Hi everyone,
I am just providing a new update.

I currently have a lot of anxiety due to the constant pain.
The recommended pain management medication is not helping me at times and it is also giving me a gut ache despite being taken it with food. This morning I woke up around 3AM with a massive pain in the base of my neck shooting downwards. Now the right hand side around the base of my neck has started to sharply hurt. I feel referred pain (on and off throughout the day and night) in my traps, shoulders, arms and fingers mainly the index and middle fingers. My groin, legs and feet, some toes feel some numbness when sitting and lying down. Is this caused by nerve compression?
The pain is felt from the base of the neck further down into the spine (probably 10 cm) bilaterally. Lying down makes things worse. Standing partially mitigates the pain.

Just recently my pain management doctor has prescribed the following:
CT guided left C7/T1 T1/T2 T2/3 facet joint steroid injections

I have already scheduled the appointment for 5 Jan 2022 in Melbourne Australia, this is where I live.
My transport accident insurance (TAC) is yet to approve payment for the procedure and the taxi. The Xmas holidays are slowing everything down.

I have to go through this rigmarole of procedures before I can qualify for surgery which probably means more pain, more compression while I am waiting for a permanent fix hopefully.

Personally I think my that nerves are impinged due to all the referred pain.
I was wondering if facet joints can cause referred pain similar to cervical nerves such as C1 to C8.
Does anyone know?

Previously my pain management medication comprised of:
Diclofenac 50mg bd.
Endep 10mg nocte – side effects including morning sleepiness.
Pregabalin 25mg nocte prn.
The above hasn't been effective and now (I haven't started yet) the doctor wants me to use the following:

For the 6 weeks at night:
Increase of Endep to 25mg
Diclofenac 50mg
Clonidine 50mcg
Pregabalin 25mg
Targin 10/5mg

Is the above too much? I think that I will get totally get stoned and will feel no pain.
Are there any side effects with the reviewed and increased dosage?

My latest (21 Dec 2022) MRIs and Bone scan reports show the following:

Bone scan reported:
• Some increased disc degenerative activity at C5/6 with less-marked disc degenerative activity
at C4/5 and to a minimal degree at C6/7.
• No increased cervical facet joint activity; slight increased activity in the left T2/3 facet joint.
• Lumber spine – marked increased disc degenerative activity at L2/3 and L5/S1, slight
increased activity at right L4/5 and left L5/S1 facet joints.

MRI cervical/thoracic spine reported:
• Mild-to-moderate C4/5 and C5/6 central canal stenosis.
• Right C4/5, left C5/6 and right C6/7 foraminal stenosis.
• Thoracic upper and mid facet joint and costovertebral degenerative changes.
• Left paravertebral mass distal to the left T2/3 neural foramen (nerve sheath tumour is most
likely).

Differential diagnosis include:
• Left C7/T1 facet joint pain, given MRI report of moderate left C7/T1 facet joint arthropathy in
the setting of 2mm C7/T1 anterolisthesis.
• Left T2/3 facet joint pain, given bone scan report of increased activity in the left T2/3 facet
joint.

I am horrified reading these reports and I am praying 🙏 that the specialists can do something to permanently improve my spinal health.

Best regards and Happy New Year to everyone

@willjean19 @jenniferhunter @sequoia @vward1969

Alfred

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