[jchebert1979]

Mark, I don't mean that I am flexing my head intentionally. The pain happens when I am for example sitting down and resting my head against a head rest. It is not when I look up, as I can do that with ease, it is when my head moves back.

I finally recieved the radiologists report for the latest MRI's (which the doctor has not seen yet) and of course there are new herniations that werent on the other MRI's and the herniations that were on the other MRI's aren't there.

Newest report shows:

1. Prominent posterior bulging at c6-7
2. Posterior bulging at T1-2
3 Posterior central protrusion at T3-4


The T3-4 herniation was picked up on the first MRI back when the symptoms started. Just like everything else I was told that it was too small to be causing symptoms, but the pain that went away in my head after the surgery, is the same pain I still feel in my back and chest that makes it hard to breath and causes the heart palpitations. I can tell what is surgery pain and what is pre-surgery pain.

The nausea, heart palps, shortness of breath, etc are all symptoms of thoracic herniations. I am even willing to bet that the tachycardia upon swallowing that I experienced in the hospital was a result of irritation of the thoracic herniation from the position of my body for surgery.

I know everybody means well and that they are incapable of really knowing what I am going through, but I am just getting so sick of people telling me to relax. Relax is just not something anyone could do when they are in such severe pain. At least once a day (sometimes more) there is point where I think the pain itself is going to kill me.

I am so grateful for the relief of the head pain that I have gotten from this surgery. I also am willing to accept that I may never be able to do the things I once did and that I may never be pain free. I just cannot accept living with constant levels of pain that makes you wish you were dead. I wish that some doctor could share this sense of urgerncy. I've hung on to this ledge white knuckled with all my might for so long, I just feel like I can't hold myself up anymore.