Hi! Neuro problem, can anyone help?

[Aro]

Hi! I've posted here before, but I have to ask a lotta questions. For three years now I have had severe neck pain. I feel like I tore some ligament at work years ago, back in 2001. It feels as if I have been sliced from my head to my body & have been fighting it ever since.
It really hurts a lot because I can't function properly. The pain radiates to the right side of my face to my arm to my chest & back & my neck especially (that's where the pain is the most. It feels tight around my throat & I feel like I can't breathe). It also aggravates my stomach & skin. I just can't get comfortable & I feel like I'm choking. I feel like there is a piece of lead on the right side of my body & for whatever reason it just won't reflex back to where it belongs. It's working harder or something & I feel out of coordination...& poisoned. the whole right side of my body squeezes up & there's not much I could do but go with the flow. I feel like I can't walk & chew gum at the same time & feel like there's a "space" in my head. My eye seems to go weak for whatever reason. I was told I have an anxiety disorder, but I just can't help but feel something is wrong ( I feel tired a lot). I had 3 Mri's, one of the brain & two of the neck, & two xrays, one of the neck+back & one of the sinuses. The two neck MRI's revealed a c5-6 disc herniation & loss/straightening of the normal lordosis while the rest of the neck spine is ok. The Xray said there was a lordosis curve problem consistant with muscle spasms. The brain Mri said there was a left maxilliary sinus problem, but everything else is fine. I've been to psychiatrist, a neurologist (who said the c5-6 herniation was just a little thing, though it showed two other little things were starting), plenty of doctor visits (one who told I have to be more aggressive, though I'm really tired I've fought enough just getting tests. Another said my thyroids were acting up, slight highs & lows), an ENT specialist (as diagnosed with sinusitus by my doctor, who told me in passing that neurospecialists are fustrating) a neurosurgeon (who said I've exhausted all my options & recommended pain management), an orthopedist (who said he doesn't see anything, see a rheumatologist), a chiropractor (who made a diagnosis that the bone was "subxablated"-collapsed & pinched a nerve, but never actually read my MRI report).
In the end I feel "strangled", kinda tangled all over & pretty depressed. I don' t really know how to go about & help this problem, but I want a normal life back. Does anyone have advice? Is a cervical herniation a small thing to ignore, I mean personally I feel it killing me & has made me weirder eveyday)? What should I do? Should I just move around & let it go away all on it's own? Should I try physical therapy or pain management? What kind of doctor should I see for this, what should I tell them, should I be bringing my mom with me (moral support), or going alone? Am I too young to get surgery if needed (I don't know, I was told surgical procedures on the spine were for older people, but I feel neurologically damaged now '_', Is that true?).
It seems confusing to me? Does anyone have advice, what should I do? I have healthfirst medicaid,so I can find doctors in the system, or can someone recommend anyone to me? I've tried doctor Jho, but he says conservative treatment ;_;...
Please help, really don't want to go through this anymore thanks!

[dennisgb]

How old are you?

Many of the symptoms you describe, aren't nessesarily caused by the c5-6 disk. It can cause pain in the arm, hand, shoulder, chest and neck. But the pain should change with movement if a nerve or nerves are involved.

What can happen is the body tries to "protect" an injured area, and it causes you to position yourself to make the pain less. Over time, if this is not a natural or good position, muscles will spasm, and pinch other nerves. This can be very painful and can cause all sorts of weird symptoms.

I would suggest that you try to determine if the pain is better or worse in different positions. How do you sleep? Is your bed comfortable? Is your body and spine in good sleeping postions?

Have you tried heat or cold on the areas that hurt. Consider that if the neck is causing the problem, the pain starts there and works it's way down to the shoulders, arm and hand. Put heat or cold on the neck first. Have you tried massage?

Pain medications? Aspirin. Ibroprofen.

One thing that always seems easy for people to tell someone is stress can cause a lot of problems. You sound really stressed out. Have you tried relaxation exercises?

I know I might sound goofy, but there is a lot going on with you, and you need to try and pinpoint where the problem is. Let your body tell you, then you will be able to explain better to the doctors what's going on.

I hope that helps a little.

[Aro]

Originally Posted by dennisgb

How old are you?

Many of the symptoms you describe, aren't nessesarily caused by the c5-6 disk. It can cause pain in the arm, hand, shoulder, chest and neck. But the pain should change with movement if a nerve or nerves are involved.

What can happen is the body tries to "protect" an injured area, and it causes you to position yourself to make the pain less. Over time, if this is not a natural or good position, muscles will spasm, and pinch other nerves. This can be very painful and can cause all sorts of weird symptoms.

I would suggest that you try to determine if the pain is better or worse in different positions. How do you sleep? Is your bed comfortable? Is your body and spine in good sleeping postions?

Have you tried heat or cold on the areas that hurt. Consider that if the neck is causing the problem, the pain starts there and works it's way down to the shoulders, arm and hand. Put heat or cold on the neck first. Have you tried massage?

Pain medications? Aspirin. Ibroprofen.

One thing that always seems easy for people to tell someone is stress can cause a lot of problems. You sound really stressed out. Have you tried relaxation exercises?

I know I might sound goofy, but there is a lot going on with you, and you need to try and pinpoint where the problem is. Let your body tell you, then you will be able to explain better to the doctors what's going on.

I hope that helps a little.

Hi^^;; I'm sorry for a late reply, but seriously thanks very much.

I'm 24, but this all started when I was 21 just finishing school.

I don't really know what happened, but something happened to my neck & it stopped moving properly (well stiffened up actually). It was kind of a vulnerable feeling I've never felt before. I don't know but one side of my head & body felt weaker. This followed some heart palpitations I was feeling from time to time prior to that. I thought it was just "panic attack" in the beggining as it followed with some "watery" feeling all over my face -you could see a space or stone in your eye (I've really never had a problem like this prior to anytime in my life, it wasn't too hard in the beggining, but I got really weak over time, mentally, emotionally, physically). Anyway I was given medications of all kinds for this (Anitidepressants, Muscle Relaxants, Mood control) which me feel just downright horrible & tried all kinds of therapy (most done without a real MRI diagnosis) till' early this year.

It does have me out of focus as I do only feel better only in certain positions or when I I walk (It isn't easy to sit for too long anymore).
My chest, arms, neck, & face hurt very often. I've seen a neurosurgeon & an orthopedist who say they can't do nothing (why?), & sent MRI's to a doctor Jho in pennsylvania who said to stick to conservative treatment. I will still try to see another neuro or ortho for help again, but I don't how to approach them (& very tired of this). I really don't know if I'm worrying about this to much or if is really bothering me that this hurts so much & needs help.

The only other diagnosis that was given to me was that I have a thyroid problem (over & under production) & sinusinitus. I feel it around my whole head & around my body, in my back, & back of head.

I heard of a condition called hydrocyphalus/Water on the Brain (Something I saw on a tv report about an individual who had a 15 year long cognitive disablity due to this before he had surgery to finally relieve it). I don't know but I have been feeling a lot of fluid circling my body & head for a long while, & am having some trouble understanding things sometimes, hearing & sensing troubles, & fevers & water swelling up in my ear, neck & face alot (especially worsened with meds) & often feel like I can't "breathe through my face". Sometimes I see "backwards" or watery or dyslexic or something. I don't know what category that would fall under in this board.

Thanks very much!

[bellsudev]

Here's something else you might try, if you haven't already, read up on your body's pressure points, muscles that are irritated tend to spasm, by learning how to work the pressure points you can help the muscles to relax, although the muscle will want to go back to the same position, by working the pressure points, you can get the muscles to relax and stay relaxed. This has been a God send for me, I have had muscles spasm along my jaw to the point that I could not turn my head, had terrible headaches, and arms and hands that were constantly falling asleep, I have actually developed a limp from muscles that were too tight, and what I thought was a case of shin splints, were muscles that were in a spasm.
hope this will be of some help to you.