New - Lightheadedness with Spinal Stenosis

@juljul
I am a 55 year old female and had similar symptoms and MRI. It seems you have cervical spondylotic myelopathy which is a spinal cord compression injury, stenosis and degenerative disc disease. You may need ACDF surgery on c5-c6 and c6-c7. I had my c5-c6 done when I was 52 (in 2022). I am now having c6-c7 done in 2025 due to a new herniated disc pressing on my spinal cord and causing bilateral radiculopathy to my arms/hands. Cervical myelopathy can affect your lower body/legs/feet which I didn’t realize. I also have lumbar spine issues and had surgery on that last year l3-l5 fused in 2024). When it comes to your spinal cord, it is important to get treatment asap to avoid further progression of the damage and risk for fall/paralysis.

I hope you get good information and options when you meet with your neurosurgeon.

please don't be afraid. Although your anxiety is normal! You will get thru this! It sounds like @juljul and I have both been on this degenerative path you are on too. All of this can be relieved when you see a GREAT orthopedic surgeon and pain management doctor. You have a variety of issues which MAY need an interdisciplinary approach. I did. You are in need at this point. Do not delay and PUSH, and I think you should also be seeing an orthopedic surgeon. I always feel like the neurologists are just a waste of my time, its the orthopedic surgeon who informs you of the solution. The diarrhea can be anxiety its hard to tell. I take every term in the MRI and look it up in google. You can do this and get a great picture of what's going on to ask questions to your doctors. You should also be scheduled with a pain management doctor at the same time. The physical therapy is a waste in some ways, but it will keep you strong before surgery and also documents that they can't help you which justifies the next steps. I hate that it is drawn out like this but cervical spine surgery was not clear in my case so it was good that it was. Get a GOOD MFR THERAPIST NOW! Before you go any further. See if that brings you some nice relief! (there is a section here on MFR). Its necessary to clear up the direction this may need to go! good luck!

I think that your dizziness is caused by the compression on your cervical spine.

I’m sorry that you are dealing with this.

Having surgery in your cervical spine is not bad. You have degenerative disc disease that could be fixed. Recovery from the cervical spine is nothing compared to the lumbar spine. My son had it. They go through the front of the neck. My son was back at work in two weeks.

Thank you so much for responding.
My neurosurgery appt is in two weeks. Is that too long? I don't know how quickly this will do something worse.
How did the ACDF surgery go? I'm looking it up.
Thanks again.

@juljul
The ACDF surgery is anterior cervical (front of neck) discectomy and fusion. It was not too bad. My lumbar surgery was much more painful. They remove any bone spurs and damaged disc pressing on your spinal cord/any nerve roots and replace it with a sort of cement to help fuse the levels together. They put in hardware to help support the fusion. I don’t even know it’s there.

Cervical myelopathy can affect your bladder and bowel. It causes bladder control issues for me. Dizziness and balance issues, too. It also caused daily headaches which went away after the surgery. My walking and handwriting also improved. I stopped dropping things all the time due to weak arms/hands.

Two weeks is not too bad. Just be really careful not to fall. I fell twice before I knew I had myelopathy (1st time I broke my right foot when I fell while walking on a flat surface).

Thank you so much again. I think I’ve made myself so anxious I’m sure at any moment there will be a serious escalation. Trying to keep myself calm… but the dizziness is debilitating. Hard to do anything but lie down.
I’m just not sure how this will escalate and it’s been 11 weeks now.
Your journey gives me hope.

Similar read on my MRI's I have been on a watch for about 20 years, but told last year time to do it. Now wish I hadn't waited till 71- because other issues crop up, and delay surgery. If you are otherwise healthy, keep researching and get at least 2 or more surgeons not in the same system for their unbiased opinions. Good luck! And stick with University hospitals, review bios of they neurosurgeons (some spine docs also do neuro surg, but you have to perform due diligence. Good luck!

@juljul Hello and welcome to Connect. I realize this is a big change for you into new territory. 2 weeks isn't very long to wait. Just be careful so you don't fall. It took me 2 years to find a surgeon willing to help me because several missed the proper diagnosis, and I did OK. My surgery gave me my life back. I did have some spinal cord compression, but without nerve root compression. I also had retrolisthesis of C5 over C6 and straightening of the lordotic curve due to muscle spasms. I also have thoracic outlet syndrome that makes one side of my neck too tight, and that sets me up for muscle spasms that cause some rotation of my vertebrae. When C1 & C2 were getting rotated, it caused dizziness and some vertigo. That happens because rotation stretches the vertebral arteries that run inside on each side of the cervical vertebrae, and that is part of the blood supply to the brain.

Will you be seeking a second opinion somewhere else? That was recommended to me by my doctor.