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Cervical myelopathy and cognitive dysfunction
Spine Health | Last Active: Jun 2 11:36pm | Replies (22)Comment receiving replies
@michc56 i’m really sorry they made you wait so long for surgery.
My understanding is the longer the disc is putting pressure on the nerves, the more nerve damage you’re going to be left with.
I am new to these conversations. I experienced pain in my right , It felt like I was bit by a bug in September 2021. Age 62 very active hike 5 -6 miles a day live in the mountains , “mountain living “ is not for everyone. It requires a lot of strength. I thought I was doing everything right to keep myself healthy. My one big mistake was not looking on the inside of my body no MRIs or no x-rays.
I will continue to preach that.
Insist on them.
I had my first surgery in January 2022..C 5-6 , second surgery Feb 2023 L 3-5.
Still Incredible amount of neuropathy 2 Nerve test was left with nerve damage.
I thought I moved quite quickly on the first surgery, but apparently it had been festering for a long time. After many tests, It was a 14 MM bulge disc in my neck.
It started with a pinch in my hand like a bee, stung me .
Time is the essence Don’t wait insist on tests insist on MRIs
No one knows their own body better than themselves
I also had that numbness in my upper torso. that was the most frightening.
I thought I was going to be paralyzed..
I had to break down and cry and say there’s something really wrong with me again nobody knows their body better than themselves insists on more tests.
If you’re not comfortable, tell your Doctor, tell him there’s something more wrong. Don’t wait.
They already made you wait five years for surgery
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@eagoss
They didn't make me wait -- March 2020 I had a sharp pain in my leg, the orthopedic surgeon identified spinal stenosis in my Thoracic area and connected me to a Neurosurgeon, who wanted additional MRIs. Remember it was the beginning of the Pandemic. My insurance denied another MRI and then the world shut down.
Years go by, I was feeling better through weight loss, yoga and PT, then in 2024/25 my legs weakened and balance got worse so I revisited the whole diagnosis hoping for non-surgical solutions. That journey took me to a different Neurosurgeon who told me the Cervical Area needed immediate attention.
I watched my father with spinal stenosis (lumbar was operated on when he was in his 70s) progress to not being able to walk and in a wheelchair for the last two years of his 98 years of life.
I am a sceptic - surgery is not a proven solution as your spine continues to deteriorate. As I said to the Neurosurgeon in 2020 - So you want to fillet me like a fish! I went ahead with the Cervical surgery this year, but it is not solving my issues of balance, strength, to walk and emjoy life. I wasn't in severe pain in my neck -- but they insisted I needed to have the surgery, so they are the experts. Will I get more surgeries? Likely not, as they do not promise I will improve my stamina when walking.
You do you - I came to this group to see if other people are having post-op issues that seem unrelated to the actural surgery. So far Itchiness - Yes, Vertigo - Yes. Improved strength in legs - No.