Herniated Disc in neck..now what? - Hernia Message Board

~*Michelle*~ · 11-29-2006, 05:01 PM

I am getting really scared about this....whats going to happen? am i going to have surgery? is it a big risk?

Ive been on here a few times asking about all these problems i had and that i was going to a chiropractor. Everyone on here told me to stop going to one and i did (Thankfully) i finally got my insurance and my dr immediately wanted a cervical MRI done which i did and they called me right away and told me about the disc..how did this happen and whats going to happen to me. They refferred me to a neurosurgeon...i dont like any name with the word surgeon in it,

Thanks

SKZ · 11-29-2006, 06:30 PM

HI Michelle,
Do you know if its only herniated at one level and what level is it? I am having surgery for disk problems and also arthritis and spurs, in Dec. My strategy was to do as much research as possible so when I saw a surgeon (Dec. 19th) I knew EXACTLY what to ask. I feel pretty confident now that I know what to expect. Did your Dr. refer you to a surgeon?

PearlDoves · 11-29-2006, 10:39 PM

Michelle, Its normal to be scared of the word "surgery" but its not really a bad thing. Yes there can be complications, but there can also be great outcomes. I had surgery recently and it was very sucessful. Try to find out how good a doctor this neurosurgeon is and get to know as much about your situation as much as possible so that you can start to become comfortable with the idea of it all as well as to be better educated so that you know what questions to ask your surgeon.

Let us know if you were you in a car accident or injured in a sport, activity and why you started seeing a chriopractor. Physical therapy and Chiropractors can be a bit of a double edged swoard when it comes to the spine... sometimes it helps thigns get better and sometimes it can make symptoms worse depending on what is going on in the spine. Sometimes normal wear and tear causes things to give out, and sometimes your own body structure, genetics, and/or arthritus come into play on how your spine is and the reason that things come about as they do. For me it was a combination of my own body creating a bone spur and a car accident that created a reverse curve in my neck spine. I didn't have a herniated disc, but the bone spur basicly was doing the same thing as if it had been that because it was narrowing my spinal collum and pressing up on my spinal cord and nerve. I hope this helps God Bless and Good luck, I hope you find a great and talented surgeon that will give you the best possible and most pain free outcome!

PNo · 11-29-2006, 11:21 PM

Hi Michelle, what's that saying wait until you cross that bridge. Depending on what your diagnosis is, you could have something from a very simple disc herniation to a herniation with other problems like bone spurs, compression or other stuff. Until you get the story it's premature to start thinking you are going to have surgery.

Actually, lots of herniations are successfully treated by rest, time, physical therapy and other non surgical approaches. Some do heal themselves. When all those conservative measures fail and your symptoms don't improve then a discussion about surgery could be had. Lots of people never have surgery, some need to do it immediately, it will depend on what your problem is. So, make the appointment, go talk to the expert and then let us know what they tell you and people can share their experiences with you! In the meantime, rest, don't do heavy lifting or impact sports , take care with your neck, etc, until you see the NS.

monarog · 11-30-2006, 10:18 AM

Hi Michelle,

I had a large spontaneous C6-7 protrusion (herniation) 15 months ago. My health has been screwed up pretty much ever since. I don't mean to frighten you...however, I tried the let it reabsorb/heal route. My latest MRI of 7 months ago, indicate that it is healing and reabsorbing, so the NS says great and it's really non-operable at this point. However, I have horrible neck pain and arm pain - 15 months later. The worst is I've been hit with terrible neurological symptoms which I won't begin to list...let's just say, ranging from numbness, twitching, hyperreflexia to dizziness and gait issues. No one can pinpoint my neck as being the culprit (referring to my last MRI of 7 months ago)...but, my body/gut tell me otherwise. I am now going through all sorts of crazy testing for various ailments/diseases...all of which have tested clean so far - all the while my neck/arm pain is horrid and my neuro symptoms unrelenting. Again, I know some people heal and move on...I just want to share my experience. If I could do it all over again, I'd have pushed for surgery right at the get go as I'm such a mess now. Maybe, sooner or later, they'll find some disease causing all of this, just seems ***arre that all of this hit me shortly after my neck blew. You'd think they would spend a little more time doing more investigating on my neck issue as it's obviously problematic...and I'll be pushing another NS to do so. If I have one more doc talk to me about anxiety/depression and try to throw drugs at me so I'll go away...I'll scream! Sorry for the rambling...guess I'm rather frustrated. Good luck to you. Mona