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does anyone know anything about cervical spine stenosis

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Posted 9/12/2008 12:06 AM (GMT 0)
i was injured 3 yrs ago i started seeing a dr she prescirbed hydrocodene and told me i had rsds and would never get better. 1 mth ago i went for my refill and was told she had quit her pratice i was referred to another dr he sent me for xrays the xray showed i have cervical spine stenosis and would need a mri

does anyone have this condition or does anyone have any information on this i am already having the muscle weakness

i am taking hydrcodene 10/325 every 4 hrs that only makes my pain tolerable he offered oxy but i dont want to change 1 dependancy for another

i am 45 with 2 young children at home 3yrs and 6 yrs i really need to get better for them.
Posted 9/12/2008 2:50 AM (GMT 0)
I have lower lumbar spinal stenosis, which is the canal is narrowing somewhere in my lower spine and pinching nerves in the process which is causing pain and numbness to go down my legs.
I think with cervical spinal stenosis you get numbness and pain down your arms. For me it hurt like (hell) at times. I'm only 42 mine was caused by a car accident.
Are you seeing a pain management doctor? If not you might want to, Pain management doctor's have lots of procedure that might help bring some relief.
Nice to meet you. but I sure wish it was under better circumstance though.
Lots of soft hugz.
You can always do a google search on cervical spinal stenosis for more info
keep us posted as to how your doing
Posted 9/12/2008 3:15 AM (GMT 0)
my injury is from someone ran in to me in a store with the big stocking cart full of heavy product i have had so much pain for 3 yrs now i have learned to deal with it however lately it just seems like its un controllable not sure why i am going for thearpy and injections wednesday my other dr seem like she just gave pain meds this dr seems like he has a plan in place to see if we can get it under control a bit instead of surgery which thats probably where i am headed thank you for responding i guess i am just having one of those days:)
Posted 9/12/2008 3:31 AM (GMT 0)
oraca,
It is just MY opion, and the opinion of some others on this board that opiod medication
simply isn't the worst thing for Chronic Pain.
My alternative would be surgery. Surgery often doesn't work. The area of my problem
is just too close to my carodit and could cause massive bleeding.
Well, I'm getting carried away. It doesn't have to be this extreme to take Opiod
medication. I simply could not live without it.
I do have Cervical Spine Stenosis, but unfortunately I can't visualize just what the
problem is. There are a number of things wrong with me and I can't keep up with them
all. (Tiny brain may be another one of my problems) rolleyes
I have been called to dinner, but will get back to this.
Pamela Neckpain.
Posted 9/12/2008 5:20 PM (GMT 0)
Astro:

For a whole season?????????? You mean like ALL winter, spring, summer, or fall.

Oh ho, oh no, I could not ever do that. But good for you if you can. Let us
know when your "season" is coming up. OK?

Pamela smhair
Posted 9/12/2008 5:54 PM (GMT 0)
All,

I finally bit the bullet & had a C-spine fusion this summer, despite the potential carotid problem (which I did not have). C1-C7. I am still in the healing process but do not regret it. I have less pain, numbness and better posture than I've had in years. I waill always have some pain and restricted movement but have reduced my pain medication to almost zero. It was extreme;y scary but I got through it just fine and only regret I didn;t do it sooner.

Best, Cary
Posted 9/12/2008 6:12 PM (GMT 0)
Oraca, I have bulging discs causing stenosis in C4-6 w/ spurs, OA & straightening of the curve. I think that is what caused me to have bi-lateral carpal tunnel, tingling, sometimes my hands feel like hunks of wood in the morning. Numbness, shoulder & arm pain, horrid headaches, and last but not least; pain in the whole upper quadrant of the back, down to mid to bottom of the shoulder blades.

Last Friday I had a botox injection done in thetrigger points of the bi-lateral trapezius and right scapula. It helped immensely, immediately. Much better than any nerve block.

This is a tough thing to live with, but surgery on my neck scares me far too much! I am fully aware of what scar tissue does eventually too. So even if surgery helps now, what will the scar tissue do down the road? Possibly create more issues? Not for me. At least not now.

I also have stenosis and a host of other issues in the lower spine. As you can see, I take high powered opiates. I have no choice if I want to function. I have to work 5 days a week and siomehow clean at home; at least once in awhile!
Posted 9/13/2008 5:42 AM (GMT 0)
thanks for all the replys i too am afraid of surgery i work 5 days a week with two young children at home and i can drive and i work with numbers at work and i take 2 hydrocodone every 4 hrs it starnge how the body adapts to pain meds. I am so glad i found this site its the first time i have found that someone else understands what its like to have pain all the time. I am going to have the trigger points and some type of electrolsis this wednesday i hope i can decrease my meds. so thank you everyone for accepting me and allowing me to vent
Posted 9/13/2008 11:44 AM (GMT 0)
I have lumbar spinal stenosis and it pinches my nerves in my loer back. It gives me alot of pain and gives me leg pain. I hope you have a low pain day.

Posted 9/13/2008 3:38 PM (GMT 0)
I have it, hurts like the dikkens. Plus my body decided to build up a massive amount of scar tissue after my last two surgeries, entwined in nerves. Buttox pain, calf pain and feels like i have a walnut on the bottom of my left foot, a dead spot. Recently, just last week, PM put me on oxycontin 10mg, one inmorning,and eve. With 10/325 oxycodone boosters. Seems to be working but im left in a mental fog, short memory, cant drive, cant work,. But much less pain. A trade off. The good news, after being burried in the sand at the beach party, i finally surfaced when high tide came in, grabbed my Geritol and went home happy.
Posted 9/15/2008 5:42 PM (GMT 0)
ELderlt, I have a dead spot that feels like a walnut on the bottom of my foot too! You're the 1st one I've seen share that. I get awful leg pain. I also have a cyst on the SI and one of my disc bulges is pressing on an SI nerve. Oh, lest I forget, sacroiliits too.
Posted 9/18/2008 3:39 PM (GMT 0)
  Ya, the size of a walnut, started after my second back surgery, also have terrible leg pain from knee to my ankle and a knitting needle stuck in the buttox, constantly. Oxycontin/oxycodones only dull it but the throb is still there. Ive been on the oxycontin 10mg am and pm two weeks and now they are barely touching it. I cant work, do much of anything, pain is dominant in every situation and annoying. I guess its just going to be a steady progression as it has been in uppin the meds for another surgery aint gonna help, just make things worse my doc says. And with these meds, my short term memory is terrible, absouletly terrible.

Posted 9/18/2008 3:50 PM (GMT 0)
ELderLy, if I may. I have the "knitting needle stuck in the bottox" also. This is where your sacroliliiac is. I have Crohn's and with it I got sacroiliitis. Perhaps you have sacroiliitis, or OA in your scro. Mine has not flared in several years, but when it does, WOWEY!! The pain is so intense it makes me nauseous. I woke up the other day with some pain there and I immediately prayed that it was not coming back. Every tiny movement feels like shards of glass are grinding and tearing in there, or like having a knife stuck in the joint. This is a very intense pain, and you have my most sincere sympathies for having to deal with it. BTW, do you have IBD or IBS?
Posted 9/18/2008 5:28 PM (GMT 0)
d2parrotperson,
Have any of your doctors mentioned Cervical Dystonia or Torticollis. Botox is REAL good for them.
I've been diagnosed with it, but I don't believe the DX. And besides that, I can't afford the Botox
which only lasts 3 months.
I had IBS and now perhaps IBD. (Not that that has anything to do with anything)
Pamela shakehead
Posted 9/19/2008 3:01 PM (GMT 0)
Not sure how to answer, dont know what ibd or ibs stands for, if its somthing related to pain, i can say yes. Mornings are pure hell for me. Since i had to leave my job due to all the physical work dmands, i sleep till 9am, have to jump in hot shower to get loosend up, then do my meds and sit in a stupor for two hours watching the tv but not really following what the program is. Ive filed for unemployment and social security disability at the age of 57. Firm beliver in what you do in your younger years wreaks havoc on ones body in the boomer years. At least for me that is. Ive worked hard all my life and this is what i got for it, now i cant work at all and sit here looking at the tv and out the window at all the things going to hell in my yard that i can no longer keep up. I have five dogs and seven cats that keep me company during the day, they love it that im home and all give me that good ole unconditional love.

Posted 9/19/2008 3:43 PM (GMT 0)
ELDderLy, I'm sorry. After having IBD for so many years I just assume everyone recognizes the abbreviations. IBD is Irritable Bowel Syndrome / IBS is Irritable Bowel Disease. Related to pain? Oh my yes, but likely not the pain you mean. IBD, in my case Crohn's causes the white blood cells to attack the entire body like it were a foreign invader.

I have horrid mornings too. I am disabled, but I don't have enough years of over the table work to qualify for social security, and they say we have too many assets (cough, cough) for SSI. If we did not own this business I would not be able to work at all. There are lots of days when I have to go in late, or go home early.

Even though I had the body pain, when I was a bit younger (49 now) I painted houses w/ my husband. I carried and climbed the ladders, scraed, all of it. I am quite sure I added damage to damage. Then a couple of car accidents later...here am I!

Pamela, no. I've not been dx;d with either of those. As I told you before, I did get 3 botox injectiosn. But, you should know that each time you get one it lasts longer. It is a gradual build up. You may be surprised.
Posted 9/19/2008 4:15 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,

I'm sorry you are having to suffer with all that pain. I do have lumbar stenosis, for which I had surgery almost 2 years ago. Mine became so severe that I pretty much couldn't walk anymore. I  had severe neurogenic claudication with it. I could not walk upright and the muscle spasms completely overtook me ,not to mention nerve pains from sciatica due to large disc herniations. However, when I had ESI's it did help the nerve pain for a while, but did nothing for the claudication, spasms, and other pains.

I have a feeling that I might be getting something similiar in my cervical spine, though I cannot have it checked out right now. I had a co-worker, whom her doctors first thought she had carpal tunnel, then diabetic neuropathy. She started having problems with her right hand and it just progressed no matter what her docs prescribed. IT got to the point she had no more use of her right hand and some of her arm. Well....then she started having trouble walking, with weakness in the legs. THen finally, she was sent for MRI's of her entire spine and came to find out she had cervical stenosis due to a large herniation compressing her spinal cord. This is what was causing her loss the use of her hand, as well as her leg weakness. The problem is...the actual cord is in the mid and upper spine and if that is compressed severely and for long enough, can actually causes paralysis and irreversible nerve damage. One can still get permanent nerve damage from lumbar stenosis, but it does not affect the actual cord (as the cord ends around L1 or thereabouts). From there, a large bundle of nerves that look like a horses tail go down through the lumbar spine (called the cauda equina). So in effect, though not meant to scare you, it is more serious to have compression in the cervical spine.

Are you having muscle weakness and pain in the upper body only? Such as neck, arms, hands, etc?  Or are you starting to feel any symptoms in your lower body? Also...do you have any problems going to the bathroom?

And finally, do you know what the cause of the stenosis is and where in the spine it is? It can be caused by different things, such as large herniations, cysts, bone overgrowth, etc. If you do not have your MRI report, You should definitely get it either from the MRI center or your doctor.

Did your doctor discuss any of the other possible treatments for your condition, such as injections, nerve pain medications, PT, radio frequency, etc.?

Posted 9/19/2008 9:54 PM (GMT 0)
 No IBD here. Meds dont constipate me either, did at first but i eat my fiber and icecream, in fact together, Im hooked on Post honey bunch of oats with almonds and schwans vanilla, buy the gallon and half, better than exlax. And yes, to upper body pain also, i was injured pushing snow in a bobcat two winters ago, got slamed into the windshield hitting a abruptment in road, blade caught half inch difference, pain shot down my spine like lighting and down my right arm, sometimes its just crippling me in pain, unrelated i think to lumbar stenosis but surely aggravated from top to bottom. My MRI shows massive build up of scar tissue around surgery areas in lower back, where all the nerves are bundled. More surgery equals more scar tissue, its a catch 22, feel good for a year but when the scar tissue comes back, it will with a vengence, the body is only protecting itself but its not a well layed out plan, there is no control how it will reform in other words. Thats what my PM doctor tells me, just deal with it, take your pain pills, sorry pal, thats all to this day  that we know to do. Ok doc. Today i tried something different, fired up the xbox 360, it took my mind off things for a spell, but then realized just how much i suk at video games and went back to watching mindless tv, gonna give it another try tomarrow. the good news, my daughter had her baby, im a bonifide grandpa now, so besides the five dogs and seven cats for company, i can rock my grandchild and......let her know the diaper needs a changin!

Posted 9/20/2008 5:04 PM (GMT 0)

good morning all

i went to my Dr on friday and he put me on a boifeed back machine?  Does anyone know of this or has anyone used this?  I have a MRI scheduled for thursday to see if I need surgery.  Has anyone had the surgery for cervical spine stenosis if so please tell me tthe outcome the healing time and the hospital stay how long etc please tell me how much pain you are in after.  I want to know if its worth it to have the surgery or if its better to just deal with it? I know i am asking a lot of question however i would rather hear it from someone whos been there instead of the drs

Posted 9/22/2008 6:02 PM (GMT 0)
ELDerLy, CONGRATS!! A new baby GC. What a blessing.

Oraca, I have not had the surgery. At this point I am not eligible. Plus the surgoen told me that if I had surgery it would cause a fibro flare for up to 1 year. I will have to be much worse before I would consider it. I have to deal w/scar tissue in my intestines as it is.

No matter what, ask yourself if you're willing to deal with the same, or possibly even worse pain when the scar tissue does develop.
Posted 9/22/2008 7:31 PM (GMT 0)
Oraca ... A Rheumatologist, A GP, THREE Neurologists, two Pain Management Doctors and my own brain have suggested
that sugery is not good for the Scoliosis and Cervical Spine Stenosis that causes me much pain in the neck, shoulders, arms,
arms, upper back, lower back and bum.
We are not made the same so you might be a candidate for the sugery. What do YOU think? How does it feel? I feel like
it is NOT NOT NOT a good idea for me unless my life depended on it. It's terrible when our lives get interrupted and we
almost overnight have to become someone else. But ... I suppose it's better than the alternative. (Sometimes, I wonder
though)

Astrolover aka Mike ... How are you doing with your "program" Cutting down on Opiods is difficult. Oh so. I understand your
reason for doing it. Post!
Pamela shocked
Posted 9/23/2008 4:50 AM (GMT 0)
Oraca,
Hello, and welcome to the HW forum. Just a quick response for now. Biofeedback is comparable to deep relaxation and hypnosis except that you are also connected to a couple of monitors so that YOU can learn when your body is relaxing and you learn how to do this on your own. These are specific techniques that can be added to this for a variety of heatlh conditions, but it's safe - nothing like surgery or anything. You will just be taught how to relax your body deeply, and "feedback" you get from say, the heart monitor, tells you when you're successful. Eventually, you do it without any formal feedback, because you'll know yourself what the feeling is.

Google it and you'll probably get a better explanation.

PaLady
Since we've also been talking about cats on some of the recent threads, there are studies that show having a purring cat on your shoulder will help you relax, lower heart rate and blood pressure.
Posted 5/21/2013 12:22 AM (GMT 0)
 

OK, I have never joined any type of site like this before, ever! My very first time,, (Except Face-book,but that doesn't count-does it?)

I have had severe pain & spasms for several years, through-out neck, shoulders, arms. In and out of ER,,finally a MRI reveals advanced Deg Disk/joint disease, 2 bulging disks, C-5&6 mostly GONE. (Where did it go?) Compressing the nerve root that services my arms, as they are weak and numb and at times, can not use my left arm at all. (also have: advanced spondilosis, osteo-arthritis, moderate narrowing of central spinal canal, vertebral stenosis, chronic small vessel Ischemia, and now, finally, seizure disorder. Waiting for my EEG, and ECG, which I can not afford due to no health insurance. I'm a mess. I have no idea where to turn to for help. ) I actually came  here to this site for advice on how to find a doctor who would prescribe narco pain meds, as all the ones they keep giving me don't work.) SOooo,

YOu are SO  lucky that you got some narco's for your pain! I've only gotten them sporadically, and as chronic pain sufferers know, sometimes it's the only thing that touches that kind of pain. They all tell me I need surgery asap,,but, w/o insurance,,well, too bad so sad for me.

DO  YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE ON HOW TO GET AN MD TO PRESCRIBE THE NARCO PAIN-MEDS?

Oh, and I have controlled/relieved my pain for many years with natural methods: massage, heat, ice, bio-feed-back, ergonomics, etc etc. So, I am not a 'drug-seeker'. I am in the advance stages, and some surgeons say i'm not even a candidate for surgery because my condition is too far gone--so, if I can't get narco pain meds---who does??? I don't get it!

any input or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Posted 5/21/2013 12:33 AM (GMT 0)
To Parrotperson,

I am new at this,,have no idea if you will see this,,lol. (I'll have to get help with doing this right from my kids,,haha.)

I am trying to find doctor(s) clinics, what ever that can  help me with my pain. (My condition I just posted in this link, today..) My condition is very similar to yours.

What I can't seem to find is a doctor that will prescribe the pain relief meds that you are getting! Any advice? Any help at all would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks to anyone else out there that could give advice,,i think I am on someone else's thread. am I supposed to start my own thread? Apologies for improper Forum manners. Thank you.

Posted 5/21/2013 1:16 AM (GMT 0)
Hello JRfromTexas and welcome to HW.

This is a very old thread and most of the original posters are no longer here. The thread will most likely be locked for that reason.

Please go top of the page and click post new topic. If you start your own thread with something like looking for advice in finding Doctor. The folks here now would love to welcome you and can share their knowledge and experience on finding the proper Dr to meet your needs.
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