i had c4-5-6-7 fused 10 years ago. was pain free for 8 years. for past 2 years i have had increased neck, shoulder, upper arm and head pain (all on left side). pain has increased much over last two years. mris, cat scans, bone scan show c3 herniated disk, facet joint disease and cyst impinging spinal nerve. orthopedic surgeon is recommending c3-4 fusion posterior. neurosurgeon is debating steroid injection before last resort... c3-4 fusion anterior. anyone out there who has had issues with disks above/below existing cervical fusions? did you have to have an additional fusion? did you do steroid injections? results?
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it would be very helpful if you could provide us with more details. so many times we read about members who have different tests and they all come back negative. the more clues and information you provide, the better chances in finding out what is wrong,
here are some questions that you should answer:
- - when did this first start?- was it the result of an accident or trauma?- what doctors have you seen? (orthopedic, neurosurgeon, spine specialist, etc)- what conservative treatments have you had? which ones?- what diagnostic tests have you had? and their results (mri, ctscan, xray, emg, etc)- what medications are you currently using? (details, dosage, frequency, etc)- has surgery been discussed as an option? (if so, what kind)- is there any nerve pain/damage associated?- what is your doctor’s action plan for treating you?
providing answers to questions like this will give the member community here a better understanding
of your situation and make it easier to respond.
please take a look at our forum rules:
forum rules
please remember that no one at spine-health is a formally trained medical professional.
everything that is posted here is based on personal experiences and perhaps additional research.
as such, no member is permitted to provide
- - analysis or interpretation of any diagnostic test (ie mri, ctscan, xray, etc)- medical advice of any kind- recommendations in terms of medications, treatments, exercises, etc
what could be good for someone could spell disaster for another.
you should also consult your doctor to better understand your condition and the do’s and don’t’s.
it is very important that new members (or even seasoned members) provide others with details about their condition(s). it is virtually impossible to help another member when all the details we have are
i’ve had this for years, it hurts, i cant move my shoulder – what could this be, what treatment should i get?diagnosing spinal problems can be very difficult. in many ways its like a game of clue. especially, when the diagnostic tests come back negative – no trouble found! then its up to the patient and the doctor to start digging deeper. the doctor is like a detective. they need clues to help them move along. so, you as the patient need to provide the doctor with all sorts of clues. that is like it is here. without having information about a condition, its impossible for anyone here to try to help.
specific comments :personal opinion, not medical advice :---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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ron dilauro, spine-health system moderator : 05/11/15 11:58est ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ssailbluesky
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