stretching. I just get all hunched over the computer too much of the time and tension develops. That's about the time I do stretches... or go shooting. Tension, unfortunately, manifests in scary ways sometimes. Take care.

[TBF]

Been there too, epidural steroid injection worked like magic.

Get more than one opinion if surgery is suggested, saved me from having my vertebrae

fused together with cadaver bone and titanium plate.

I am no doctor, but they are really having alot of success with this kind of stuff these days.

Good luck Tom.

Travis F.

[Guest bulm5]

If you MD suggest Sx, try some none invasive Tx ( conservative) prior to going thru with SX. In medical terms you are experiencing neuropraxia.

[Chriss Grube]

THS,

I tried the shots in the back! I might as well pissed in the wind. I just got home today from the hospital from having my spine fused. I have more metal in my back than Flex has in his glocks! 2 cages, 2 rods and 4 screws along with 34 staples closing it all up. Hurts like hell! The painkillers make me see double. It came down to get it fixed and try to make a comeback or live in pain sitting on my butt. Make sure you do your research on any Doctor you go to. There are some great ones and some that will cause more damage.

[THS]

Chris,

I'm no where near that level yet, and being in the Corps I don't get to choose doctors either!

Had an MRI monday night, and get the results this friday. Siince my first post my thumbs are numb virtually all the time, and I've lost dexterity too. I had to have my 8 year old daughter hand me brad nails to finish some trim work, as I couldn't feel well enough to pick them up.

The bright side is that I ahve not been having problems with my index fingers, so I can shoot a little.

I have no idea how my workstation should be set up, and hate flying this freakin desk anyway, so that could be a part of the problem.

Thanks for the thoughts all,

Tom

[Chriss Grube]

Tom,

Be careful I said the same thing last year after the guy hit me with the car. I finished out my shift, went to the family Doctor 2 days later. I got the "you'll be sore but nothings broken" line. 2 weeks later still hurting so they sent me to PT. 2 months getting worse not better, MRI, then to a Neurosurgeon. Find out I had a vertabrae knocked out of whack, herniated disc, and a fragment moving around in the spinal column. No more wrestleing with BG's unless I wanted a set of steel wheels or some other nasty side effects. Tried the nerve block shots in the spine, NO Relief. Legs hurt, go numb, pain won't let you sleep more than about 2 hours. Finally went to a different Surgeon. He looked at the MRI and said "I can't believe you haven't had surgery yet, all that other stuff won''t do anything." He gave me the option of living in pain and not being able to work, shoot or even play with the kids and be back for surgery before I was 50 or have surgery now and try to get this fixed. I'm too young to be a gimp so I got cut. After 2 cages, my spinal nerve canal ground open more, 2 rods 4 screws and 34 staples from the crack of my butt up for 12 more inches and the worst pain I've ever felt. It is now a matter of healing and 3-4 months mimimum of PT, then if everything goes ok they will look at letting me go back to work and shooting. I know all about the Corp medical plan and the hack and slice surgeons. I'm telling you BE CAREFUL. The success rate for the best doctor's is only running 80-90%. Those clowns are probably in the 10-20 %range. Your back is nothing to screw with. Listen to all the restrictions they put on you and don't try to be the tough guy and muscle through the pain. It sucks sitting on the bench but if you push it You'll end up screwed for life. I have an uncle that is so crippled up from trying to go back to work too soon after back surgery that he can't be helped. Sucks to see a guy 44 not be able to do much more than sit on the couch. Do some research on the latest techniques and options. Back.com and Texasback.com have some good info. Hopefully you'll get lucky and not need surgery or get a R that is good and playing squid on the weekends. If you have that amount of numbness you have a serious problem with the nerve being interrupted. If you have any question email me I did a lot of research on this before I got cut.

[John Thompson]

I hope I don't hurt my back bending over to smell the roses.

My wife has scoliosis(curvature of the spine) and pain free days are the exception.

[THS]

Update.

I had the MRI and today got the results.

I have 3 disc's that are compressing, 3 "bone spurs" and an "Asymetrical narrowing of the canal."

The short story is my spinal cord is being compressed against the inside of at least one of my vertebrae, and or the bone spurs are pressing there as well.

Off to a neruo-surgeon. The doc I saw was happy we had decided to do the entire MRI thing up front, and this will only get worse.......

This sucks.

[Flexmoney]

I cracked my pinky toe into the door-jamb today. I think I broke it. i was gonna bitch about it...but, in light of other's injuries...I think I will keep my pie-hole shut.

Back pain sucks!

[BDH]

I cracked my pinky toe into the door-jamb today.  I think I broke it.  i was gonna bitch about it...but, in light of other's injuries...I think I will keep my pie-hole shut.

Back pain sucks! 

Flex, where ya shooting this weekend? Maybe I can out run you....

And yes, no matter how bad you have something, remember, there is always someone worse off (it took me until 26 to really learn this lesson, and I will always remember it).....

[Chriss Grube]

THS,

Sorry to hear that sounds like knife time coming up. I just got back from the first post op check up and getting unstapled. Doc said from the x-ray everything looks great. No more nerve pressure and the spine is screwed back into proper aliagnment. 6 months and I'm back to work. Hope everything goes as well for you.