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Old 12-15-2015, 05:49 PM
sunrisa61 sunrisa61 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Iowa
Posts: 1
Exclamation Problems with feet and legs and hands and arms post cervical fusion

Sure hope I am doing this right. I am RN 27 years now.
Back in May 2014, I started to have severe shoulder pain in the left arm that brought me to tears. I was working at the time, and pain was interfering with my work. I went to the ER and they did a xray sent me home with flexeril and tramadol. I continued to work. Couldn't function. At work I noticed that my left hand was having tremors and uncontrolled movements. So I went to the walk in clinic. The doctor there tried to say it was carpal tunnel. He referred me to a regular MD for primary care. I didn't have a doctor as I had just moved to Iowa, from Florida. I showed my hand movement to this MD she ordered an EMG. That's where my life began to change. The EMG showed nerve conduction issues in left arm and hand. None in the right side. The neurologist that performed the EMG, sent me for an MRI. There they found that I had severe stenosis @ C5, C6. C7 and T1. Referred to a neurosurgeon. She told me permanent paralysis would occur if I did not have the surgery. I didn't want to do it. My Dad was with me and he had a successful cervical fusion and encouraged me to do it. I was working towards my masters in nursing to be a nurse practitioner so I decided I would do the surgery, thinking my life would get back to almost normal. The cervical fusion was done in september, post op 10-12 hours I started having numbness in my feet. My hand uncontrolled movements became far worse. My balance became terrible. Walking was so hard as was going up and down 2 flights of stairs to walk my dogs. Post op follow up the surgeon said she had never seen anything like this and even made me feel like I was being somewhat deceptive. She ordered another MRI and there it was still severe stenosis.
Since then I now have dytonia (uncontrolled movements) in both hands and it has spread to my toes, clonus like. The last few weeks the pain in my legs has become unbearable at time. I walk so slow now, after a short time I am so worn out. I have pain management that does indeed help but leaves me groggy constantly. My restless leg sydrome occurs all the time now, if it is that. What I want to know has any of you had these issues post surgery and if so, have you been able to resolve them. The neurosurgeon says there is nothing she can do for me. Thanks for reading.
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