Neck problems above fusion

[Pooka1]

Congratulations to her!

And congratulations to you for helping her achieve this dream.

My goddaughter will become a Doctor today and Uncle Ed is so proud!!!!!

She will do her residency in Louisville, and will train to become a pediatric emergency room specialist....Funny, at age 10 she wanted to do this....

I teased through the years and always called her a pupa growing up. She is no longer a pupa anymore....(smiley face)

Eager young minds....

Dr Crystal English MD

Ed

[JenniferG]

How wonderful Ed!

Hearty congrats to you both!

Crystal is now a butterfly. <smiley face>

[mabeckoff]

What wonderful news!

[Doreen1]

So exciting about your goddaughter! It is amazing to see dreams come true.

Thank you for sharing the video. It was very helpful. What point are you at right now?

[jrnyc]

hey Ed
what great news to read about your goddaughter...
i bet she will help lots of kids and their families...

just a note....i didn't like gabapentin the time i was given it, several
years ago...didn't help and made me sleepy....
i am still taking diclofenac....started taking it for the bad hip pain i
had....thank goodness that proved to be temporary....
was surprised and pleased that it is helping my spinal pain...
so i still take the diclofenac several times a week, twice a day...
i was pleasantly surprised, as years ago, other NSAIDS didn't seem
to help my back pain at all...

hope things get better for you without need for surgery...

jess...and Sparky

[rohrer01]

Ed, congratulations on your goddaughter, too! I wanted to be a doctor growing up, too... never finished.

Jess,
When did you start the diclofenac? Is it helping your sciatic pain? I've only tried the topical formulation and it didn't help much. Gabapentin did absolutely nothing for me, either. I think most of my pain is bone pain and muscle pain, although I do get sciatic nerve pain. Is the diclofenac really harsh on the tummies? Anyone?

I have a hard time with NSAIDs because of that. =(

[jrnyc]

rohr...been looking for explanation as to why i was violently allergic
to Vioxx, slightly allergic to Celebrex, but can take...so far....Diclofenac...
i found from reading internet that the major cox 2 inhibitors...the three
i mentioned to you...work differently on cox 1 and cox 2...
part of explanation of how the major cox 2 inhibitors differ from the older
NSAIDS was explained....

".....was established that the standard NSAIDs, such as indomethacin, diclofenac and ibuprofen, discriminated much less in their inhibition of the two enzymes, or if anything preferentially favoured COX-1 inhibition."

i didnt want to copy all the article...but if you look into it, the info clearly
states that the major cox 2 inhibitors definitely work in a different way....

as far as stomach stuff, i have had no bad effects so far with any
stomach problems from Diclofenac....a few years ago, i had really bad acid reflux and other stomach problems from years of oral antibiotics for Lyme....so i am sensitive to stomach reactions...so far, so good...
i keep forgetting to talk to doctor who gives me Diclofenac about the
cox 1 and 2 things...will try to remember next visit, end of June...

jess

[titaniumed]

Jen

Yes, she is a butterfly now.....but residency is especially tough.... Much harder than medical school.

Back when she was making the decision to become a doctor, I told her that she has to be fully committed for life. Its not like you do this and do the old 9 to 5 thing....I mean, she could, but that’s not what her personality is about. Too boring and not enough fun. Stimulation requires hard work and new projects. She will specialize, which really means that she just started. This was addressed yesterday at the hooding ceremony amongst all the doctors. You could hear a pin drop at Lawlor events center.

Years ago, she saw how hard I worked with my business. I worked 100 hours a week and after Thanksgiving dinner one year, had to run back to work because I was committed to a project I was working on. I was always exited and committed, these were things that she saw years ago.....and I did it in major pain living with my scoliosis. I think this rubbed off a little bit. She also saw me get hit by the freight train that hard core deformity surgery provides, and saw me bounce back and move forward.....What’s a little challenge right?

She was also the right kid....my little pupa.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Doreen

You ask the difficult question, “What point are you at right now?” Pretty tired actually, my arm was completely numb yesterday at the ceremony.

I think I’m going to wait......here we go again. After watching this film and seeing that my surgeon has not “pushed for surgery” (a good sign of a great surgeon) I am going to continue with my current med program (diclofenac) for a while. This really makes things difficult with planning since I never know if I will have a major pain “episode”. I like the word episode because it fits. Living with herniated discs can be done, surgery being dictated by how much we can handle. I am aware of your neck situation and you have my sympathy. I will be following your thread closely to see how things turn out for you.

I am proud of our medical school and research center. It’s the best in the world right now. There are billionaires up at Lake Tahoe that hide in seclusion and occasionally get bored, come down the hill, write a check and say, “tear it down, and start over”. Do it now.

Money well spent.
Ed

[Susie*Bee]

I, too, wish to express my congratulations to Uncle Ed on this most happy occasion! How exciting! How many buttons did you bust? I just am sorry about your own problems now. Take care and know that you are in my prayers and thoughts. Your friend (it's been ages now, hasn't it), Susie

[jackieg412]

Thank you for the wonderful news about your goddaughter. It is always uplifting to hear good things. I feel bad that you are still being bothered though. You and your DR will know what is the correct thing to do. I am going to try to PM you---about the outcome of my court case. I still cannot post all info. Soon,
Maybe?

[JuliaAnn]

Jen

Yes, she is a butterfly now.....but residency is especially tough.... Much harder than medical school.

Back when she was making the decision to become a doctor, I told her that she has to be fully committed for life. Its not like you do this and do the old 9 to 5 thing....I mean, she could, but that’s not what her personality is about. Too boring and not enough fun. Stimulation requires hard work and new projects. She will specialize, which really means that she just started. This was addressed yesterday at the hooding ceremony amongst all the doctors. You could hear a pin drop at Lawlor events center.

Years ago, she saw how hard I worked with my business. I worked 100 hours a week and after Thanksgiving dinner one year, had to run back to work because I was committed to a project I was working on. I was always exited and committed, these were things that she saw years ago.....and I did it in major pain living with my scoliosis. I think this rubbed off a little bit. She also saw me get hit by the freight train that hard core deformity surgery provides, and saw me bounce back and move forward.....What’s a little challenge right?

She was also the right kid....my little pupa.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ed

Congratulations to your goddaughter, Ed! What a wonderful achievement. Her ambition and determination are to be commended. Your goddaughter is very fortunate to have you in her life. You're such a great role model. You've been a tower of strength and I'm sure all who know you have been blessed.

I know you're hanging in there, despite such pain and aggravation. Continuing to work and attend events has to be tough. I know you mentioned degenerative disc disease and are hoping it's not something worse. Have you gotten any other test results back? Do you work at the computer a lot? That would affect your neck pain and arm issues. I hope your work isn't demanding so that you can experiment with trying a new position for days to see if that helps.

Do be careful. Even if you can handle great pain, it's not always wise to do so. My surgeon confirmed my back was indeed broken. In his words "The top of your back wasn't even connected to your lower back!" Which is why I had so much grinding pain, numbness that traveled from one foot to the other and loss of bladder control. I just thought it was menopause and old age so I never told anyone those symptoms. Such a dolt I was! I walked around with a broken back for over two months. It's a miracle I didn't suffer permanent damage or paralysis. I would hate for something to happen to you just because you're able to withstand the symptoms. That's such a relief that you have an excellent surgeon. I'm keeping you in prayer, that a really good treatment will be figured out and soon.

[scooter950]

Congratulations!

"Dr English"! what an achievement! and now to face her residency - God bless her! thank you for encouraging her to be committed to life. even with deformities and pain, "life is worth living" and I pray you are coping well between the meds and alternate comfort measures. Graduations are always so imspiring to em- I think we ( family members) get more out of the guest speaker's words than the graduates at times. thanks for sharing such great news!! xxx Jamie in TX

[Doodles]

Ed--
What a great achievement for your goddaughter! I'm sure you have influenced this young lady in no small way. I truly hope the neck issue can be resolved soon. Janet

[loves to skate]

Thanks everyone for all the replies.....

Here is a fantastic informative “neck” video from Dr Grossi from Duke. He answers many questions on the neck.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFPk4efcJ1g

Ed

Thanks Ed,
I finally had an hour to myself to watch this excellent video.
Also, congratulations to your God daughter. You must be bursting with pride.
How is your neck pain by now. I hope it is much better.
Take care, Sally

[titaniumed]

How is my neck pain? I’m adapting.....Yesterday, I took no meds.....but there is a little arm pain. I’m used to it.

Crystal is in Puerto Rico hiking with the Coqui frogs in El Yunque. They are noisy little buggers.....you almost need ear plugs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Yunque_National_Forest

Then its off on a cruise, then back and then another Bahamas cruise.

She was in a hospital working in Thailand last month.

I can figure out her schedule, I cant keep up with her anymore. LOL

I do know that she will start work in Louisville on 07/01/13 here...
http://www.kosairchildrens.com/kosai...drens-hospital


Ed