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Words I did not want to hear (back blogging)
People have been asking, so here's a fast update.
My preliminary diagnosis is "advanced degenerative disc disease throughout the cervical spine."
The first thing that happens is we move from preliminary to final diagnosis. This will involve at least an MRI, a consultation with a neurosurgeon, and a PT eval. Those are scheduled and once all the data are in we'll arrive at a final diagnosis and treatment plan.
Right now the drugs are taking the top edge off things. My baseline pain level is about a 4 with mornings being particularly bad. I rarely get spikes into the 7-8 range now but it's frequently 5 or 6 and I have mobility and functional impairment of the right arm.
The Ortho thinks that there may be problems unrelated to the spinal disease that have been set off by it - colloquially I have "golfer's elbow" - and we're going with new meds (steroidal anti-inflammatories in place of NSAIDS), some new stretches, and instructions to do peripheral ice. With luck that gets the arm more functional.
I'll update again in a couple weeks when I know more. Meanwhile I'm sort of off heavy lifting with the right hand, and am experimenting with different things I can do at bedtime to improve my sleep.
My preliminary diagnosis is "advanced degenerative disc disease throughout the cervical spine."
The first thing that happens is we move from preliminary to final diagnosis. This will involve at least an MRI, a consultation with a neurosurgeon, and a PT eval. Those are scheduled and once all the data are in we'll arrive at a final diagnosis and treatment plan.
Right now the drugs are taking the top edge off things. My baseline pain level is about a 4 with mornings being particularly bad. I rarely get spikes into the 7-8 range now but it's frequently 5 or 6 and I have mobility and functional impairment of the right arm.
The Ortho thinks that there may be problems unrelated to the spinal disease that have been set off by it - colloquially I have "golfer's elbow" - and we're going with new meds (steroidal anti-inflammatories in place of NSAIDS), some new stretches, and instructions to do peripheral ice. With luck that gets the arm more functional.
I'll update again in a couple weeks when I know more. Meanwhile I'm sort of off heavy lifting with the right hand, and am experimenting with different things I can do at bedtime to improve my sleep.