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Excruciating chronic left side neck pain plus lumbar issues
Hi Everyone,
I just joined and this is my first post.
I am a 66 year old male that lives in Melbourne Aus.
Thankfully I found this discussion forum in order to get answers in regards to my deteriorating condition.
For the last 20 years I have been an active sportsman doing long distance bicycle riding and body building, but in the last 9 years I have been hit 3 times (2013,2015,2019) by negligent drivers while riding. These accidents have caused me severe whiplash and a multitude of fractures.
Each time I recovered and went back doing my riding passion.
4 months ago I noticed a pretty strong left sided pain around C6 therefore I went to see physiotherapists and osteopaths. But 4 weeks later at the end of August, this pain got even worse when one night while lying down on my loungeroom carpet, I got up and felt multiple crackles in the spine. It didn't hurt at the time therefore I went to sleep and woke up half hour later in extreme pain going from the left side of my neck, left side of my thoracic spine. I felt as if I was twisted. I was unable to sleep or sit. Standing provided some relief but I couldn't sleep.
Things slightly improved over the next 3 weeks.
I had some MRIs done at the end of August 2022 which showed:
C2/C3:
[No protuberant osteophyte, disc bulging, spinal canal stenosis or
neural foramina stenosis.]
C3/C4:
Minimal broad base central and bilateral lateral disc bulging with
associated minimal right intervertebral foramina stenosis
C4/C5:
Broad-based central and right lateral disc bulging with associated
moderate right intervertebral foraminal stenosis
C5/C6:
Disc bulging resulting in moderate bilateral intervertebral foraminal
stenosis
C6/C7:
Right lateral/foraminal disc bulging resulting in moderate right
intervertebral foramina stenosis
C7/T1:
[No protuberant osteophyte, disc bulging, spinal canal stenosis or
neural foramina stenosis.]
Conclusion:
Multilevel disc bulging and multilevel intervertebral foraminal stenosis. To see the complete reports open the attached PDF.
I contacted TAC which in Australia stands for Transport Accident Commission. They are responsible for paying medical expenses for anyone who has been a victim of a transport accident. Every driver in Victoria pays a premium yearly when they renew their car registration.
I arranged an appointment here to see first and orthopaedic surgeon and then a neurosurgeon. The first specialist told me that I had C6 nerve root impingement and the second specialist reported facet joint syndrome in the neck.
The injury is defined as a mechanical injury.
I noticed a discrepancy between the 2 opinions which left me frustrated. None of the specialists can pin point the exact source of the pain. They both recommended pain management and I am currently on Endep 10, Catapress 100 and Targin 10/5 daily.
Also I was told that no operation for this condition was required and ultimately a fusion, if non invasive, minimally invasive therapies didn't work.
This maybe ok as a temporary solution, but it can't be a life long remedy, because these medicines have side effects and I can't even drive the car to the supermarket when I am drowsy.
In the mean time I had C6 nerve root cortisone injection at the hospital on 1 of DEC 2022, but it didn't work at all after 3 weeks.
I actually have more pain than ever before something like 30% more. I queried the hospital, but they told me that it was done correctly.
Just a few days ago I have had fresh, new MRIs of the cervical/thoracic spine and a bone scan of the whole spine.
Yesterday 23.12.2022, according to the pain management specialist and the neuro surgeon, they couldn't find a lot of difference compared to the previous MRIs taken in August. They were perplexed as to why I feel so much pain. They can't pinpoint the source of the pain.
This is not very re-assuring and I have to keep taking drugs for the next 6 weeks. If I don't take the medication I have extreme, 10 out 10 burning pain that starts around left of neck at C6 going through C7, T1, T2, T3. The pain is also spreading aggressively in the left of my trapezius muscle. I have referred pain in the left shoulder, left scapula, left bicep/triceps and in the little, medium, index finger and left thumb. Referred pain is also felt in the right but not as bad. I also get pain going into my left pec muscle but it is not related to the heart. My cardiologist told that I am fine there even though I can get high blood pressure when I am anxious and stressed out.
To make things worse I have also been getting left/right headaches, left ear ache, left sided head scalp numbness and dizziness from time to time in the last 2 months. Just 2 weeks ago I developed a ringing tone in my right ear which is hypersensitive to sounds. I am a total mess.
The mental depression has been really bad and I have been isolated at home because I am unable to enjoy life like I used to.
Recently when I sit and lie down I feel numbness in my legs and feet. When I stand the problems seems to disappear.
My main frustration is the lack of answers and solutions to fix these problems and two specialists can't agree on a course of action.
I have been doing a lot of research and learned that referred pain can be caused by pressure on neck functional nerves and by facet joints sensory nerves but I don't which one is the culprit. Not even the specialists know.
I am worried that if the compression is not removed in time from those nerves (assuming that it is nerve related) I may get a neuropathy and get paralysis.
My bladder/kidney/liver functions are currently fine.
I don't know if anyone in the Mayo community has come across this and knows something about it.
While searching I found this site which looks promising:
spineconnection org
They can fix a lot of spine related problems.
I haven't received the December MRIs/Bone Scan yet.
Thanks and regards
Alfred
summary of mri xray (summary-of-mri-xray.pdf)
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Hello Alfred, so sorry you are dealing with such pain. I would suggest going to the ER as it sounds like things changed rather quickly and very debilitating. If your doctor isn't listening to you, there is another one out there that will. I would address this sooner rather than later. Best wishes.
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6 Reactions@ab6540183 are you considering surgery? I have the same symptoms, left side as well, but not 10/10 pain like you.It varies 4-8 I would say. My left hand is starting to curl a little and my left arm is shorter than the right most days. Pain and numbness in the same places as you including left side of face and scalp, down neck, shoulder, arm, hand. I hope you have a good neurologist. I have had PT since Nov. 2022 which only helps at the time!! Tai chi helped me for years.
There are some serious pathologies evident in the MRI. I wanted to comment on going to emergency. I did that last year and they only did an x-ray and wrote in my chart something about being on chronic pain meds (I had had 2 cervical fusions already that year). I informed my spinal surgeon who saw the x-ray and ordered a new MRI and discovered my C3 had slipped behind C4 and had created serious narrowing of the spinal canal. So off to surgery I went again. If I had gotten in an accident, I was told I'd be paralyzed and this is one thing that needs to be ruled out for you. How old is the MRI?
I had just previously had a CT scan that was normal. Oh how I wished to tell that ER doc that he was wrong URGH! If you go to the ER, please bring a copy of your MRI report (unless it was done at the facility). If the doctor you're now with doesn't feel you need a new MRI or surgery, don't walk but run away from them. You need a new one. pronto
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3 ReactionsHi dhansen78,
thank you for your understanding.
I am not in the US but in the AUS. Hospitals here are understaffed, full of people on waiting lists and they only thing you can get here if you go to ER a good morphine injection to stabilize you for the night, then they discharge you the next day. It is their protocol. They won't investigate further. You can only get better assistance from private hospitals but you need private health insurance. I joined last December but I have to wait 12 months to qualify for services, the so called waiting period.
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1 ReactionHi sb4ca,
thank you for your input.
My cervical/thoracic MRI is from 05/27/2023, therefore recent.
I have asked for another cervical MRI. I will be doing this next Tuesday to see if there are any changes.
I am sorry you had to go through all the hell with your fusion.
I personally do not want fusion, I don't want metal hardware in the neck due to loss of flexibility and also due to Adjacent Segment Disease after several years of having the fusion. Many people complain about new issues with the vertebrae above and below the fused segment. Some may need to re-operate. I also read that, as the body gets older, the spine bone density diminishes and for some people the screws may get dislodged.
I am thinking of having my discs repaired with laser disc decompression which is keyhole surgery which is minimally invasive. We don't have this type of surgery here in AUS as yet therefore I would have to look at neurosurgeons in the US that perform this type of surgery.
Alfred
There are procedures that would help. Since I am new to the form I'm not allowed to post the links.
Nucleoplasty the easiest percutaneous procedure thereby the least expensive.
Laminoplasty they remove a section of the lamina more permanent than nucleoplasty
Artificial disc replacement the best most permanent solution with a 96% success rate.
Attempts to resolve the weak bone issue are pretty successful with the use of Forteo in advance of surgery. The loss of flexibility is only better than the pain and disability that can result from lack of treatment.
Central canal stenosis is the usual progress of increasing disc bulge. If the changes are dramatic since May, your physician should consider a repeat MRI with contrast or a CT. If the disc has herniated, you can have pain some distance from the disc. The nucleus pupolsus is caustic. Once released it will pain every nerve it touches.
Best wishes
Hi Alfred,
Have you tried the 'Facet injections'?
I have Facet disease, in the lower half of my back. I had some injections that didn't work, then the Ryzotomies, which did... thus avoiding surgery.
Each person is unique, having specialists that you know you can trust is a huge factor in plotting your course.
I do hope you are able to assemble your 'team' and get as much satisfaction that may be available to you.
All the best.
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1 ReactionHello @gently. You have a great deal of knowledge on this topic. Can you share where your experience comes from?
Amanda,
I wouldn't be disguised as knowledgable if I were to post links.
I have understanding of nucleoplasty and percutaneous discectomy having watched the procedures for my Mom. Laminectomy is from reading.
I accept all undeserved compliments. Thanks.
Terry
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1 ReactionMy pain management doctor tried the medial branch block to no avail. May be he didn't target the facet joint sensory nerves properly. Recently he told that my pain is in my head. He called it a somatic pain disorder and told me to see a psychiatrist. The pain is real, it is not in my head. Time to move forward and see someone else