My Neck

[SLEDGE]

I finally got the MRI that the specialist wanted and it's bad.

The structure of my neck is really screwed up. Bulging, collapsing, slipped and slid, arthritis and curving the wrong way.

The effects on my body and daily life from the pinched nerves is getting pretty severe.

Do you think this is serious?

Should I let the VA go in?

How about a D.N.R.?

Could this be connected to my lower back which I injured while in the service?

Any comments?

sledge

[SLEDGE]

OOOOPS,

Severe and Obliterated!

Complete Blockage and Death at any time.

Surgery ASAP.

The doctor said I was not gonna believe how bad the MRI showed my neck to be.

Wrong doc, I believe it.

The cord is compressed down to about one sixth it's normal size and shaped like a thin crescent.

I should be dead.

If ya look at the middle 5 spaces without looking at the top and bottom you can't tell it's a neck.

The operation will fuse 6 together and brace the whole pakage with metal.

The doctor who examined me today had 'exactly' the same condition repaired last year in his own neck.

After the fix healed he can still move his head, that's good I think.

He said mine is worse than his was and he could not walk anymore before the operation.

I'm still walking, I fall over to the left alot though, stingers down both arms when I clear my throat or cough.

My heart stops when I look up.

Nothing in my body actually works right anymore and the doctor says that's what a bad neck will do to you.

Get this, I'm at least 20 years older than the doctor and he says I'm too young to have this condition, this bad.

And he had his fixed last year??

The incision, or scar, looks a lot smaller than I thought it would too. (In the side of the front of his neck, no less).

I thought this kinda thing had to be done through an opening that looks like a split lobster tail?

Right now it looks like the Little Rock, Ark. VAMC will get the job.

The outfit that refused to x-ray my bum knee for the VA orthopedic specialist.

sledge

Edited March 16, 2006 by SLEDGE

[david walker]

I am so very sorry you have to go through this, please get some help quickly. May God bless and be with you.

[Guest jstacy]

That procedure is called anterrior cervical diskectomy. They make a small incision in the neck and go in from the front. Then they may take a Bone graft from your hip or use a donor bone from a cadiver to place between the vertabrate. In your case it looks like several areas need to be repaired. Some people say that the Hip site pain is bad, I went with the bone doner when I had my surgery performed.

But you need to have it done asap.

Good Luck, We will be praying for you.

[david walker]

Jstacy

He really does need to act fast. I went with donor bone too. Everyone said using hip bone caused a lot of problems. Since then I have found out if you use your on bone the fusion heals alot faster. Also if you smoke the donor bone will not fuse well. My screw broke in my fusion no one can tell me why, could it have bee a defective screw or the doc who placed the screw tighten it to tight? I'm betting on the doc. Anyway I hope Sledge gets the help he need real soon. I can't beleive the VA doesn't have him on constant supervision.

[john999]

Sledge

Go to the best neurosergeon in your area and get this done. You have medicare. I would not trust this to some VA doctor who will be using you as a teaching tool.

[SLEDGE]

Comrades,

Thanks you for all of the exellent comments.

I'm in the middle of buying a house that is much more handicapped accessable, money is real tight.

I'm going to let the VA do this.

My VA dude says the college and the VAMC had some kind of falling out and the students do not participate in this stuff anymore.

This procedure will involve 6 different grafts so I'll let the surgeon decide where to get his grafts.

I'm a smoker since Nam.

I want to get this done yesterday.

Considering the physical problems that this procedure could help I can't wait to be different.

I'm now doing the spinal stretching but, I think it could be to little, to late.

What's the recovery time and recovery process like for this kinda thing?

My wife is getting nervous and I'm curious.

sledge