irish34
02-09-2004, 09:55 PM
Hello Everyone--
Just got the confirmation letter from the surgeon's office...my ACDF is rescheduled for March 8th.
I can't wait! The pain and symptoms are getting worse. A bone is my left hand is going out of socket, it feels like it's broken until the chiro adjusts it. Then the same type of pain happened to my left ankle yesterday as well. Feels better now that it's adjusted. But today, I was holding a 2 liter soda bottle and dropped it on my toe. My hand just gave out. This is just getting worse.
MRI in Novemeber showed the disc 9mm into the cord. Is it possible for it to move further in and this is what is causing these symptoms to worsen? Has anyone had this happen?
Thank you!!! :confused:
Just got the confirmation letter from the surgeon's office...my ACDF is rescheduled for March 8th.
I can't wait! The pain and symptoms are getting worse. A bone is my left hand is going out of socket, it feels like it's broken until the chiro adjusts it. Then the same type of pain happened to my left ankle yesterday as well. Feels better now that it's adjusted. But today, I was holding a 2 liter soda bottle and dropped it on my toe. My hand just gave out. This is just getting worse.
MRI in Novemeber showed the disc 9mm into the cord. Is it possible for it to move further in and this is what is causing these symptoms to worsen? Has anyone had this happen?
Thank you!!! :confused:
Sponsor
Ramsfan
02-09-2004, 11:01 PM
Good luck. Hopefully there won't be anymore set backs to delay your surgery further. You should be recovered enough just in time for spring weather.
irish34
02-11-2004, 04:23 PM
Does anyone have advice on whether the disc can compress the spinal cord even more? PLease see the first post I wrote in this thread for the more detailed question.
Thanks a bunch.
Thanks a bunch.
DonnaKay
02-11-2004, 05:04 PM
Irish -
I would say YES. That's quite a compression anyway. That is definitely why you dropped that soda. This stuff is soooooo scary to me. My arm was so bad when I went to see my ns for the first time (on Tuesday) that he said he had to do it right away as he was leaving town and if I waited I may have *no* arm function by the time he returned. So he did the surgery first thing on Thursday. I was SO fortunate! My arm strength is doing very well now. "Dramatic" improvement is what he said back in December. I couldn't put the car in Drive prior to surgery.
If this is a new symptom, maybe you should report it to your doctor, just to be safe.
Good luck!!
Donna
I would say YES. That's quite a compression anyway. That is definitely why you dropped that soda. This stuff is soooooo scary to me. My arm was so bad when I went to see my ns for the first time (on Tuesday) that he said he had to do it right away as he was leaving town and if I waited I may have *no* arm function by the time he returned. So he did the surgery first thing on Thursday. I was SO fortunate! My arm strength is doing very well now. "Dramatic" improvement is what he said back in December. I couldn't put the car in Drive prior to surgery.
If this is a new symptom, maybe you should report it to your doctor, just to be safe.
Good luck!!
Donna
Deb F
02-13-2004, 02:18 PM
Hi Irish,
Glad to see you've been resched., but sorry to hear that things are worsening. Been in TX for 8 days, so I'm just back on the board and looked for your posting first!
Spoke with a woman on vacation who was in a collar at a Visitors center (my curiousity got the best of me and I had to ask) - well, she was 2 wks post-op/ ACDF w/ fusion. She had arm, hand, shoulder, upper back symptoms - then it went into her leg-foot. She wished she hadn't waited sooo long to proceed. Her surgeon said an accident could have been catastrophic for her (possibility of severing the spinal cord) because of the amount of compression. So, I really think things can get worse and be dangerous for you. Please be extra careful!!!
Looking forward to catching up.
Deb
Glad to see you've been resched., but sorry to hear that things are worsening. Been in TX for 8 days, so I'm just back on the board and looked for your posting first!
Spoke with a woman on vacation who was in a collar at a Visitors center (my curiousity got the best of me and I had to ask) - well, she was 2 wks post-op/ ACDF w/ fusion. She had arm, hand, shoulder, upper back symptoms - then it went into her leg-foot. She wished she hadn't waited sooo long to proceed. Her surgeon said an accident could have been catastrophic for her (possibility of severing the spinal cord) because of the amount of compression. So, I really think things can get worse and be dangerous for you. Please be extra careful!!!
Looking forward to catching up.
Deb
nero
02-14-2004, 02:29 AM
Oh My goodness Irish,
You really need to sit tight till March and be sedentary and very careful. I wouldn't want to scare you but correlating the symptoms with the compression does reinforce the concept that things get significantly worse with more compression.
I can tell you my ortho dr. told me I had the worst kind of spinal chord compression he had seen and I had many pieces floating up my spine. I used to get a feeling like somebody had whipped sand in my eye or my hair had cut across my cornea. The sharp deep cutting pain in my eyeball was horrible. I also had much clumsiness; I fell headfirst into the railing around the stairs and wiped out once miscalculating on the treadmill. You lose your spacial sense once you have herniation and its a common theme/complaint.
All I can say, is you are finally on your way... you will be okay... I have been worried for you but now a date is picked you can settle down and just mark off the days. I am soooo sorry you have had so much to deal with and then all these cancellations. My dr. did the same thing by breaking his foot but the surgery was a go thank god as scheduled.
I am now scheduled April 22/04 for my microdiskectomy and feeling all the trepidations I felt re; the ACDF. I sat last night for the first time for three hours at a new neighbour's tupperware party and suddenly felt this sadness when I looked around the room realizing that somehow I felt really different from all those women... clearly the operation leaves a permanent mark on your psyche that you constantly have to wrestle with... I wanted to cry and say why do I have this thing in my throat.. why do I have to face another surgery .. but then I remembered you and all the others on the board and solaced myself with the fact that I can debrief, vent and maybe assist others who share this plight.
May God keep you safe and strong and reaffirm to you each night as you lay your head to sleep that you will be okay and things will get better... I really believe that Irish.. this is not all for naught.
Sincerely, Nero.
You really need to sit tight till March and be sedentary and very careful. I wouldn't want to scare you but correlating the symptoms with the compression does reinforce the concept that things get significantly worse with more compression.
I can tell you my ortho dr. told me I had the worst kind of spinal chord compression he had seen and I had many pieces floating up my spine. I used to get a feeling like somebody had whipped sand in my eye or my hair had cut across my cornea. The sharp deep cutting pain in my eyeball was horrible. I also had much clumsiness; I fell headfirst into the railing around the stairs and wiped out once miscalculating on the treadmill. You lose your spacial sense once you have herniation and its a common theme/complaint.
All I can say, is you are finally on your way... you will be okay... I have been worried for you but now a date is picked you can settle down and just mark off the days. I am soooo sorry you have had so much to deal with and then all these cancellations. My dr. did the same thing by breaking his foot but the surgery was a go thank god as scheduled.
I am now scheduled April 22/04 for my microdiskectomy and feeling all the trepidations I felt re; the ACDF. I sat last night for the first time for three hours at a new neighbour's tupperware party and suddenly felt this sadness when I looked around the room realizing that somehow I felt really different from all those women... clearly the operation leaves a permanent mark on your psyche that you constantly have to wrestle with... I wanted to cry and say why do I have this thing in my throat.. why do I have to face another surgery .. but then I remembered you and all the others on the board and solaced myself with the fact that I can debrief, vent and maybe assist others who share this plight.
May God keep you safe and strong and reaffirm to you each night as you lay your head to sleep that you will be okay and things will get better... I really believe that Irish.. this is not all for naught.
Sincerely, Nero.