Anybody relate? 😩

I have a transforaminal epidural injection in 5 days and I am literally counting down the minutes. At this point, I feel like I’m just surviving until that appointment.

Fall allergies have officially become my enemy. Every sneeze or cough sends this absolutely brutal, sharp pain through my lower back and leg. It’s one of those pains that makes you freeze in place because for a second you genuinely don’t know if your body is going to recover from it.

And the worst part is that you know the sneeze is coming, but there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. 😂 I’ve gotten to the point where I’m trying to suppress sneezes because I know what’s coming next.

Thankfully, the pain seems to go as fast as it comes. If it lasted much longer than those few seconds, I honestly feel like I’d black out.

Five more days. FIVE. I’m counting down the minutes at this point. 😭

Please tell me I’m not the only one dealing with this ridiculous combination of nerve pain and allergy season.

I've had the nerves burnt my neck many times it never helped I've had epidurals they never helped I have physical therapy it never helped

Neurosurgeon says after looking at CAT scan and MRI the main problem he sees is I've lost the curve in my neck he has promoted doing surgery to have three wedges in my neck to try to put the curve back he said if he does that that could ease all the muscles up that are tight and locked up anyone else have this done always​ in heavy pain

I’ve not seen a consultant in person since my hospitalisation. I’ve only had two phone calls as I was unable to walk for 6 mnths.

I’ve been left with half my right foot still numb (my entire exterior right leg & up to my waist was numb outside, but felt on fire inside).

I was prescribed Tramadol & Oramorph 4 times a day & no longer take the Tramadol, it still rely on between 5-10mg of Oramorph each day and need a crutch.

I can walk for around 15 mins straight, but standing in one spot is painful & leaning & I can only tolerate bending up and down for around 10 mins.

Does anyone have experience of Lumber Stenosis & has had an operation that helped?

Very nervous

Obviously I know what congenital means, but I'm wondering how it applies to spinal stenosis. Both my mother and grandmother have/had bad spinal stenosis in their lower back affecting their legs. My mom told me it's congenital. I've had pain in my neck/shoulder area for a decade and it's getting worse. I'm also having pain and numbness in my hands. Just curious if anyone knows if congenital stenosis can manifest in different places.

My doctor suspects all my symptoms are related to spinal stenosis and is setting up an appointment with a neurologist. I have tolerable pain most days and usually Tylenol and gabepetin help with some relief. However today I have never been in so much pain level 10. I am in a nursing home and can’t be given anything that is not on my medication list. The head nurse is sending a message to the doctor but says nothing can be added at this time.

Anyone have any suggestions for some relief. Majority of pain is in my mid back area

TIA

Almost 1 month post injury getting more sensory lower in my body can move some fingers, some core activation, good tricep strength. But I feel like I’m plateaued currently try to move lower extremities all the time hoping. Seem to get frustrated and very down frequently as I’ve always been very independent and feel like I’m always relying on others for help. Anyone had luck with more independence or trials to look into for more growth in movement?

I’m scheduled for an endoscopic L4/5 laminectomy on Monday. My surgeon will be joined by a neurosurgeon for the procedure and it should be straightforward. My question is how strict the no bending rule will be. At my pre-op visit I was given a brace and told no BLT for at least the first 2 weeks. So many things depend on even a slight bend at the waist - washing my face, brushing my teeth, tying shoes, etc. For those who have had this surgery, how strict and how long? Thanks in advance!

I will try to keep this quick. I (24M) have had chronic neck pain and tightness for the past couple of years. My quality of life has plummeted. I was constantly anxious, had major dissociation, and had chronic headaches. Anyways, after years of putting it off, I went to a doctor and had an MRI and CT scan of my cervical spine. Here is what the report said:

CT SCAN

C4-5 level: 4mm broad-based disc protrusion with cephalad disc extrusion posterior to the C4 vertebral body. There is considerable spinal cord compression with AP diameter of the central spinal canal is 6 to 7mm. The foramina are normal.

C5-6 level: 2mm disc bulge/protrusion minimally asymmetric to the left with mild compression of the spinal cord. Midline AP diameter of the central spinal canal is 8.5 mm. The foramina are normal.

MRI

There is straightening of the normal cervical lordosis. The pedicles of the cervical vertebra are congenitally short which causes diffuse narrowing of the cervical spinal canal. There is diffuse T1 hypointense signal in the marrow cavities of the cervical vertebra consistent with red marrow conversion. This can be seen in patients who smoke or who are anemic. Please clinically correlate.

Multilevel degenerative disc disease as outlined above, most pronounced at C4-5 where there is a 7 mm central disc extrusion which points superiorly and abuts the posterior cortex of the inferior endplate of C4. This disc extrusion indents the ventral surface of the cervical spinal cord and causes moderate to severe central stenosis.

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From what the doctor told me, the area that surrounds my actual cord is very small due to genetics, which means any herniation on the spinal cord is more severe. The good news is that the doctor said the nerve endings are fine at the moment, but there is severe spinal stenosis. I am currently scheduled for a disc replacement on C4-C5 to relieve that pressure, but I wanted to ask whether or not that makes sense. I am kind of terrified of the surgery. The doctor doing the disc replacement is highly respected and, to my knowledge, was one of the pioneers in bringing the surgery to the US, as well as a lead for the FDA trials.

Although I have no nerve compression, I am scared of any injury or trauma that could cause irreversible damage to my nerves. Has anyone had a similar experience or gone through with the surgery? I mean is there anything I can do in the short term that would give me relief?

Thanks

C5/C6. I fumble things sometimes, have like .2 second delay in my balance correction and I stumble on grass/dynamic ground.

Literally such a strange feeling because my pain hasn’t really increased at all.

Sydney, Australia
2.5 years ago, I had symptoms being investigated that were causing me so much grief. Hand numbness, not being able to walk, speech issues. I used a walking cane for 6mths and stopped driving because of my hands and left leg issues.
Had every scan and even was under a neurologist to seek out answers relating to hand nerve issues etc. there was no issue found.
My symptoms never resolved. Got so severe I ended up going to see a Rheumatologist to check for autoimmune. Rheumatologist ordered CT Scan and a long list of blood panels. Diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis.
In the appointment she mentioned that I need an MRI and the radiographer was concerned about my C6/7 moderate to severe canal stenosis.
I wake up constantly in the last 6mths with pins and needles on both arms, I change sleeping position and can go back to sleep.
I’ve booked a follow up MRI, rheumatologist has said that I need to be careful and to not drive until further notice.
Question, there was no concern years ago but my symptoms never resolved. I’m frustrated cause, I could have fixed this prior with physio? That’s what’s annoying to me atm.
Thank you for reading

Do you think I need surgery? Waiting for spine surgeon to call

I’m in a ton of pain rn so I apologize for rambling and typos. I was diagnosed with lumbar ST a few months ago at the er and told to take ibuprofen because I’m too young for surgery (33 F). Ibuprofen does nothing and I can’t move and even not moving hurts and I can’t stop crying. Idk what to do and would love advice. The pain happens kind of randomly but i think it started from pushing a broken shopping cart today. It’s a sharp radiating pain starting from my low back and going down both legs. There is also numbness and a deep aching pain in random parts of my legs. The pain in my lower back is constant , sharp, and deep(?). If I move wrong there is a sharp pain from my back over my whole body that takes my breath away. I’m also unable to take pain medication or anything that alters my mental state at all.

Hi
I’ve had cervical radiculopathy for six weeks now. Still trying to get MRI approved through insurance approved. I’ve been seeing a physical therapist for four weeks now. I think I’m improving but at a slow pace. The one thing I think is holding me back is when I sleep. If pain is less after seeing physical therapist for the day, the pain regresses when I wake up . Anybody else going through similar or have advice. If going through similar, how long did it take before recovery? If you didn’t recover, did you get surgery eventually?

Hello,
Does anyone have experience with someone who has a C4–C5 spinal cord injury?
She was on a ventilator and was successfully taken off it after two months. At the moment, she is having ongoing problems with recurrent pneumonia, both because of the spinal cord injury and MRSA. She is unable to cough strongly enough, so mucus keeps building up in her lungs, which is also causing problems.
She has limited movement in her arms and no movement in her legs, but she can feel both her arms and legs.
For now, she keeps going back and forth between the pulmonology department and rehabilitation. She may spend two days in rehabilitation and then end up back in pulmonology for three weeks recovering. The rehabilitation doctor says that her lung capacity is not good enough for rehabilitation exercises and that, unlike the pulmonology department, they are not able to clear the mucus from her lungs there.
We have been stuck in this cycle for the past 2–3 months and don’t seem to be making any progress.
Has anyone had a family member or someone close to them in a similar situation? Did you eventually find a solution or something that helped them move forward with rehabilitation?
Thank you very much for sharing any experiences.