Neck problems above fusion

[rohrer01]

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

Jess, the other NSAIDs don't target only Cox 1. They do, indeed cover both Cox 1 and Cox 2, otherwise they wouldn't work. Cox 2 enzyme is the one that causes inflammation. Cox 1 lays down a protective coating in the gut. That's why there was so much research being done to find an NSAID that targeted Cox 2 specifically. Apparently the molecule shapes are similar, which makes finding a binding site on the Cox 2 molecule challenging. I'm talking cell bio and biochem mumbo jumbo. Anyway, that's how they have to go about it in the simplest terms.

[jrnyc]

hey rohr
all i know is that the three SELECTIVE Cox 2 inhibitors are Vioxx, Celebrex
and Bextra...and i cannot take any of them....
i will ask my pain doc and my NYC pharmacist why i am able to take
diclofenac..with no allergic reaction...so far...
there has to be a reason i have only reacted to the selective ones...
i had a few other of the NON SELECTIVE ones before...years ago..
i was not allergic....i stopped taking them because none seemed to help...
the hip pain is first time any NSAID helped me at all....
thank goodness the pain disappeared as mysteriously as it came...
so for now, i do not need an NSAID....i take pain meds for the spinal
pain and it is not the sharp kind of pain that so shocked me with the hip
pain...
what did shock me was how much my upper spine hurt while standing
still for all those X ray shots April 18th, when they took so many pix
(because they didn't have correct equipment)...
sorry i didn't leave before they started!

Ed, didn't mean to steal this thread from you...my apologies


jess...and Sparky

[rohrer01]

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

I'm wondering, too, if they can replace cervical discs. If they are doing it, it should be better in a couple of years for those that can hold out that long. I haven't heard anything about the use of these discs in scoliotics, but I'm sure I'm not the first person who ever thought of it. That would be so awesome!

keep us updated as to what Dr. M. says.

[titaniumed]

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

Wow, we both started at the same time!....must be neck season!

Why is it that we get our whole spines fused and we have problems with our “normal”necks? This just isn’t fair...It sure seems like we have disc problems across the board as scolis.....all levels.

I am prepared for the worst news and it really doesn’t bother me all that much since there is no choice in the matter. I would rather have my neck fused and have my arm functioning than the other way around since I really cant lift much right now, and have chores I would like to do at the house.

Why does the pain always seem to come during the night? It really makes sleeping difficult.

I hope this passes quickly for both of us....

Ed

[gardener]

I second what Linda said about using the nsaid every day, not just when there's pain. My neck problem began 3 years ago, following poor positioning during a minor surgical procedure. I'd explained my back problen to the surgeon and requested special care in positioning for the procedure. I went under a light anesthesia for a breast biopsy, was repositioned while under the anesthesia and woke up unable to use my left arm. I had to learn to reposition myself for sleeping so I could keep the arm elevated, otherwise the pain was nearly unbearable. I still need to sleep that way, otherwise, I have residual achiness all day.
Working with a great PT, I found a regime of exercises that helped build strength and get back most arm and hand function. It now works most of the time - I haven't dropped a plate or coffee mug in months. After trying a lot of meds, the topical diclofenac, used every day on my neck is what finally seemed to work. I'd had degenerative problems building in my neck for a while, but something got pinched in the repositioning and it took about 4-6 months to get everything calmed down to a reasonable level.

[debbei]

Ed,

I'm sorry you're going through the neck/arm problems. You've done good for so long, and now this? Good luck with your appointment, is it tomorrow? I'll be sure to check back in to see what you report. I'm also very sorry to hear about your mom. You are in my thoughts. ((Hugs))

[scooter950]

speaking from my limited experience...

Fused C3- C7

When I started Physical therapy, I was afraid to move my head. But the therapist explained that most of the movement and pivotal action is at C1 C2 - the base of your skull! now, I can rotate my head (not full range of motion but I think it's pretty good); it is difficult when backing out of a parking space, (I like the idea about keeping a hand mirror in the car) And I can look up and down. the side -to- side movement is limited ( try to touch your ear to the shoulder- that is limited for me). I still have aches in the neck, but the pain is much less than pre-surgery.

I didn't want this surgery but when I met with the scoli surgeon I asked him about my neck pain - he told me the neck was just as bad or worse than my back. He recommended fixing the C spine first- to prevent any problems post-op.

As for my hands/ arms: I would drop things and I still have paresthesia in the arm and hands ( at times, not always). I also have stenosis at C2- C3 but I didn't want him to fuse me that high - plus, he would have to do a posterior approach and do a laminotomy ( sp?) so i opted for the anterior approach instead. But he could only reach to level C3, he put in a plate with 8 screws I think.

By God's grace, I will go back for the scoli surgery. I have noticed improved quality of life after the neck fusion, so I am hopeful that my back pain will lessen too, after my scoli surgery - to be scheduled sometime in 2014. I know there are others on the forum who had C spine fusion and scoli surgery too... they gave me advice & courage to do this. Maybe they will share their experiecnes as well. But- of course: I hope and pray that Tied and Linda and no one else here will need C spine surgery. after scoli surgery - may everyone recover and gain strength and stability. Be well , Ed, and travel safely! Jamie in TX

[titaniumed]

This thread really is turning out to be an excellent “neck” thread packed with information! I have to thank all of you for posting....

I have 2 Celebrex pills left......Oh no! But I also have some 4 year old Naproxen....

Don’t worry..... I don’t have an old bottle of Laudanum from 1880. (smiley face)

Ed

[Pooka1]

The diet pills in the 1800s were really pills containing tape worm eggs. :-0

I suppose people lost some weight on those!

[jackieg412]

Neck Problems

This is really a great thread. All of us with spine fusions must put extra pressure on the cervical also. My fusions went like this --T10-pelvis, fractured t-9 right away, Then so many neck problems--had C5,6,7 fusion and the within 6 months had t2-t10 fused because of the fracture at t9. It does not solve all of the problems,but cervical is much easier then the major spine surgery. After this I still have numbness in some of my fingers and a problem in burning in the arms. Dr has not been able to help it out yet. I am on gabapentin for it, but the dose that I was on was making it hard to walk and I was falling a lot. On a lower dose that stopped,but the numbness has not. I must exercise the neck every day or it gets to painful to move much. I welcome everyone's input.
Good luck Ed on your doctor visit!
Jackie

[rohrer01]

The diet pills in the 1800s were really pills containing tape worm eggs. :-0

I suppose people lost some weight on those!

This was no diet pill and could be bought over-the-counter:

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

[rohrer01]

Why does the pain always seem to come during the night? It really makes sleeping difficult.
Ed

Are you sleeping with a therapeutic pillow? My neck pain is different because of my anatomy. Mine is absolutely worst when I'm sitting at a desk reading or doing some other task that requires me to look down for prolonged periods of time. If you sleep on your back, the neck bones tend to flatten out causing a loss of the natural lordosis. If you are a side sleeper, it can sag to the side or your head can be tilted up or down depending on how you position your pillow. I would suggest paying more attention to keeping your neck in proper alignment when sleeping. When my neck hurts really bad at night, I sleep with a soft collar. It helps a lot and might be worth a shot. You can buy them OTC at most pharmacies. I got my first one at the ER, but my second one I got at Shopko. They run around $10 or so.

[gardenia]

Hope you can give a status from today's visit

Dear Ed!!!
I have not been on the forum quite as much as I am dealing with other problems but I can't believe that you are in pain. You, as Janet, said were one of my best supporter and of the forum. I think that for every encouragement you gave, you should get double blessing and free pain releive from wherever the magic comes from.

I am sitting here with little pain and feeling sorry about my lack of interests in life. And, you who are filled with things to do and places to go have to deal with pain again. One just wonder why good things happen to good people?

I am glad that you are going to see your doctor versus trying to find aspirin or bandages for temporary relief like so many of us have done in the past. The description of your aches and pain complicated with other stuff should be seriously looked at. Remember that most of us know that if we do something to relief this pain, it creates trouble in another place.

Hope that you doctor and insurance is the tops because you need to go to Coiba. I was born and raised in Panama way back then. Coiba used to be the Alcatraz of San Francisco. Not been back in more that decades but hope you can enjoy your trip there with pain out of the way.

My sincere hopes that there is a magic wand set upon your head down to your sacrum.

Gardenia

[loves to skate]

I'm wondering, too, if they can replace cervical discs. If they are doing it, it should be better in a couple of years for those that can hold out that long. I haven't heard anything about the use of these discs in scoliotics, but I'm sure I'm not the first person who ever thought of it. That would be so awesome!

keep us updated as to what Dr. M. says.

Rohrer, They have been doing cervical discs at least for four years now. A high school classmate of mine living in the Charleston, SC area sent me a newspaper article about it being done experimentally in Charleston. I don't see why it couldn't be done on scoliotics as long as their fusion is balanced.
Ed, I use a very soft pillow, a synthetic down pillow that I can shape under my neck for support. I used to use a down pillow until a lot of the down managed to work itself out of the ticking and made a mess when I changed the pillow case. My trip to Cape Cod two years ago triggered much neck pain because I forgot my pillow and slept on a very firm bed with a hard pillow. I hope you get relief very soon.
Sally

[golfnut]

I hope all of you with neck pain can get some relief. Ed, I'm anxious to hear what you find out. I wonder what percentage of those fused eventually have neck pain. I guess there is no point in worrying about it.
Best of luck to everyone.