Hi, it's great to find this forum!
I had a rude awakening this winter with the sudden onset of pain in my left neck and arm and tingling along C6- down to my left thumb. Saw a spine ortho, XR looked like plain old degenerative cervical disease, went forward, celebrex every day, and got a little better at first. Unfortunately was not long lived, and became a "who knows what the day will bring" regardless of my activities or lack thereof!
Finally convinced him to order an MRI (under duress) and as soon as I got it, 3 months after symptoms had begun, whipped it out of the folder and almost threw up right there in the car! At it's worst, around C6/7, my spinal cord looks like a banana... how could I have not known something was going so wrong? No possibility for epidural- no room for the needle!
I consulted a Neurosurgeon who offered 2 options- surgery or not. My choice. BUT, if function is lost, may or may not be regained.
And, for the first time, got a thorough neuro exam, and low and behold, I was having weakness on my RIGHT side that I had been slowly compensating for without realizing it. Totally freaked out, it took me only 4 days to decide to fix this darn thing before I allowed anything else to go wrong.
After thinking about everything, I began to realize all the symptoms I had been having for quite a while that I had been dismissing and not identifying as related: Had had episodes of L thumb tingling on and off briefly for 5 years (maybe 3-4 times ever!). That one morning 2 years ago that I awoke and stretched and got such a severe pain in my left shoulder blade I couldn't even breathe, but just for one day. Chronic RIGHT hip and leg pain, dull ache, especially at night, waking me at night, ibuprofen no longer helping.... Thought I was getting old- that right index finger was really aching, and gee, my handwriting was really atrocious at times--- but I am a DR, so that was expected.... Surprised that I was getting so much better at opening jars with my left hand even though I was a righty... and of course that pain behind my shoulder blades.
I am writing this because I am a physician and frankly most of these little symptoms were so minor, so fleeting, such afterthoughts, occurring over 5 years, that it wasn't until I new what was wrong that I could put the very subtle puzzle together in retrospect.
I am not having surgery for the pain. Although I am uncomfortable much of the time, it's not horrible. But the disability, the inability to do all the outdoor things that make my soul soar is just such torture that I can't imagine a life with permanent loss of function.
I am terrified of surgery, terrified of not having surgery. Mostly grieving the loss of a healthy body- it's gone, and it will never be the same again. Also concerned about having a fiber-optic intubation
... just seems so gruesome- if anyone has gone through it, I would love to hear about it from a patient's perspective!
So I have enjoyed reading so much of the posts and look forward to reading more.
Thanks for reading!