Excruciating chronic left side neck pain plus lumbar issues

It is 1:30 in the morning Melbourne time and I just had to get out of bed to stand because lying down is causing a massive left neck side atrocious pinch which is unbearable. Standing alleviates it. I took my prescribed medication, I feel drowsy, breathless but can't bear the tightness and incredible pain that shoots down my left side to the groin and foot.

I told my doctors multiple times that I can't manage the left side but they keep telling me to take the meds which are not working. My blood pressure is anything from 160 to 170 over 105-107.

The doctors don't believe that there is a structural change but my symptoms have increased 2 fold.

I am clueless as what to do next. This has been happening for several weeks and it is making things very hard for me. I can't even meditate due to the severity of the pain.

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

I really wish people would read the whole thread (6months worth) before posting comments. Manipulations by chiros osteos and physios have always severely worsened Alfreds condition. It has been recommended by several on here, as well as his doctor that he totally avoid them. Manipulations only worsen Alfreds condition. It has been recommended that He may be helped by neuromodulation or Scrambler type therapies, while he awaits long over due surgery decision.

Hi jm1,
How are you?

Thanks for your input.

New rule for me:

No more manipulations!

I had enough! You tell them to be gentle to begin with then they do what they please on your neck.
Most of them are cowboys in Melbourne Australia.

You won't believe this. Last Wedbesday I had a lung function test because I was feeling breathless at times. I was asked to inhale and exhale fast and strong.
After the test now i have a deep pain at the mid thoracic spine on the right spreading in to my right ribs. I hope that it is of a muscular nature. It has been 3 days now but the pain has reduced marginally near the spine spreading into the right rear rib cage

I can't believe my bad luck .

My new doctors told me that there may not be a surgical solution for my neck and continue with pain management which is not helping much when going to sleep.

My life is very difficult and the severe neck pain is causing incredible amounts of anxiety and increased blood pressure. My neurologist told me that I may have cervicalgia.

Saturday next week I am getting a new MRI of my cervical and thoracic spine. I had to push hard for this with the transport accident insurance to get it financed. My new specialists didn't want to give me a new request for imaging services. In the end I asked my GP who was more understanding and got the request .

To be honest I have fear of a fusion surgery because multiple levels in my neck may be fused.
I am thinking about going to Melbourne Florida eventually to go and see Deukspine. There they use a disc repair laser to remove disc bulging and bone spurs. I watched a lot of positive videos of patients that got rid of their pain for good. Currently my problem is getting finance to pay for this surgery. I am not rich and I will have to raise funds through GoFundMe website.

My transport accident insurer in Australia would not pay for any surgeries done outside of Australia.

I keep praying 🙏 .

Alfred

Hi Alfred
Told you months ago to start a GO FUND me page. Also told you to raffle your bike and have your bike buddies hold charity events for you. Did you??
If you are going to come to Florida, please go to Mayo in Jacksonville Florida. They are the real deal. Personally I wouldn't trust anyone else other than Mayo, and Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. They are the leaders in my book.
Your doctors in Australia are stalling for some reason, maybe so they can milk more money out of your case. If I had your MRI results and pain I would be begging for surgery. Just sayin......praying you can get to Mayo for some honest answers..jm

Hi jm1,
how are you?

thanks for the advice.

I don't like the idea of fusion where you lose flexibility in your neck. I heard that people, I.E. @jenniferhunter , can have fusion without hardware.

I don't know how you qualify for this type of surgery.

Recently I am taking Neurontin (Gabapentin) 300mg, Nortriptyline 10mg, Diclofenac 50mg to manage the pain at night. During the day it is not so bad because I distract myself and move a bit.

I noticed that my stomach takes ages to absorb these meds and it can take up to 4 hours before feeling the effect. Once they start working, they can provide me with some sleep.

Now since March this year whenever I go to sleep, I place the right side of my head on the pillow because I can't sleep on the left or the back due to increased pain.

Even though I feel quite sedated, I noticed that my left sternocleidomastoid muscle is in constant tightness, spasm I believe. If I touch it, it feels very excruciating which is above any other types of pain that I have been experiencing. The pain starts half way in my neck and spreads to the bottom of it.

The intensity of pain of the left SCM is such that it wakes me up, despite the medication and causes massive mental anxiety. In other words I can't sleep at all and must get up to reduce the pain because in this position I feel better.

I try to massage the left SCM gently, but it feels horribly painful.

I don't know if cervical facet joints can cause such horrific pain.

Any thoughts and advice will be appreciated.

Thank you.

Alfred

How you qualify for what surgery depends how bad your neck issues are and what anatomy is effected. Your fear of neck fusion is overplayed, they have a very successful outcome ratio.
I personally take 600mg 3 times a day of gabapentin. Taking it in a steady stream avoids having to wait hours for relief. I have told you the critical importance of this before yet you insist on taking just nite time doses and sufferring.
I take 50mg of nortriptyline right after diner around 630 pm and 5mg ambien at 830pm. The dosages and timing you are doing are not providing you the optimum outcome of relief possible. You are also a much bigger person and could tolerate larger doses. Talk to your doctors. You may need a muscle relaxer prescribed as well to stop the spasms caused by the nerves.
Telling you for the last time, horrible burning radiating pain,numbness and tingling of hands is all caused by impingment or compression of the nerves. Its the nerves that dictate and control you they spasm the muscles, they send the signals to your brain. You didnt mention ice, so for heaven sake ice more, I can tell you don't ice nearly enough. .massage should feel good, a good relieving pain if deep tissue is done. At this stage you need to skip on this only the lightest touch, let the ice do the work. If not icing try Biofreeze or Cobroxin or Nyloxin topical gels or Lidocaine 4% patches. These help me. Prayers for pain relief and mental support

Quote: I have told you the critical importance of this before yet you insist on taking just nite time doses and sufferring.

Hi jm1 I am taking what the doctor has prescribed me which is at night time.

I am using ice packs daily.

Since I have been taking these tablets I haven't been able to have a bowel movement for a week.

When I was on lighter dose I was able to.

The bilateral tinnitus adds to the stress also. I am also getting jaw, left ear pain. I am wondering if it has to do with cervicogenic referred pain.

Alfred