Neck problems above fusion

[titaniumed]

I also regularly use Voltaren gel (nsaid) on my neck and that can help quite a bit. I can apply that up to 4x a day.

I’m so glad you posted about this “topical” NSAID. I have never heard of this....

Have you taken oral NSAID’s? Celebrex, Bextra, Vioxx, Naproxen, etc? If so, how does Voltaren compare?

I am aware of the dangers associated with NSAID’s but right now I will turn a blind eye.

Thx
Ed

[tae_tap]

I’m so glad you posted about this “topical” NSAID. I have never heard of this....

Have you taken oral NSAID’s? Celebrex, Bextra, Vioxx, Naproxen, etc? If so, how does Voltaren compare?

I am aware of the dangers associated with NSAID’s but right now I will turn a blind eye.

Thx
Ed

Ed,

We use topical compounds that seem to help many with neuropathic pain. Voltaren is not a bad one (but is pricey and has been an on/off again product that we can't always get), I have used it before but if your doctor works with a company that makes topical compounds this is what I would recommend: Baclofen 2%, Bupivacaine 1%, CMO 2%, Cyclobenzaprine 2%, Diclofenac 5%, Gabapentin 6%, Ketamine 12%, Ketoprofen 20%. This is a strong topical that works as an inflammatory neuropathic pain/muscle relaxant. We have seen many positive results from it, especially with the Gaba in it without the normal side effects of the oral medications.

Just a thought you could run by your doctor to see if he could prescribe the compound to be made. Hope you get things figured out.

Tamena

[rohrer01]

Ed,
I've also used Voltaren gel. I didn't get any relief from it. I was prescribed a topical compound similar to the previous poster, but with not as many things in it. I believe it had Lidocaine, Gabapentin, Ketoprofen (or another NSAID), and one other thing I can't remember. I posted it under one of my threads. It did give me some relief for awhile, then it just seemed to quit working. I know my bottle got old and some of the compounds in it started to crystalize, so that could be the reason. I had to use it 3 to 4 times a day for a few days before it seemed to start having maximum effect. I used it particularly on my neck. I would apply the cream and then lay down with a hot rice pack. It was kind of pricey, but worth it at the time. I think I payed $43 for a one or two ounce bottle if I'm remembering correctly. Tamena's cream compound sounds even better than the one I had. I'd go for that one if you can get a pharmacist to brew it up for you.

[jrnyc]

hope you find something to help your neck short of surgery, Ed...
just a note...be careful with Celebrex....i had a violent allergic
reaction to Vioxx...apparently i can't handle Cox 2 inhibitors...
more's the pity, as Vioxx relieved a lot of joint pain for me...
but after the violent allergic reaction that cut off my breathing,
i had the start of a reaction to Celebrex (hives, etc) and stopped
it immediately...
just my way of warning anyone allergic to Vioxx may likely also be
allergic to Celebrex...
but that still leaves many other NSAIDS for those people to try...

hoping you feel better....
jess...and Sparky

[rohrer01]

hope you find something to help your neck short of surgery, Ed...
just a note...be careful with Celebrex....i had a violent allergic
reaction to Vioxx...apparently i can't handle Cox 2 inhibitors...
more's the pity, as Vioxx relieved a lot of joint pain for me...
but after the violent allergic reaction that cut off my breathing,
i had the start of a reaction to Celebrex (hives, etc) and stopped
it immediately...
just my way of warning anyone allergic to Vioxx may likely also be
allergic to Celebrex...
but that still leaves many other NSAIDS for those people to try...

hoping you feel better....
jess...and Sparky

Didn't they pull Vioxx off the market? Maybe it was another one that I'm thinking of. If you have an allergic reaction to any NSAID, it is my understanding that you have the high potential to be allergic to them all. I hope this is not the case for you.

[loves to skate]

Ed,
I have been away from my computer for a few days so missed your post. I'm so sorry to hear you are having neck issues. My neck problem is at C3C4 and can cause numbness up the back of the head. My primary care gave me a ten day course of an oral cortisone which helped a lot. I also have had facet joint injections which helped. Unfortunately, NASAIDS are out of the question for me. Ice and heat also help. If all else fails, I can get a prescription for a decompression unit from Dr. Hey. By the way, my last appointment with Dr. Hey was canceled at the last minute, this time due to family issues with Dr. Hey, so hopefully I will be seeing him in a couple of weeks.
Yes, Vioxx was pulled off the market but Celebrex is still available. I hope you can get some relief soon Ed so that you can enjoy your diving vacation.
Take care, Sally

[titaniumed]

Well, thanks guys for the info on the products.....this is always helpful.

I will report after we find out what is going on......

Sally, I hope Dr Hey can help you out. I bought a Franklin Spanish translator EST-7014, I will do a review on that since I have to learn Spanish in record time as I have to go to probate court in Colombia.....
http://electronic-translator-review....14-review.html

Life always throws new twists for us everyday. I should add this to my signature.

That and “Living tissue over metal endoskeleton” “Arnold Schwarzenegger in T2”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj5_7jnIXm8

I kinda like that scene.....(smiley face)

Ed

[rohrer01]

I remembered the other thing in the compound. It was amitriptyline. I'm not sure what the percentages were as I don't have the bottle anymore.

I hope you learn Spanish fast. The sentence structure is different than English so everything sounds backwards.

Are you planning on getting a titanium skull plate if you need surgery on your neck? Then you could have the REAL Arnold effect! My husband got a piece of shrapnel embedded in his chest from grinding metal. It freaked me out because there was a definite hole in his skin and it exposed the shiny metal. He didn't even know it was there. For a moment I wondered if I married an alien in disguise! JK, no I excised it and he was fine. I should have taken a picture of it, though! It was the most awesome injury I've seen on him so far. =)

[titaniumed]

Arnold wasn’t fused to the neck...but that hand he had in that movie was really neat!

(This is a little graphic)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mStmiGS43jQ

If there was some way to replace the spine with something of this caliber, some fine machining work, ....that would be something!

There would be no way they would fuse me all the way up. That’s for extreme cases.....I certainly have thought about it in the past with my neck locked completely up....Selection of levels for fusion surgery especially when you don’t have many left has to be done carefully.

I never had any accidents grinding things....the speed of a 6 inch wheel on a surface grinder running at 3750 RPM equals a surface footage of approx 5400 ft/min or around 62MPH. Bench grinders also run this speed.

I don’t like accidents at work. I am constantly watching out and warning for these kinds of scenarios.

Ed

[rohrer01]

Oh no, not fusion on your neck. You are right, that's the last ditch effort. They can do things with your discs and remove bone spurs, etc. I had a doc tell me that they now have artificial discs at my hospital. That's getting pretty close to the whole mechanical spine thing. Maybe some day they can put it to use in we scolis!

I just meant since you'd be put under general anesthesia, they could slip a plate under your scalp. That way if you ever got cut, you'd freak people out. Not funny for those who really do have skull implants, I know, unless they have a sense of humor about it. I can't get out of my head the scene where half of his face was ripped off exposing his robotic skull and eye. Ahhh, the younger years when gruesome violence and special effects were entertaining for me. I outgrew it. I don't watch stuff like that anymore, but it never leaves your brain. Once in, never out!

Fortunately my hubby's injury was minor. Freaky, but minor.

[titaniumed]

Yes, they are doing artificial discs now......Its something that I would entertain if need be.

I do have faith in the engineering and the materials....we have come a LONG way in material science in just the last 5 years since I have been posting here.

I know someone who takes amitriptyline.....I don’t think I would want to go there. I don’t have a depression or anxiety problem, never had. I always try to stay upbeat no matter what happens. I also have not missed a day of work with this current neck problem. It seems that movement helps with the pain. As soon as I stop physical activity, the pain returns so I keep moving.

Pain is something that I have learned to deal with through the years....So has Mick Mars with AS. AS patients use amitriptyline. Here is a quote from Mick

Mars actually offered some advice to those out there who might be diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis. He suggests seeking out second opinions, since he is living, guitar-playing proof that the condition is not a death sentence that fully limits activity. He said, “There are a lot of people that go around that suffer from this type of thing and they go to their doctor and he tells them that they will be in a wheelchair. My advice to them is to go to another doctor because he is wrong.”
http://loudwire.com/mick-mars-says-i...h-motley-crue/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankylosing_spondylitis

Even though A/S is a different disease, we are all in the same boat...

Ed

[LindaRacine]

Ed...

When I first started taking prescription NSAIDs (about 30 years ago), it took about a year and a half to find the one that worked for me (etodulac). I'd try one for a month or two, and if I didn't notice any discernable difference, it was on the the next one. I kind of thought my rheumatologist was just trying to placate me, but in the end, I learned that he was telling the truth. We're all different, and what works for one of us, may not work for the next one. I actually just got off etodulac. I've been seeing a cardiovascular doctor, and it turns out that etodulac has some sort of effect on the vascular system.

So, my message to you is to keep trying if you think there's something out there that will work. The one thing I know is that you need to take the NSAIDs every day. Taking them only whenI had a lot of pain was totally ineffective for me.

BTW, I've been having some cervical pain myself, for about 6 weeks, and am sort of freaking out at the thought that I might eventually need to have something done. The thought of losing any more flexibility is something I can't even begin to face. This is the first time I've even mentioned the issue.

Hope you get some relief.

--Linda

[jrnyc]

hey rohr
Vioxx was indeed pulled off the market...quite a while after i
reacted to it...
Celebrex is in the same class of drug...and i cannot take it...
Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra are all Cox 2 inhibitors...they selectively
target Cox 2...
the other NSAIDS...that i can take...do not...
i believe they target Cox 1 only...
a pity...Vioxx worked so well for me....before it almost killed me
by cutting off my breathing and starting to close my throat!

jess...and Sparky

[Susie*Bee]

Vioxx worked well for me also. I'm sorry you had such a close call with it, Jess. Ed-- as with Linda, it took me several tries with different NSAIDs to find something that worked after the Vioxx. Voltaren does the trick for me - generic is diclofenac. They are all different with your unique body chemistry. Some just didn't do anything. When I had to be off it for just a week for some minor surgery, all the arthritis pain set in again... Knees and hips mostly. I can feel my neck popping and grinding too, as I have arthritis there and am hoping it doesn't cause me problems as I'm fused to T2 already.

Linda-- so sorry to hear about your neck pain also. Hope and pray it won't involve more surgery.

[jrnyc]

Susie...i took diclofenac also...for the hip pain that mysteriously
appeared and disappeared 3 weeks later...
it is not my prescription...but i will ask my pain doc about it this
Wednesday when i see him....
i just have to be careful which NSAID i take...
this is first time since Vioxx that any of them helped me...

hope you feel better, Ed...
and i hope scuba diving does not aggravate the pain...

jess...and Sparky