C5-6 Prodisc-C Surgery Blog

[runner]

Jcherbert,

If you are in that much pain, you need to call your doctor and tell him what is going on. Hey, if you need stronger pain medicine, then you do.
Don't suffer in pain because it is hard for your body to relax (not just you) and get about the business of healing when it is in spasms, etc...
I wouldn't read anything into the MRI results or how you feel now. You just had surgery and it takes time.
Since i am a lumbar chick, I don't know as much about necks, but it takes a long time to recover from surgery. I don't care how old you are, how much in shape you were, etc...
My heart rate was tachycardic after my operation and staying up above 90-100 beats per minute for some time. It is maybe in 70-80's now and that is after more than 12 months post-op. This is a recent development. When i first hurt my back in 2007, i had a resting heart rate in the 50's.

You cannot tell how things are going to go until you have had sufficient time to heal. Hopefully your symptoms you have now will get better, but it is too soon to tell.
Your doctor will look at your MRI results and see if there is anything significant.
i think the most important thing is to get your pain under control. You are right, people can not function in severe pain.

Besides the pain, if you have any other unusual symptoms, please call your doctor with that information.

Runner

[jchebert1979]

Hey runner, I understand what you are saying about the pain medication, but if IV fentanyl does nothing for the pain then I don't think there is any other medication that will help.

I don't think you guys really understand. As far as I'm concerned I have gotten all of the pain relief I am going to get from this surgery. It was the same way with the brain surgery. I knew instantly from both surgeries what pain was really gone and what was going to remain. If I am going to get more relief it will not be from the intense pain that I keep explaining.

The soonest my doctor will see me is the 19th. My plan of action will be to call him and make sure it is OK and then getting a CT myelogram of the thoracic and cervical spine while I wait. I have always avoided a myelogram because of the complications that could arise with my Chiari. That is no longer an issue so hopefully this test will help us get a better picture than the MRI's. I will then try and hold out the best can until the appointment and hopefully we can come up with a solution.

[jessmith07]

J-

I have suffered from an anxiety disorder for my entire life, although it was only finally diagnosed about 8 years ago. Since then, I've been on medication (currently 60-90 mg of Cymbalta) that has helped me get back to "normal". There are certain times and/or events that cause increased anxiety (like my recent surgery and the months leading up to it) that cause the need for me to increase my daily dosage for a while, then once the crisis passes, I am able to go back down to my usual dose. I also have another medication (Xanax) that helps with accute anxiety attacks. There is a nice side-effect to the Cymbalta, and that is that for some reason, it helps reduce chronic pain. Also, before my laminectomy in September 2008, I was having severe sciatic nerve pain and was on 200-250 mg/day of a drug called Topomax. I originally started taking this medication at 50 mg to help prevent very frequent migraines, but after researching the drug, I found out that at higher levels, it helps reduce chronic nerve pain. I had to work my way up to that dosage, increasing by 50 mg every few weeks. But it helped! I went from barely being able to move to walking 15-20 miles per week relatively pain free.

I know that anxiety alone can be debilitating, but adding the stress of severe chronic pain on top of that can be mind-boggling! And people have the best of intentions telling you to relax, but they just don't understand that, for someone with this condition, it's usually impossible. My anxiety attacks consist of heart palpatations, shaking, heat flashes, then feeling freezing, nausea/vomiting, and all of the associated abdominal distresses. I know what you're feeling around this...have you seen a psychiatrist? They are professionals in dealing with this and have a great knowledge of how to treat you with medications and/or therapy. You really don't have to suffer with this particular condition, especially with all of your other health problems.

Wishing you all the best,
Jess

[Katie]

Don't worry, I am not going to tell you to relax. Jess gave you some great information, and I hope if it fits your situation that it may help.

Also, regarding pain....I have been given some various pain medications that should have dropped a horse, with no effect. Only one helps...straight short acting morphine. There is no rhyme or reason to this, except one of my friends is a doctor and says that people with the gene for red hair often have very different reactions to medications. That is certainly the case with me. If they don't work, than many make me extremely ill...I never know which And I only have the slightest tinge of red...not full flaming Eric the Red locks

There is a chance that this may be what is happening to you. I'm sure that many doctors do not know or believe this tidbit of information, but since she has the same problems, she has investigated it a fair bit. Might be something to think about and try another medication. What else has helped or not helped?

It's just a thought...I really hope that something breaks for you and you get the relief you need so badly.

[jchebert1979]

Thank you everyone, I know you mean well and I appreciate the support.

I was once referred to what I thought was a pain management doctor by my neurologist. He did some trigger point injections then and that was it. I called back today to see if he could help me and turns out he is a sports medicine doctor and not a pain management doctor.

I asked his nurse who he would recomend and she gave me 4 names. I called all four and even with a referral none could see me sooner than August. I called my surgeon's office back and after 5 minutes of her telling me to be patient I asked to be referred to a PM. She said she would ask the doctor after he got out of surgery later today.

He sent me home with 10mg lortabs and I have taken 4 so far today since 9:00am (it's 12:30 now) with not even a 1 point reduction of pain. I have a few left over fentanyl patches from my brain surgery, but those didn't work then either. Besides, after all of the hydrocodone, I can't use one today anyway.

[Maria]

I agree that I can't understand what is going on w/you. I'm sorry that you are experiencing any symptoms that are still greatly perplexing or aggravating.

The thoracic herniations are a mystery to me altho I think I might have something going on there myself .. not really wanting to find out tho may have to.

I am interested to hear how things progress with you, what will be found, diagnosed and how things will be handled.

I hope you will continue to share that information with us as we can all stand to learn about something new and different.

thanks for continuing to post and update...

[dshobbies]

J,

I couldn't agree more with Jess. The old adage, 'it takes one to know one' is so true. Everyone posting here has severe spinal pain and no one on the outside can begin to understand. If we found solutions by ourselves, we wouldn't need the caring and support we found from others. Bad choices, bad doctors, bad advice has plagued most of us.

We're not medical professionals but we have walked in your shoes. If we have stepped on your toes, believe me, it wasn't intentional. We all have needs and feeling a connection to the world is at the top of the list. You don't have to feel alone, we're with you, through good but especially through bad.

Glad you're about to see that pm. Perhaps he'll provide long sought after relief. I wish you every luck,

Dale

[JKDE302]

jchebert1979 are you glad you had the c5-6 done?

I know you have more problems below it but do you have any hope you can still get them fixed also..

[JKDE302]

Damn this thread has turned me off the pro-disc...Alot of negative bad news ...

[dshobbies]

Katie,

I never heard the red hair connection before but it sure explains a lot. I often have weird side effects to drugs and some exact opposite reactions to what they're supposed to do. I do know we heal differently and in my case, bruise easily. Good to know there's another connection there.

J,

Ok, no more preaching about relaxing. A friend of mine, unrelated to spine issues, had several health issues and was eventually referred to an endocronologist. Working with her own bodies reactions, they were able to form a med regimen that worked for her. You might consider looking into this, especially if meds are a part of your future.

As far as suggesting this, that and the other, we're really trying to help and don't mean anything insulting. Truly, your pain is our concern and someone, somewhere has been through what you're now going through. If they don't happen upon this forum, it's simply and try this and that situation but there's a solution out there too. Keep us informed and we'll do our best.

Please don't give up on us, Dale

[jchebert1979]

I was finally able to get an appointment with a PM after someone cancelled. It will be this coming Monday.

I am more convinced than ever that the remaining discs are and have been my problems all along. I am disgusted in the entire medical community and have nothing but contempt and distrust. It took two years, over 25 doctors, possibly an unnecessary brain surgery, and over 250,000 dollars in diagnostic tests (not treatment) to get this far when the very first test run diagnosed the problem. It just seems fitting that now when for the first time there is no doubt as to the cause of my pain I may be left without the means to treat it. I was so blinded by my pain that I accepted the first offer for an ADR when it is now very clear that I have multiple pain generators. If it would have not happened to me, I would have never in my life believed that the very people who were supposed to care for me have taken everything from me.

I will not be posting on this blog anymore as my prodisc-c surgery was a complete success. It completely alleviated the pain coming from my c5-6 herniation. Thank you everyone for your support.

[fuzzy]

I have been going through this for more then 10 years until the german doctors not only gave me a chance but promised me more then one problem. At least they were telling me the truth and they were right. My ADR was a sucess but obviously there are more parts in my spine failing at the same time. Now its wait and see for my neck surgery but after yesterdays MRI I feel I am pretty close. I too am an anxiety case and the pain plus the anxiety would send my heartrate into the sky, I went on beta blockers, it was the only way. Well I still am on the betablocker even thought I felt quite a bit better without the pain attacks coming form my lumbar spine but one out of 3 days I am limping due to stong legpain. I really hope that that too comes from my neck. It seems like it sometimes as strange as it sounds. In the MRI machine I got a lot of strange feelings, very tingly numbish feet and pain all over. After the test i could not get up the leg pain was real bad. When I walked in I had no leg pain, it was the vibration messing with my discs pushing on my spinal chord, I am sure of that. I am over due for a post to try to describe what is going on with me but it is complex rather then simple it seems. The kind they don't like to deal with in the US medical system, thats a fact.