Cervical Radiculopathy

Hello!

I'm 34 years old and have been suffering from cervical radiculopathy for nearly 4 years now. By the end of the night I'm using a stool to get in bed, shifting my shoulders around weird ways to get a shirt on and off. Dreading to reach up to my nightly cleanse and then actually Avoiding cleaning my face properly because it hurts to bend over. Then dreading the hike down the 4 steps to get my heating pack, ice pack and/or robe to "support" around my neck while i attempt to sleep. (yesterday I literally felt like my head was too big to be supported on my neck bc of the pain) .
...
In public, I'm actually getting looks now when my arm shifts the wrong way when Im picking something up. It's really odd and embarrassing. I dread bending down to get my purse and shoes on my feet on really bad mornings. I dread having to bend to buckle my kids in car seat..Because I know the pain it will steadily increase..quicker and quicker it seems.

I just dont how much longer I can take this without relief! I've tried everything pt, chiropractor, massage, medicine, does anybody else have this issue?

What helps with pain?
What helps with accepting your pain prevents you from doing simple chores?
What helps with not feeling guilty when you can't pick up your kids or help them on the monkey bars?

I have nobody in my life who understands and I just need some support!

Welcome GG to the CP forum and sorry your having such issues. As WB said I hope you are under the care of a good neurosurgeon and we prefer board certified and if you are not I would seek one out as soon as possible,if you don't know if he or she is board certified just ask the appointment setter or nurse or you can search the state board online. There's not great success with traditional pain meds for RAD and chiropractic services have their purposes but only after scans and specialist have ruled out some particular issues that can be made worse by manipulation and RAD is one of them depending on the origins.

The majority of us who suffer from Rad use various modalities to relieve pain and there's no one stop magic answer,each of us responds differently to different treatment. There are specific meds that target radiculopathy and again each of responds differently to the different types. Some of us have success with hydrotherapy and other forms of physical therapy and injections are not any different it seems and vary from one time to another. So you can see why its important to remain under the Drs care.

There's times its specific in cause and that can have a possibility of being fixed and relief provided by that intervention. It all comes down to the direct cause and if possible finding it.

I know thats not a lot of help to you in the here and now but its the best answer we have I'm afraid.