Re: I forgot--Headaches

[Guest guest]

I think that may well have been me. I had an MRI of my whole spine as part of the initial diagnostic procedure by the first surgeon I saw after finding out about flatback. When I had the follow up appointment to that, the doc ran through the fact that it clearly showed L2-3 was completely degenerated, that surgery was necessary but I had to decide when and should wait as long as humanly possible and the whole related spiel. Nothing covered the neck pain and headaches I'd mentioned at the first appointment, so I wasn't about to leave without trying to get an answer, and asked him about it again. He promptly said something along the lines of oh yes, well it would, and dug out a sheet of the MRI and showed me where C5-6 and less so C6-7 were degenerated, with C5-6 bulging into the spinal canal. This explains various problems I had associated with it, such as lack of grip, stabbers down the arm, electric jolts in the arms, numb fingers etc.

The most I've got out of any doc then or since is that better balance is likely to bring pain relief even in the case of quite severe degeneration - and certainly that has been the case for me. They've never said explicitly that the neck problems were caused by the posture, but certainly I have yet to meet a doctor surprised by it.

I'd like to say I wouldn't let anyone fuse my neck, but when it comes down to it, yes I would. Of all the myriad pains I've felt, The Headache is right up there at the top. I have never felt anything else so intrusive, so excruciating, so utterly appalling as that. Without a word of exaggeration, it is not livable with in any way - if it were ever to start again and I could be told beyond doubt that it would not go, the only way to keep me in this world would be to section me. Before now, when it's come up out of nowhere, I've literally beaten my thighs black and blue trying to distract myself even momentarily from the agony. Luckily though, last time that it happened, we discovered that amitriptyline and the max dose of ibuprofen, tramadol and codydramol actually worked to relieve it somewhat (although I suspect that quite a bit of that had to do with the fact that the combination had me well out of it mentally even when I was awake, which wasn't very much that first week - a blessed relief after barely sleeping at all for a week. After that attack, although it passed, I got myself referred to a local guy for a check up, hoping he'd refer me on to someone who does disc replacements - not to go getting one in any hurry, but so that I could be monitored so that if it does get worse suddenly, I'd not miss the chance and be left with fusion as the *only* possibility. Unfortunately, while I've the impression he's a good surgeon within his scope, he didn't know anything about disc replacements being done and couldn't grasp the idea that by waiting until fusion was essential, one might miss the chance of an alternative by virtue of being too bad. Both he and the surgeons at QMC where I'm treated for the scoliosis have given the impression that it's a matter of time only until the neck does get that bad, but that there is still the possibility of auto-fusion resolving it. The local guy told me there was nothing he could do for me until I needed the fusion, but to come back immediately if I suddenly develop torticollis!

All in all, despite the severe attack with the neck year before last, for the most part I'm very greatly relieved that it has been so much better since the revision, despite marked continued degeneration since the inital MRI back in very early 2001. It's rare that I get any of the additional problems, although my grip has never quite returned to it's former strength, and if I'm tired enough that my head is heavy and my neck is sore, or I've slept particularly awkwardly, I do tend to just randomly drop things - it's like the grip signals just fail to make it to my fingers, so my brain is saying keep hold! and my hand just does it's own thing. It's fairly predictable these days though as to the risk, and it's pretty infrequent compared to previously, so I'm ok with that. I can say this - if the neck/head/arm pain relief had been the only relief I'd gained from the revision, I'd still have counted myself extremely lucky )

A rather long answer, and I'm not sure how well it addresses your question, but I'm working on the principle that there's enough detail for you to decide how well it fits :op Seriously though, I hope you can get some relief - headaches are not something I would wish on my worst enemy.

titch-- " The older I grow the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom. " - H. L. Mencken

[Guest guest]

Carol,

I started getting regular monthly headaches that coincide with my

cycle this fall. They were diagnosed by a nuerologist as hormonal

migraines and he prescribed Frova. The strange thing about them is

that I also have been experiencing arm and facial numbness/tingling

that worsened when the headaches started. The neurologist diagnosed

the arm numbness as brachial plexus injury, relaining to cervical

problems. (The cervical nerves keep firing, making my trap muscles

spasm, wheich in turn compress the brachial plexus.) I do nerve

glides recommended by a PT for this and it helps. I also saw a

myofacial dr, and he said the facial numbness was likely due to

muscle spasm in the neck area compressing on a different nerve that

ends in the back of the mouth. I read that inflamation of this nerve

can also cause headaches that present as hormonal headaches. (Back

to the neurologist.) So, nothing is as simple as it seems - although

maybe it is.

On thing that I have done to help with headaches and extremely tight

posterior neck muscles (which often cause headaches) is to buy an

occipital release pad. You can get them on the internet. I got

mine at sosheadache.com for $39. You lie on the pad face up for

about 5 minutes and ridges press into the back of your neck at the

crest of your head. The pressure makes the muscles release. On bad

neck days, it helps plenty.

If you are having chronic numbness, I recommend seeing a neurologist

to fing out exactly where the problem is. Let me know what you find

out.

>

> I forgot to mention in my previous post that I have been getting

more

> headaches the past few years. I don't know if my back has anything

to

> do with this or not. I am in those pre-menopausal/permenopausal

years,

> so the hormone thing could have something to do with it. Someone

here

> on this site recently mentioned that she had headaches for several

> years before she had her revision surgery. I'm sorry I don't

remember

> who you were but did the doctors attribute that to the back

problems??

> I also have pain and tenderness at T-1--right where my neck meets

my

> back and I get tingling and pain down my arms occasionally. I will

not

> let anyone fuse my neck--I'm sorry--but that will never happen.

>

> Carol (CA)

>