Do you have degenerative cervical spondylitic myelopathy?

I have this diagnosis but have not had surgery. My PT does ultrasound and massage which helps temporarily. I have found tai chi helpful. Sometimes I take baclofen or even Klonpin since I can't take other meds. I get it with the parenting and concerns about functioning and hope someone has better suggestions than I can offer.

I had a pcdf in August of last year at Mayo in Rochester. It was a C2-T2 fusion performed by Dr. Flanagan and team. It has been a life changing experience for me. I am still recovering but most of my symptoms have gone away. I highly recommend you go to Dr. Flanagan. It is a very difficult recovery but I can say with confidence that it saved my life.

@kjfrench0 I’m glad to hear that your surgery was life changing in a good way. I am a Mayo cervical spine surgery patient too and that changed my life. Best wishes for continued healing.

Your surgery was multi level and I can only imagine how much it affected you. My surgery was just a single level that involved regaining the coordination in my arms. Gratitude sure does help when you have to get through something like this. I’m glad Dr. Flannigan could help.

Jennifer

@kjfrench0 Wow, you had a lot done. So happy for you and it's gonna be great once you recover.
25 years ago I had a one level fusion S1/L5l ( I've forgotten a lot). Should have been simple enough. Strange things in the hospital--a slap in the back and nurses even jumped. More pain at home, kept going back to this neurosurgeon who kept telling me it was me. Had a spinal with him right there. He walked out of the room and disappeared. Supposed to come talk, so he was finally summoned to my room. He flippantly said all was fine & I needed to get on a nautilus. ?? Well, I walked my tail off and kept doing everything, which was the worst thing I could've been doing! A year after surgery my reg doc said my back was hot; something was wrong. He sent me to specialists who discovered Dr. Wirt had totally missed the two top bones and drove the screws into nerve and soft tissue! I Had all hardware removed for a basket cage fusion. But it was too late for something the original surgeon could've corrected early on. He had to have seen what was amiss, but his ego was strong. Needless to say, after subsequent surgeries & treatments, nerve pain was there for life. I've suffered ever since.
Thankfully, a super specialist, Dr. Beard, and his team did a spine reconstruction about 7 years later. Otherwise, I'd have been in a wheelchair, unable to walk. Count our blessings every day and when your instinct screams (as mine did) run the other way! We never know what's going to happen, and that's a good thing. All my best for a complete recovery. I keep telling myself things can always be worse. Denna

@jenniferhunter How would go about getting a 2nd opinion from Mayo? Do I need a referral or can I just make an appointment? Got some weird results from the neurologist

@livininthestix You may request an appointment for any Mayo campus with this link https://mayocl.in/1mtmR63 and by filing out some information. Someone from Mayo will contact you to set up an account and then you will be able to send in records for review. Will you be seeking care with a spine specialist?

I also recommend making sure your insurance is accepted before you apply. You may find information at this link. https://www.mayoclinic.org/billing-insurance
https://mayocl.in/1mtmR63

@jenniferhunter Yes Ma'am. They want to do a PCDF behind my ACDF same level. Neurologist said its not fused and the cage is subsided into top and bottom of vertebrae endplates. He is referring me to a movement disorder specialist as well I guess.

@livininthestix I'm glad you are being proactive about your health. My surgeon at Mayo Rochester was Jeremy Fogelson. He is a neurosurgeon also with orthopedic fellowship deformity training and also experienced with cervical fusion and artificial discs as well as solving very complex spine deformities. He is an excellent surgeon and I recommend him highly. I had a fusion of C5/C6 done without hardware and stayed in a neck brace until fused. That was my request to avoid foreign materials and metals that my body doesn't seem to like. That was my only spine surgery, and it has been 10 years. No other levels are affected. I do stretch out any tight muscles to maintain better spine alignment. If you apply to Mayo, you can request that he will review your case.