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Has anyone had cervical myelopathy and ALS?

Spine Health | Last Active: May 26, 2022 | Replies (20)

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@larryk1

I am most disappointed in my balance and walking issues the numbness in my hands,just feel I am not making any progress. Also going back to surgeon to review MRI in person. Just feel the surgeon Team is not on the same page, one tells me one thing and the other tells me another. I don’t know which one cleared me for physical therapy but that has been approved by the team.

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Replies to "I am most disappointed in my balance and walking issues the numbness in my hands,just feel..."

@larryk1 Thanks for the update. A physical therapist is a great ally for you. You can ask all the questions you want and they have lots of time to answer plus lots of experience rehabbing patients from surgery. I have learned so much from my PT. PT's also work with people on balance, and I think you may feel better doing this because you will be working at improvement. It is very early, and a lot can change as time goes on. Believe that you can get better. That will go a long way to help you improve because patients who believe they CAN do something usually can do it. Progress is measured over months, not days. Don't tell yourself that you are not making progress, because you are, but it is slower than you expected. Please be kind to yourself. Give yourself permission to relax and take time to heal. When you are stressed, it just impairs your healing because of all the stress hormones that are created. Please be kind with your surgeon. You are part of his team with the shared goal of improving your condition.

I would like to share with you some conversations I had with Mitch @birdman518 as he went through a similar cervical surgery and a complication with his arms. When I first talked to Mitch, he was worried about falling, and it turned out that he had a cervical spine problem. His progress was slow after surgery, and he has shared his journey. Here are the links to the discussions. He is a few more months past surgery than you are, but it may help to read our conversations.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/falling-2/
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/finally-met-with-neurosurgeon/
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/acdf-scheduled-for-wednesday/
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/update-2-months-post-c3-c6-acdf-surgery/
When will you be starting physical therapy?