herniated discs in neck

you know I am so tired of being in constant pain!!! I thought I was finally getting off of pain meds totally after my shoulder surgery in 2007 and then my knee replacements in 2011 and 2012. now I started hving right arm pain that sends shooting pains down my right arm all the way to the hand and makes my hand go numb etc. Plus I have lower back pain again that shoots pain down my right leg. So now I went through MRI and found out that I have herniated discs in my neck which is pinching the nerves and sending the pain down my arm which is making me lose muscle tone and strength in my right ( the one I use all the time) arm. I have no idea what the back MRI has shown yet!! Anyways, I had my first cervical epidural steroid injection Tuesday which made the pain worse!!! My freakin luck, so I ended up back at the pain clinic today and now I am being referred to a neuro surgeon.!! they are now thinking that it is more my shoulder than neck!!! Just hurry the hell up and find out because I HURT!!! they also put me on hydrocodone 3x a day and I refuse to take them like that.

if you have a herniated disc why are they not doing surgery? makes no sense the way drs do things anymore.

they want to see you in more pain first!!! I see the ortho Dr again on the 18th

I understand. I have a C6 degenerated disc and a pinched nerve that is painful at times and effects my hand with numbness. At this time I'm debating surgery and will be posting a thread about my situation, here in this forum.

What I can say is, until you have a surgical option presented to you, try acupuncture. It helps me so much that it has made it extremely hard to commit to surgery. Also, the best thing you can do is educate yourself about your condition, and your options.

Good luck!!!

Do you have the MRI report? If you do, can you post it? I can read those, and could perhaps help you with that. Maybe I could tell if you REALLY need surgery.

Surgery should be a LAST RESORT after ALL conservative methods have been exhausted!!! NEVER jump into surgery because you may regret it big time! And when you're referred to the Neurosurgeon, if he suggests surgery, make SURE you get at LEAST 2 more opinions from other NEUROSURGEONS. Never take one surgeons opinion!!! He could very easily be wrong!!!

Surgery is only for mechanical problems. It is NOT for pain!!! Usually after surgery, you're left with the same pain or worse. Then there is the "Domino Effect." That's where the levels above/below the surgery site fail because they've had to take on more of the load -- the doctors never tell you about this. Then you end up having THAT fixed, and the levels above/below THAT surgery site fail, etc.etc. -- it's a vicious circle.

You SHOULD take your medications as prescribed because if you don't your pain will get out of control, and then the medication won't work AT ALL. If you don't take the meds RIGHT WHEN THE PAIN STARTS, it won't work. So take it like you're supposed to!!! That's why he prescribed it. You won't get "addicted" if you take it for pain. Believe me.

I wish you the best. If you have your MRI report, please post it, ok? And let us know what the Neurosurgeon says, ok? Hugs, Lee

The only way to post the MRI report is to type it: so here goes Lee;
C2-3, there is disc desiccation. Mild disc bulging does not affect spinal cord or exiting nerve roots
C3-4, there is disc desiccation. Disc bulging and uncovertebral joint hypertrophy efface the ventral thecal sac, narrowing the AP canal diameter to 10 mm. There is mild central cord molding.
C4-5 there is disc desiccation. Mild disc bulging and uncovertebral joint hypertrophy do not effect the spinal cord or the exiting nerve roots
C5-6 there is disc desiccation. Mild disc bulging and posterior longitudinal ligament thickening do not effect the spinal cord or the exiting nerve roots
C6-7 there is disc desiccation. Minimal disc bulging does not effect the spinal cord or exiting nerve or its
The C7-T1 disc space is normal

IMPRESSION

Degenerative disease at C3-4. Disc and bone combine to cause moderate spinal stenosis, but there is only mild ventral cord molding

Degenerative disc disease at C2-3, C4-5, C5-6 and C6-7 but no neural impingement

That is just my cervical MRI!!! I go to the neuro surgeon on the 20th!! Meanwhile I am back on hydrocodone 3x a day, however I am taking it maybe 0ne a day!!!!

Plus my lumbar MRi is showing that I have a large gallstone in my gallbladder

Ok - here goes:

C2-3 disc dessication: this is drying out of the discs. Everyone gets this, and it comes with age. Some get it earlier than others. When the discs dry out, they tend to flatten, and that makes them bulge/herniate.

C3-4 disc dessication; uncovertebral joint hypertrophy - this is overgrowth of bone. It "wipes out" the front thecal sac and that is a membrane of dura matter that surrounds the spinal cord and cauda equina. The thecal sac is filled with cerebral spinal fluid. It also slightly narrows the canal. Plus there is mild ventral cord molding.

C5-6 disc dessication; mild disc bulge and rear longitudinal ligament thickening - this can come from age too.

C6-7 disc dessication; minimal disc bulge

C7-T1 normal

Degenerative disc disease from C2 to C6-7; disc and bone combine to cause moderate spinal stenosis. Stenosis is where the spinal canal becomes narrow.

There are NO herniations here, Winky. The only thing I can see that might POSSIBLY be an issue is at C3-4 where the thecal sac is compromised, plus the canal is slightly narrowed and molded. But I don't believe this is a surgical event.

Make sure you take these films with you when you see the Neuro on the 20th!!! He needs to see these to tell you what he thinks. I'm sure he'll tell you "No surgery." But let him see them anyway, ok?

Thanks for typing all this out! I appreciate it, cause I really wanted to see this. Take care Winky, and let us know what the Neuro says. Hugs, Lee

Would any of this give me shooting pains, burning, tingling and numbness all the way down my arm to my fingertips?

Just a quick word. I had the first of three herniated disks 12 years ago. the arm pain, numbness, tingling, and the lost strength are a direct result of the herniated discs touching the nerves. I had to have surgery EVERY time I had a herniated disc. I went through thr epidurals, the pain meds, the physical therapy....it just does not work. The surgery is quite easy to recover from, and I had immediate arm pain relief in the recovery room after my surgery.
All my best to you. Good Luck!!

Thankyou I appreciate that!!!

Winky -- The C3-4 MIGHT be causing the burning/tingling, etc. I can't say for sure, but that would be my guess. The others don't look like they'd be able to.

I'm really anxious to hear what the Neuro says on the 20th!!! Will you make SURE you let me know? I've got in on my calendar but I'm such a flake sometimes, that I might miss it! LOL So rattle my cage, will you? Thanks hon. I really want to know.

Take care and God bless. Hugs, Lee

There are several more things that they could do to find the cause of the numbness and tingling, & loss of strength. I can never remember the name of the test but to find out if it is causing nerve damage they use electricity to measure the pulses at several different areas. A regular X-ray showed me better why I needed surgery than a n MRI.
The first surgeon my pain specialist sent to refereed me to one MRI place and they did not take the slices close enough together, he said I didn't need surgery--this after I had refused to consider surgery until I spent 2 years losing weight, PT, and every non-surgical option I could try to ovoid having the recommended spinal fusion. The second one sent me to a different MRI place and the Dr's were calling me that day to schedule the surgery. The first MRI completely missed all the points where my nerves were impacted. And the X-ray showed that my spine was severely out of place.

I understand about the meds, I had a great pain specialist who believes very much in using stronger long term meds you do not need to take constantly and after my surgery I had no problem going off of them. Acupuncture really helped me a lot, there is a place here where you pay what you can afford and it was great.

So do get copies of your films or make sure the Dr's can access them online and see for them selfs if it is a good MRI or not.

Yes, your ulnar nerve may be pinched. It's awful.