- Joined
- May 3, 2017
- Messages
- 1,997
I can vouch for that! I've had issues with upper back and neck for about ten years. Totally different areas of pain from yours, but conceptually, it's pretty much all the same. I ended up needing surgery twice, and in both instances they have been quite successful. Had a C3-C4 fusion about ten years ago, and a C6-C7 fusion this past September (I think those are the right #'s). Both times, I tried physical therapy, exercise, acupuncture, chiropractic - none of which worked. Then finally had the surgery and don't regret it one bit. On the first surgery, I went to a chiropractor on the recommendation of a friend, and I actually ended up in the hospital because of it. Tried it again before the second surgery with a different chiropractor, and told him what happened first time - he was much gentler, but it didn't help.
Others have said - and this is so true - every case is different. Based on how you've described your condition, I suspect sooner or later, you'll end up wanting the surgery. Actually, I suspect you'll be begging for it. My issues were caused by arthritic build-up and misalignment. Yours is (at least partially) different. One of my best friends is having surgery Monday morning because of 'central canal narrowing'. There's a medical term for that, but I don't know what it is. Simple reality is he fought it for years, but it's physiological. No amount of exercise/adjustments/steroids is going to make that go away. All it will do is continue to build up until you tell your wife like I told mine: "Get me to a doctor or get me to an emergency room - I don't care which." You'll discover - if you haven't already - that neurosurgeons for the most part are amazingly arrogant. I don't gee-haw too well with folks like that, but if somebody is going to cut my neck or back open and start fiddling around with bones and nerves, I want him/her to be totally CONFIDANT that they can do it. In my case, I sincerely doubt that either surgeon I had would fit in well with the warm, friendly environment here at HM. But they knew what they were doing, and they did it well. My first experience involved severe pain down my neck, into my right arm, and a tingling and numbness in my right pinky and ring finger. The good doctor advised me quite candidly, "You can try this; you can try that; you can do nothing; but here's the bottom line. You have a pinched nerve because of arthritis and misalignment of vertebrae and it will only get worse. Do nothing, and in few more years, you could end up with partial or total paralysis in those fingers. Take your pick." Not exactly a compassionate bedside manner, but he was right. The second surgeon was even more blunt: "I can make the pain go away, but only with surgery. If you don't want it, try the other stuff." I did. But he was right, too.
Bottom line: Find a surgeon who is highly recommended, and listen to him/her. Nothing wrong with trying the alternatives, but if nothing helps, don't wait too long before at least consulting a surgeon. Some things are irreversible.
Regards,
Terry
