So I spent the day in the emergency room yesterday because I woke with really blurry vision and a lot of pain in my head, back & right arm. They treated the pain, but as soon as the meds wore off, it came roaring back. However, they did a ct scan and that came back normal (Yay!) and they were able to have my 2 mri's from Friday faxed over. Nothing has physically progressed in the last year, still have a 3mm herniation, but they found 2 herniated disks too. I have to say the ER PA was really trying to get me some help, but she basically said to go to another neurologist. I'm planning on having all this info sent to my PCM and still pushing for a NS. I may not be a surgical candidate, but I'd rather hear that from someone who really knows what they're talking about. I'm still losing feeling in my right arm and have constant tingling when there is feeling.
My denial is now over and it's time to move forward. For those of you who have been there done that, am I heading in the right direction?
So sorry you had to spend all day in the ER. That in itself is draining!!!
I 100% agree with you...have your PCM look at everything.then see if she can set up appt with NS...IMHO.you have a DX which is not a Dx a NL can handle.
I too, had bad disk along with 5mm Chiari...My NS and I decided to move forward ...fuse the disk which we knew for sure was bad.touching my spinal cord...wait 6 mths and see where my sx's were at that point.
That is what I did...waited the 6mths from fusion and went back to NS..we decided that the bum disk was not the cause of all my sx's....so we went forward to the decompression.
You said your herniation is 3mm...new research has shown that size does NOT matter....the symptoms do. Also, have you has a full spine MRI yet??? This is important to do to make sure you do not have a syrinx...(Fluid filled cyst on the spinal cord, many times caused by a Chiari Malformation),,if you haven't had this done..I would bring it up to your NS.
I hope today you are in less pain....try and rest....yeah, right , you must be saying!!! Easier said than done...I know!!
Thanks, Lori. We had my daughter's 5th bday party yesterday, so I'm just now catching up. Needless to say, I overdid it yesterday and am paying for it this morning, but hey, your baby only turns 5 once, right??
I'm picking up the films & reports from Friday's mri's this afternoon. One was brain, the other C-spine. I'm not sure how far down the C-spine mri goes, but that's the one that reported the disk problems. I've also decided to get the ER reports as well and will call my PCM today to request they move forward with making the NS appt.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate the support and experiences this board is offering. Makes me feel like I'm not crazy!!
Where are your herniated discs? I have to at C5-C6 and C6-C7. The NL I went to said nothing of CM but ordered the MRI which showed the CM. AS we have talked about before, during the wait to get to Hopkins, I went and saw a NS, told him the symptoms and then waited for the response. In the NS words, CM is not your problem, it is all in your discs. My wife and I told him that the symptoms don't match, went to other specialists (cardio, Gastro, pulmanary, etc). NS still refuses to believe. personally I think he is baiting for more $$$, cause he wants a follow up in 6 months and his office called earlier today to schedule. No thanks. Waiting to see what Hopkins has to say on Tuesday.
As for Meds PCP just put me on two new one that I think are making the symptoms worse. PCP says try em for a week if still bad stop taking them but all meds have side effects and people with CM react differently to all meds. No one stop med to fix it.