Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself

Hello, my name is David I suffer from a rare form of daily headache called NDPH. I have had the same headache 24*7 for the past 5 years

Welcome David!
I am so sorry for your suffering. What causes this infliction?
Ronnie (GRANDMAr)

A viral infection is most likely the cause, no real know treatments

@dhramsey Welcome to the forum. So sorry for your persistent headaches. Have you looked into NAD therapy? If you have't google it. I would suggest a call to the Springfield Wellness Center to see if they think they can help you...

Hi,

I'm Mark and without medication I'm not sure I'd have been able to work and enjoy my life over the last decade. I've had multiple shoulder surgeries and a cervical disc fusion at two levels. About 18 mon after fusion I started having pain again and Drs can't agree on whether one of the screws is too long. I'm so frustrated at this point and without pain mess I'd be so much more miserable.

I'm Mark and I've had multiple shoulder surgeries and a cervical disc fusion at two levels. About 18 mon after fusion I started having pain again and Drs can't agree on whether one of the screws is too long and pushing against my spinal cord. I'm very frustrated at this point. Has anyone had a similar experience?

Welcome Mark!
So sorry you are having such pain!
I had 1 cervical surgery to replace disks C5/6 in Feb. 2018 and 1 lumbar surgery to fuse L3/4.
I am thankful that the surgeries worked as far as getting rid of the constant, 24/7 pain I suffered for more than a decade.
The one thing, for me, that I realized, is that in spite of the amount of time that has gone by, I still baby myself as far as the instructions that were given to me after each surgery.....no lifting, bending, twisting, sudden 'jerky' movements, no hyperextending and ot lifting or holding anything heavier than a gallon of milk.
I do my best to follow these rules.

You mentioned that your docs cannot agree if the screws that were used were too long.
What docs do you mean?
If it is not the screws, do they have any other suggestions?
If they do not come up with a plan of action, it might be time for another opinion.

You need to be proactive in your care.
If they can't give you what you feel you need, you might have to try someone else.
After all, it's not like you are asking for anything outrageous!
You want to be pain free!!!
Do your own research into docs who deal specifically with spinal issues such as a neurosurgeon.

Wishing you luck and a pain free day!
Ronnie (GRANDMAr)

@cowboyceltic Did one of your doctors actually say that a screw is pushing against your spinal cord? Did they show this to you on your imaging? I am a spine surgery patient with no hardware. I had a C5/C6 fusion and stayed in a collar until fused. If you are not getting answers, you might want to seek an opinion elsewhere. I have had a compressed spinal cord because of a ruptured disk and bone spurs in the spinal canal, and at it's worst, when I bent my neck forward, it caused an electric shock down my entire body. I also had pains everywhere that changed when I changed my neck position or turned my head. It was causing weakness in my arms and legs and spontaneous muscle contractions. Is there a pattern to where your pain is and if and how it changes when you change your body position?
I also have thoracic outlet syndrome which causes my neck and shoulders to be too tight, and I am in physical therapy for that. I had been in PT for TOS a few years, when my spine became symptomatic and then I had my surgery at Mayo. My PT does myofascial release which helps a lot, and it can also address surgical scar tissue in the fascia. With your multiple surgeries, that could be an issue. The fascia binds everything together and when it has restrictions, the body can't move properly and it causes tightness and pain. It could all be related since your neck and shoulders are tied together by muscle. Here is a discussion where you can find out more about MFR. Hardware can fail and screws can break or become dislodged. I have read a lot of literature on that, but If there isn't a change in the hardware since the surgery, perhaps the pain could be caused by scar tissue. I think it was at about 6 months post op, that I had more pain because of tightening scar tissue. Not all doctors know about or understand MFR therapy, but others do.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/?utm_campaign=search

@cowboyceltic, Good Morning Mark and welcome. I have read the response from
@jenniferhunter so won’t try to repeat. I do have one question. Where is your pain? In the neck area or are you having pain down your arms? My post surgery pain was the result of a nerve below the surgery that was so bruised and damaged that it will take years to heal. And I have been a hostess for Small Fiber Neuropathy (SFN) in my arms and hands. The screws are fine. I receive MFR treatments every week and use a careful program of medical marijuana to control the level of pain and discomfort. Wishing you to be free of suffering.

Hello everyone,

The time has come to open a new group dedicated to Spine Health. Many of you have already participated in discussions centered around spine health, such as back pain, brachial plexus, disc degeneration, scoliosis, spondylolysis, stenosis, spondylopathy and more. You may notice those discussions have now been moved to the new group.

I invite you to +Follow the new Spine Health group here, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/spine-health/. Feel free to browse the topics or start a new one.