Discussions that mention valium

I'm so glad to have run across this site. I won't be long winded but here's where I'm at. I have had neck and back problems for 5 months. Had xrays that show arthritis in my neck. I have pain in my neck and down between the right shoulder blade and spine, also in the shoulder, sometimes down my arm and tingling in my haright hand. Have had PT (didnt help), Chiropractic (helps very little), accupuncture ( relaxes me but really doesnt help pain)> I tried an MRI, an "open MRI"..... when your head is strapped in a helmet and you are slid into this "open " MRI....it doesnt matter if its open!!! You are stuck in a small place!! Anyways.... I couldnt last even with the 5mg of valium. I had to bail out. I'm now trying the 6 day pack of prednisolone to see if there is a nerve root inflamation, it will tame it down,,, I'm on day 4 and it hasn't. I tried to keep the history of this whole thing brief. I go back to the Dr. on the 20th for the "now what". Is there anyone out there that has been through this? I really would like some insight from anyone who has been through any of this.... thank you a ton.... JON

considering your ongoing symptoms and just what actually showed upon the plain x ray films,you are really going to find a good way to just get thru the MRI to really see just what IS causing the main source of your pain. until that MRI can get done,you really wont know for certain just what your next best step will be. i have to take valium and my pain meds before even going into any MRI/MRA,its just that bad for me but i have managed to get thru 16 MRIs over the past eight years or so. it can be done if you have the right meds. your doc can help you get thru this by just Rxing the right meds to make it tolerable for you. you just wont know anything about what is going on inside that spine til you can at least get that look into it with preferably a contrasted MRI. it just highlights certain areas much better vs without it.

once you can find out just exactly whats wrong and what you are really dealing with then you can get a plan of action together to get this fixed. just an FYI for ya but i really wouldn;t go with the chiro again until you know for certain just what is actually wrong up in that c spine. while chiros can help alot with certain problems in the spine,they can also cause even more direct damage to areas that just should not have any adjustments made too. thats just something you really need to be careful of when seeing any chiro,espescially when it involves the c spine. without the benefit of that MRI,they are basically doing adjustments on areas without being able to know just what they could be causing or making worse for the patient.

hopefully you can obtain that MRI soon. you just really need that view into the spine down to the cord level and see certain areas that will only show upon MRI,not plain x ray or even CT. hopefully things are not too bad for you. please keep us posted. i also use the lido patches on my worst TPs too,the radiating ones? helps alot. FB

if it will ease your mind at all,this DOES sound like the plain old radiculopathy from spinal problems. your symptoms sound exactly what i had with my herniation. i did c 6-7. believe me,once a spinal nerve becomes affected it can create all kinds of strange weird things to occur and pain in the upper back/neck and head,or if the cord is being compromised,you can have problems down thru your toes. if you do have a herniation just what level is it at per that x ray. a herniation will usually show pretty well,but the inner stuff you really need to see as far as also being affected is what you can't with just x ray. where exactly are you having pain with regards to the arm? does it go all the way down to the fingers? if so,what fingers are being affected? knowing how far down your pain or symptoms go and just where will help me to pinpoint the area of your spinal issue. certain spinal nerves just innervate the fingers,so you can track it back up there. what did they call the herniation on the radiology report,something like mild,severe or slight? that would tell how out of place your disc actually is.

right now,you just need a good look inside that spine to check nerve roots and for any stenosis or other things that can cause your types of symptoms. bone spurs are also one possibility to have up there too. they are just tiny little overgrowths of bone like formations? all of this stuff i have mentioned is just the most commonly seen in peoples spines that will start causing pain and other symptoms.

just an FYI on the MRI problem? first,talk to your doc about the sedation not being enough and if you have something for pain(if not,talk to your doc about the one time pain meds),take it about a half hour before you leave to go get the MRI,it would well into your system by the time the MRI was going to be done,same with the valium. once you get in there,take your mind someplace else,and KEEP YOUR EYES SHUT. i just try and picture myself somewhere where i am relaxed? this really does help alot,believe me,i do this over and over and still have not had a problem wth all the MRIs i have had where i am stuffed into that tube. if this is an open MRI,thats even better. nothing is going to happen to you,thats what you need to keep remembering.

i also ask for a blanket that i can kind of wrap my upper body into? i have them tuck my arms in and put the blanket around me and tuck the other side since i have a tendency to spasm suddenly? the more probblems you have the longer it takes so i just hang on and tell them to go as fast as they can before i move or just have to move. you may not have to go that route,but you do feel all snuggled in,ya know what i mean?

one way or another you are just really going to have to get thru that MRI. this is really the only type of test that can see what your problems are in there ya know? you simply DO NEED this done so you know what you are dealing with. i really do hope you can get thru this okay. you just need to know. i do wish you lots of luck with this and hope you can just get thru the next one. please keep us posted. FB

Jon,

By chance do you have a close friend who would not mind going with you to get this MRI. I know that I have been present in the MRI suite while my mother-in-law had her Head MRI. I am assuming that someone came with you the first time if you took some valium before your first try at the MRI. Maybe the combination of valium and someone holding your hand and talking to you throughout the scan may put your mind at ease. I believe when I had my Neck MRI Christmas Eve 2005, the test really only took I think 20 minutes. Whenever I have an MRI (and I have had many), believe it or not, I close my eyes and think of someplace warm and I completely take myself out of the current situation. The other thought is to see if they have music. I have been in MRI's where they place ear phones on your ears and you can request the type of music you would like to listen to.

Just a few suggestions.--Good Luck at getting through your MRI--You can do it, we all have faith in you.