MsRobyn Goes to the Neurologist...

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

For quite some time now, I’ve been having some shoulder and arm pain. Okay, it’s a LOT of pain, and when it didn’t go away on its own, I went to my primary-care doctor. She gave me some Motrin and Flexeril and gave me a consult to see a neurologist. She also ordered a neck series and a chest series of X-rays.

After waiting about six weeks, I finally got to my appointment. Turns out that yes, there is something objectively wrong with me. My neck is straight (normal people have a curve in theirs), and it’s causing muscle spasms. He also examined me from head to toe. My cerebral bloodflow is okay, so there is no danger of a pinched blood vessel. My lower half is fine. I can feel what I’m supposed to feel, my reflexes are acceptable (actually a little sluggish, but they’re bilateral and equal, so that’s good), and there is no sign of a lesion anywhere in my spinal column.

The upper half, on the other hand, is not so good. There were some signs of nerve involvement in my upper body. (well, DUH! It’s why I was there.) The neurologist isn’t very sure where, though. The first three problems that were suggested were carpal tunnel syndrome, ulnar tunnel syndrome (similar, but in the elbow) and thoracic-outlet syndrome, which is more or less a pinched nerve in a very sensitive place where neurosurgeons fear to tread because of its proximity to a lot of major nerves and blood vessels and other stuff.

Now, if I were a normal, run-of-the-mill person, it’d be carpal tunnel, I’d be scheduled for surgery next week, and life would be beautiful. But I can’t possibly be normal OR run of the mill. The diagnosis as it stands is thoracic-outlet syndrome vs. cervical root disease. TOS is treated with physical therapy, biofeedback, and possibly muscle relaxers and maybe an anti-anxiety drug. Cervical root disease is treated with PT or surgery, depending on what the problem is. Either way, I’m not looking at a fun time.

The neurologist has me scheduled for an MRI for Thursday and an electromyogram/nerve conduction test on Friday. I’ll keep you posted on this. Please keep me in your thoughts; either way, it’s going to be a long, painful road.

Robin

2

Robin, I hope everything turns out well and that your recovery is quick and easy. Sending healing, pain-free thoughts your way.

3

Luck to you. I too have a lot of problem with my shoulder, and sometimes in my neck. The last Dr that I saw regarding this told me that he thought it was stress. How he determined this I’ll never know, unless he was psychic. He never once touched me, probed any of the muscles or had any xrays or other tests done. If I were a chronic hypochondriac (I had to look up the spelling), I would understand, but I rarely go to a Dr for anything.

In any case, good luck with it.

4

MsRobyn, just wanted to say that I sympathize with you. I have thoracic nerve damage from a severe collarbone fracture many years ago. I have shooting pains in my neck, shoulder, and back as well as muscle spasms. My range of motion on my left side is quite limited, and I have scapular winging. Before I took the plunge and consulted a neurologist, I decided to try chiropractic.

I’ve been going two - three times a week for a couple months now, and I’ve got to tell you the difference is amazing. Like you, my cervical vertebra are straight rather than curved, and I have a bad misalignment from when I fell and injured my shoulder. In the past few months the pain has decreased by about 70%, and my range of motion has increased greatly. My scapular winging has decreased slightly, and my muscle spasms have been much less intense.

I would advise at least checking out chiropractic before you make any decisions about surgery (if it comes to that). There are a lot of chiropractors who are quacks, but if you find the right one I thoroughly believe that it can do you a world of good without the risk of invasive surgery. I’ve done a lot of research on the matter, so if you’re interested I could share some of the information I’ve gathered. Good luck to you, and I hope you can find some relief.

5

Ms. Robyn, good luck with the MRI! If you haven’t had one before, it’s kindof a star-trekky feeling to go in the tube; weird but doable.

Good luck!

6

Yes, Ms. Robyn, I would also recommend trying to find a good chiropractor first. I went to one who’s on my (very reputable) insurance plan, who shares his office with an M.D. and is a specialist in pain management. I have similar neck and shoulder problems – that loss of normal cervical curve from a minor auto accident many years ago – and also pinched nerves in my shoulder, and just a few adjustments and it feels MUCH better. Also saved the insurance company potentially thousands of $$$.

There are always, of course, reasons to stick with an M.D. But since your set of symptoms sounds so EXACTLY like mine and I’m an ideal candidate for chiropractic treatment for it, I thought I’d pass this along.

7

Good luck with the surgery, and please don’t let this bring you down. FWIW, my older brother had major knee surgery when he was in his teens. It hurts when it rains, but otherwise it’s fully functional.

8

Wow, MsRobyn, the straight neck thing must be more common than I realized! I have a “straight neck” too! I have suffered from occasional stiff necks for most of my life. And now I have been diagnosed with a herniated cervical disk (C6-C7).

Here’s my long sad tale (and so far, no happy ending):

Last November 2002, I woke up with a stiff neck. As the day progressed my neck, upper back, and left arm went into a horribly painful spasm. Later in the day the fingers on my left hand went numb. The doctor prescribed Motrin and Flexeril. It didn’t do much for the pain, so I received a limited prescription for Vicadin. The Vicadin didn’t help much, or so it seemed until the pills ran out, then yikes!

I went to physical therapy, which was quite painful. (The simple movement of thrusting my chin forward then tucking it back brought tears to my eyes.) I could only sleep flat on my back, which is not my regular position. I was miserable, but eventually the pain subsided, although my index (pointer) finger stayed numb.

I quit physical therapy and sought help from the neighborhood chiropractor. He had me lay on my stomach on the little, narrow exam table. He stood over me with his hands on my upper back (bra strap region) and said, “Take a deep breath then release it.” As I released my breath he used both hands to punch down on my back. CRAAAAACK! “Yeeeooouch!” I screamed! Then he had me roll over onto my back. He cradled my head in his palms, said “Relax,” and cranked my neck to the left. CRAAAACK! Then he did the same to the right. I hated it! And it did no good. So I stopped going after 8 barbaric sessions. (Side note: Many of my friends love their chiropractor. I think either I picked the wrong one, or chiro is NOT for me.)

I went back to the doctor. I had no real pain, just a nagging ache in my left arm, and a numb finger. She sent me for an MRI.

The MRI results were read by neurosurgeon #1. He diagnosed a herniated cervical disk (C6-C7) and said I would need immediate surgery! I debated this with him, considering I am in no pain and only have an annoying numb finger. He said I “should not delay the inevitable,” and “surgery is the only answer.” I was sobbing when I left his office.

I went to neurosurgeon #2 for a second opinion. #2 said I am absolutely not a candidate for surgery. He said that if he had done the surgery and we were in a post-op exam right now he would consider the surgery a 100% success, even with the occasional nagging arm ache and the numb finger! He said the numbness would probably never go away, but I was welcome to try any combination of chiropractics, physical therapy, and/or acupuncture, as some people have success with those. When I asked how he could be so opposite from neuro#1 he said it’s probably a money thing!!! He wished me well and said if my symptoms get worse to come back and see him.

So, here I am, six month from the day of my original stiff neck. I have good days and bad. My finger is still numb, but I have learned to live with it. I try to be very careful and not lift anything heavy or strain my neck or back. In my job I sit in front of a PC most of the day so I have to be sure to take many stretch breaks.

I got a prescription for Celebrex, but it is not covered by my medical drug plan. A 30-pill supply is $90. I started with a 60-pill supply and will be using the last of them this week. They help the arm ache a little, but I don’t know if it is worth $3 per pill. When the Celebrex is gone I will go back to Motrin and compare the difference in how I feel. Then I’ll decide whether or not to renew the Celebrex.

And that’s my story.

MsRobyn, I wish you the best in your situation. As much as you may love and trust your doctor, if surgery comes up as an option I encourage you to seek a second opinion, if only for peace of mind.

Best of luck to you! And keep us posted on your progress.

9

Both my primary-care and neuro have specifically instructed me not to consider chiropractic until the actual problem has been diagnosed. The primary reason for this is that if there is nerve impingement (which is the most likely possibility at this point), adjustment can make that worse. The neuro did say that massage therapy can probably help, at least on the relaxation front.

Thanks, y’all!

Robin

10

Anyone who says massage is good is A-OK in my book! Massage is ALWAYS good!

Seriously, I hope all goes well for you. Sometimes not knowing exactly what is wrong is the worse thing. Once you have a definite diagnosis, you can figure out what to do about it. So here’s hoping they figure it out soon and get you fixed up right away!

11

Good luck, Robin! The Firefly household feels your pain. On Friday, my wife finally got to the doctor for a shoulder pain that, after 3 weeks, was getting pretty serious. Her diagnosis: rotator cuff tendinitis. Her fastball will never be the same. :wink: She’s on anti-inflammatories, and if they don’t work, physical therapy would be next. But at least there’s a clear course of treatment.

Yeah, and where were you on Sunday when I needed someone to give a good rub to this stabbing pain under my left shoulder blade? (Nobody’s buried a knife there - I checked. :)) Are you letting your family take priority over us again? Some cult member you are!

12

I really, desperately wanted to be at the picnic this weekend! Really!

Unfortunately, well, Dave kinda sees things differently from us. His family’s apples not only fell close to the tree, I’m starting to wonder if they even fell off!

Robin

13

I wonder if it has anything to do with carrying that darned baby around. The nerve of them to grow and all! I had a helluva time with Kalhoun Jr, as he grew like a weed and I was pretty small to begin with. You might want to consider a wheelbarrow! :wink:

14

Good luck at the MRI. Remember to smile :smiley:

15

Pot calling kettle, come in kettle… :stuck_out_tongue:

16

Yeah, but the observant will note that we don’t live in the same state as my family. So fooey on you! :stuck_out_tongue:

Actually, the neurologist does think that holding and carrying Aaron has exacerbated the problem. To combat this, we keep an umbrella stroller in the car since it’s easier to push him in that than it is to carry him.

Robin

17

Nerve damage sucks. I have moderate nerve damage in my right arm, running from shoulder on down. Up shot of it is, I have only about 40% tactile feeling in my right hand… It’s not as bad as it sounds, it’s only noticable in the finger tips mainly (maybe 10% of normal tactile sense in the pinky with slightly more until you get to my thumb which is ok). In my case it was from repeated injuries suffered during martial arts training. Being a lefty my right arm was used to block everything.

On the plus side, its not degenerative and I’ve got this great heavilly calcified arm with very little pain sensation I can use to block probably a baseball bat swing.

18

Pushing young’uns is always the better idea. I could feel my vertabrae compressing lugging mine around.

Continue to take care of yourself, MsRobyn.

mike

19

You’re in my thoughts and prayers, MsRobyn.

20

Hey, you two oughta get a room.

Oh. Wait. :smiley:

MsRobyn, all best wishes for this. Like many Dopers, I suffer a chronic spinal situation. It ain’t fun. Some cautionary thoughts from a highly paranoid guy.

  1. Research the hell out of ANY painkiller/anti-inflammatory. Don’t take anyone’s hearsay for how it will affect you. Your body is not their body. You have not undergone a sudden trauma- perhaps you might consider easing into any prescribed meds? If the Dr. says take two, try one. What’s not to like? So maybe it won’t 100% take away the pain. If it does, voila- you’re on 50% of the dosing of a ( maybe ) serious painkiller.

  2. Google is your friend. Well, AirmanDoors is your Special Friend, but you know what I mean. I learned a lot by Googling my injuries and possible treatments. In amongst the anecdotal whoo-haah is some seriously fine research and data on what you have going on. Buy a printer cartridge and make a binder. Believe it or not, having data and info on your problem that you can take away from the puter, and read sitting in the back yard is helpful. If you have a binder but no backyard, use a park. If you have a park and no binder, go to Staples. :slight_smile:

  3. Try not to panic. I’m a big drama queen, I panic incessantly. It’s a freakin’ wonder I can handle the EMT calls I used to do. This is a serious but slow thing, and you will not only manage it, you will likely overcome most if not all of the serious symptoms. Take the long view.

  4. Just a thought, but talk to your OB. I know, you’ve already popped the kid. Still and all, either the OB or an Orthopaedist who knows babymaking architecture may have some serious insight into whether or not this will affect your babymaking future. Are there things you can lean towards in terms of muscle work and exercising, that will specifically aid your body the next time you decide to go and get yourself knocked up with You Know Who. Might be worth asking about, or at least keeping on the Q&A list for the various Dr’s visits you have coming your way.

  5. Unless you are already a believer, explore alternative medicine. Not as a primary solution, but as a parallel source of treatment for the body. Perhaps ( if you can afford to, it’s likely not covered by any medical plan ) find a really fine and respected Homeopathic Dr, and have a consult once you have all of the imaging and bloodwork done. That person may have some thoughts on diet, remedies or other approaches that the traditional Western Medicine people might not. If you feel this area of medicine is bushwah, then skip this graph entirely.

  6. Look around your environment for little things you can do now. Your car seat. Your bed. Your sofa. Your chairs. When you are not standing, how can you best protect and serve your body’s needs?

Best of luck with this, and of course keep us posted.

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