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Post surgery burning pain
Hi everyone,
I have been suffering left C6/C7 nerve pain for 12 months as well as degenerated facet joints in the neck which were adding to the pain.
I didn't want a fusion, therefore I opted for the minimally invasive laser surgery.
Last week I have had laser neck surgery in the US for:
Laser Disc Repair Left C5-C6, C6-C7;
Bi-Lateral Approach Rhizotomy C5-C6, C6-C7, C7-T1
After the the surgery I felt a massive increase of pain.
Where they burned the Facet joints nerves I feel hard lumps in my neck, extreme 24/7 burning pain in the left end side but not as bad in the right. 2 weeks have gone past but still feeling a lot of burning pain. Before the surgery I didn't have this left sided burning pain.
The surgeon told me that this has to do with the tissues and muscles in the neck being inflamed and deconditioned by the procedures.
I am finding it extremely hard to sleep despite medication, walking is painful and the neck muscles have become weak.
I am doing daily gentle neck exercises to strengthen the SCMs and trapezius.
I would appreciate some comments in regard to this.
Thank you
Best regards
Alfred
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In the last week some sort of lump has either grown or appeared between C6/C7 vertebrae just to the right of the central spinous precess.
It is extremely sore, I get referred pain to the right foot believe it or not.
I had an ultrasound and the report shows a sebaceous cyst.
Can these press on cervical nerves and/or spinal cord?
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1 ReactionMost definitely not. Your discs are surrounded by very tough ligaments, the structures those plastic spine demo models do not have.
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1 ReactionMerry Christmas to everyone!
On Christmas day my neck pain wasn't too bad, but woke up on Boxing day at 4AM with savage bilateral neck nerve pain with pain going through arms, legs and feet. There is also extreme tightness, painful pins and needles, numbness in my neck, traps, shoulders, legs and feet. These levels of suffering are too high and unbearable. The pain medication is not working. Today is the 27 of Dec 2023 and my pain hasn't abated, I am feeling pins an needles almost everywhere in my body.
I tried cold/hot packs, nortriptyline, Celebrex, Tramadol, Valium, slow breathing, positive affermations, but nothing works.
Here in Melbourne Australia the GPs are on holiday and the public hospitals do not regard my case as urgent.
The big lump on my neck was caused by Dr Ara Deukmedjian from the Deukspine Institute. This is still hurting a lot, very swollen, lumpy. This lump is preventing my head tilt-back, feels like a blockage. My traps and shoulders are extremely stiff. I asked my physio, acupuncturist, my GP, a neurosurgeon, a orthopaedic surgeon here but they don't know and can't explain what this is lump is made of and how to get rid of it.
It may be putting extra pressure inside my neck.
I am a total mess at moment.
I think plastic surgeons deal with these all the time because plastic surgery often has this consequence. I would see a plastic surgeon and have it drained or removed. A general surgeon might suffice. I can see why the neuro or the ortho would hesitate, but why don't they refer you to a general surgeon.
You've been suffering too long.
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1 ReactionHello 👋
How are you faring today after the surgery?
I was considering going to Deuk but he wants payment up front instead of going through my insurance.
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1 ReactionHi Riana,
How are you?
Dr Deuk destroyed me with the laser surgery and the cervical/lumbar facet joints nerve ablations.
I was a fool to believe him.
He has got this marketing machine with all these great testimonials on YouTube. I realised that they are all actors.
I got sucked in with the following statement:
You will be completely pain free after the surgery.
That was his bait.
Don't trust, don't believe him. He is a con.
Since August 2023 my neck pain has increased dramatically. The joints pain has come back. He told me that his deuk plasma rhizotomy was for life because the nerves would never grow back according to the charlatan.
I had a few MRIs since I got back that show cervical paraspinal muscles damage, edema, inflammation ..
I can't lift my head up like before the surgery. I have problems tilting my head back. Rotation is limited. I have been told by my neurosurgeon here in Melbourne Aus that my neck muscles, trapezius muscles are very weak, chronically inflamed and constantly getting spasms. The laser surgery for left C6, C7 decompression didn't achieve much because the MRI that I had after coming back from Florida still shows bulging of the discs.
My advice is:
DON'T GO!
Alfred
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2 ReactionsThank you so very much for sharing your experience with me dear heart. I decided against him when he wanted to be paid up front with the promise he would help me get money back from insurance.
My surgeon has recommended nerve ablation for sciatica nerve pain and weakness especially on left side from spinal stenosis.
He told me the nerves grow back in a year. Before he decides if it's a good plan he will give an injection where he applies medication and if there's still pain he doesn't recommend nerve burning.
If there is no pain he still recommends holding off on and use the time to strengthen the muscles to improve muscle weakness. He does not want permanent nerve damage to set in.
Of course if all fails he recommends the rod in the back.
I started self healing by walking daily. In the beginning I was having balance issues you would think I was drunk.😂.
It's been 3 weeks of walking 5 days a week 1/2 mile. Balance is better and I can stand up longer.
But after walking the pain in both legs is not good on some days but I push through making it a habit to move around and get at least 4000 steps in each day.
What has helped me a great deal is monitoring what I eat and remove foods that cause inflammation. I was bedridden for months until I started eating differently. It it wasn't for that change I wouldn't be able to get up and move around freely or frequently as I do now.
My procedure with the injection is on April 15. I'm not keen on having to ablation or back surgery. I've had an injection before it lasted not that long but long enough for relief.
The surgeons do not have enough information to help patients make the best informed choices because they are not sure these methods are going to work. For some various methods work and for many it does it just not enough information proving anything now. More cons than pros. They make a lot of money off of back and neck issues.
Again, thank you so much for sharing. Your story adds to me, reflecting on my back and making a better informed choice of which route to take.
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2 ReactionsHi,
I have been getting worse since August 2022.
Throughout this experience I have seen neurosurgeons, pain managent specialists to no avail.
In August 2023 I made the stupid decision to get decompression laser surgery at C5-C6, C6-C7 and bilateral rhizothomies from C5-T1 at the Deukspine Institute in Melbourne Florida by neurosurgeon Ara Deukmedjian.
The surgery was a total failure because it gave me a dropped head and chronic muscle spasms that I did not have prior.
My condition has been getting worse, more symptomatic than before.
Not sure if the removal of the bulging disc material from already thin discs and facet joint ablations have contributed to the destabilization of my cervical spine.
2 neurosurgeons in Australia advised me not to seek anymore operations and ablations and to get off the drugs. Gentle Exercise was their recomendation. The surgeons did not think that an operation would improve my pain due to thae fact that it is multifactorial.
I have been trying to do more physical activity such as walking so that my muscles won't waste away.
Last week I had the latest cervical neck MRI that shows more deterioration than before.
Can anyone interpret the meaning of the following?
I asked my GP and Specialist but the don't really explain what is the meaning of this. Should I worry?
My symptoms are stinging, burning neck pain, shoulders, sholder blades, arms, hands, fingers nearly chronic pain. Pain a lot worse when sitting and lying down.
Pain, pins and needles shooting in legs and feet at times.
Thank you.
MRI - CERVICAL SPINE
History: A 67-year-old male with complex history of neck surgery presents with neck pain and deterioration in neck symptoms for investigation. ? Disc pathology.
? Radiculopathy.
Technique :
Standard protocol.
MRI Findings :
There is straightening of the cervical spine with loss of the normal
curvature and there is subtle anterior spondylolisthesis of C7 relative to Tl.
At this level, there are broad-based disc bulging, endplate ridging and facet arthropathy contributing to foraminal narrowing for the exiting C8 nerves bilaterally but worse on the right side. Vertebral body height is maintained. Small haemangiomata are visible. The Cl-2 articulation is preserved.
The cervicomedullary junction is intact and there is no cerebellar ectopia.
Cervical spinal cord has normal morphology and signal. Central canal is capacious .
C3-4: Disc degeneration is present with loss of disc height. There are broad-based disc bulging and endplate ridging preferentially towards the right side.
There is foraminal compromise for the exiting right C4 nerve and moderate grade foraminal narrowing for the exiting left C4 nerve.
C4-5: Disc degeneration is present with loss of height, endplate change and anterior corner bony ridging. There are disc bulging and endplate ridging preferentially towards the right side. There is foraminal compromise for the exiting C5 nerves bilaterally but worse on the right side.
C5-C6: Disc degeneration is present with loss of height. There are mild broad-based disc bulging and endplate ridging preferentially towards the left side. There is mild foraminal narrowing for the exiting left C6 nerve.
C6-7:
Disc degeneration is present with posterior disc bulging and endplate
ridging. There is moderate grade foraminal narrowing for the exiting C7
nerves more pronounced on the right side. Facet arthropathy is noted. There is mild fatty infiltration of the paraspinal musculature. No cervical rib and no fascial band is seen. Thoracic curvature is noted.
Conclusion :
Straightening of the cervical spine with mild degenerative spondylolisthesis of C7 relative to Tl. There are associated facet joint arthropathy and foraminal narrowing for the exiting C8 nerves.
There is degeneration of the cervical discs with disc bulging, endplate ridging and facet joint arthropathy resulting in multilevel foraminal compromise particularly on the right side as outlined above.
Alfred
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2 ReactionsHi everyone,
how are you?
Last year I had neck laser surgery in Florida to decompress left C6, C7 nerves. The Deukspine surgery was a failure because my pain has increased a lot more since in August 2023. Dr Deuk promised me that I would be pain free but that was not the case.
It's been nearly 12 months and my neck has been gradually getting worse. I have extreme chronic pain between left C4-C5, C5-C6, C6-C7 and C7-T1.
I feel bad numbness in my neck, painful pins and needles, referred pain in shoulders, shoulder blades, arms, hand, fingers, back, groin, legs and feet.
Since 7 days ago, my neck tension, stiffness, pain, pins/needles, numness has increased dramatically, it is full on as if something is biting, catching inside. At the same time I feel numbness in my groin, legs, feet and toes. The left foot pain is very bad, it feels extremely tight, numb everywhere as well as the leg.
I am not able to relieve the neck pain, not even with strong opiods. I tried gentle stretches, traction, posture, heat, cold, massage, deep breathing but nothing works.
I am going nuts. The pain, the numbness is stressiong me out a lot. I noticed that the pain in the neck is proportional to the pain in the leg and foot. The more numbness in the neck, the more numbness in the foot and leg.
I just wanted to mention that my MRI shows the disc pressing close to the spinal cord. The doctors have excluded spinal stenosis but this area hurts a lot together with the C6, C7.
I have been to the GP here in Melbourne Australia but he has no clues apart from throwing more drugs at the problem.
The hospital has the same attitude.
I asked them to investigate or at least take a new scan of my neck area but they are not being very helpful because the do not deem my problem are as urgent as other emergencies.
I am left with the physiotherapist that has tried, but I still have severe pain, referred pain, tightness, spasms everywhere. in the neck and feet.
I haven't been able to sleep for 5 days and feel exhausted.
Now I have nausea, inability to focus.
Could something be pressing on my cervical spinal cord?
Does anyone have any ideas?
Thank you.
Best regards
Alfred
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1 ReactionHave you thought about going to the Mayo Clinic? I know you live in Australia and it is a long way to go but it seems like you have a lot going on.
Hope you feel better.
Helen
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