Hello all.

I’ve been diagnosed with a herniated disc at C6/C7.

The injury originally occurred 18 years ago. It was painful when it occurred but it healed after about a month. After that I just lived with it but it would occasionally nag me in they daytime with some minor pain, maybe a 2 on a 1-10 scale.

In December of last year, it really reared its ugly head. I did something to aggravate it. My pain was a 10 for two months. My arm ached and burned. I’d wake up 5-6 times a night to put hot water in from the shower on it. It was misery from December to February.

In the last two months, my pain has subsided substantially. I’d say day to day it’s at about a 3 or 4. My forefinger has numbness at the tip and my right arm will tingle or burn if I lay or sit in just the right position.

I met with my surgeon yesterday and he basically said I can have the surgery if I’d like to have a disc replacement performed. But he also asked me “what pain medicine are you taking for it?” To which I replied “nothing.” He then put his hands up and said “you really don’t need the surgery then. If you’re in no significant pain and you have no weakness in your arm, I don’t think you need to do it.”

I’m just having a hard time determining my best next step. He encouraged me to try to do things I like to do physically, like running doing some light workouts to see how my neck does. I just am uncertain about if I should have the surgery. One part of me says my neck is damaged and I need to fix it. Another part of me says, if you’re not on any pain meds why would you do a surgery? Is this just the new norm for me? Trying to figure out the best decision I can make. Would love any feedback.

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