Cervical myelopathy and cognitive dysfunction

Posted by marycdickens01 @marycdickens01, Jan 13, 2022

I have had cervical myelopathy and am awaiting an appt at Mayo in February for consideration of possible needed revision surgery . I had ACDF C3-C5 and PCDF C2-T2 in 2019 .
I wanted to know if anyone has had feelings of mental fog and a sort of cognitive dysfunction with this diagnosis .

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Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jan 14, 2022

@marycdickens01, allow me to bring fellow members @akc @rjdm1 @quark @ray666 who have experience with cervical myelopathy into this discussion.

Dealing with chronic and persistant pain can affect cognitive function. I assume you are dealing with pain. How do you manage it?

marycdickens01 | @marycdickens01 | Jan 14, 2022

In reply to @colleenyoung "@marycdickens01, allow me to bring fellow members @akc @rjdm1 @quark @ray666 who have experience with cervical..." + (show)

I am on a small fentanyl pain patch , along with aleve .

Ray Kemble | @ray666 | Jan 15, 2022

In reply to @marycdickens01 "I am on a small fentanyl pain patch , along with aleve ." + (show)

Good morning, Mary (and thank you, Colleen, for inviting me to the table). Let me see if I can condense my myelopathy experience:

Going back years––decades––I'd been telling my primary doctors (two, because I had to change insurers) about my "wobbliness," gait difficulties that seemed to be getting worse, inch by inch, over the years. At every turn, my doctors pointed to structural issues as the likely cause of my trouble. (I'd been a long-distance runner, so I knew my joints––at 76––were Super Fund sites of arthritis. In 2008, I received one knee replacement.) I tried changing orthotics (my feet are laughably flat). I've done countless hours of PT. Finally, last fall, I asked my current primary if she would refer me to a neurologist.

The neurologist ordered up some imaging (CTs, MRIs), and in turn, sent me to see a neurosurgeon. (That was last October.) The neurosurgeon diagnosed "borderline" cervical myelopathy. He did not advise revision surgery (not yet). I'll go back to see him next in March. In the meantime, I'm doing lots of heavy-duty cervical PT.

I'm sure you're waiting to hear if I have pain. Or fogginess. No, I don't, neither one. Some of my doctors have had a difficult time believing that. I tell them, though (over and over): No, it's just my wobbly gait. (Luckily I've not fallen, although I've had to teach myself to be a Master of Proprioception.)

It's possible, Mary, that my situation may be so different from yours that my experience with myelopathy will be of limited value. If, though, I can help by answering any questions about issues that appear similar, please just ask. I'll be happy to help in any way I can.

Cheers!
Ray (@ray666)