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arteries in neck [2008-01-13]
The arteries from my skull to the base of my neck feel swollen and will not relax, pulling on my entire right arm. I need an MRA but convincing these doctors is another story. There is something really wrong. If I have a torn artery that is very serious. My MRI showed a C5-6 foraminal stenosis.
neck jerking [2007-12-02]
Well I had a fall down some stairs last Sunday, went to ER to get another CT scan, showed no herniation but now my neck is in worse spasm that I cannot get rid of with valium or flexeril. Going to pain doc tomorrow. Don't think my insurance covers Botox. My arms hurt too. Do you think I can trust that CT that I don't have a herniation? Very scared.
I have FM [2008-10-18]
I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia (FM) about 5 years ago. I never want to do anything. I work at home. I don Sometimes I even send my teenage son to get groceries because I just don Most days I spend in my pajamas watching TV and napping. On my 2 days off from work a week - I spend at least 1 whole day sleeping just to get ready for the next week.
As far as the pain goes - I I also take Vicodin 4-6 times a day. My pain is: Right side of head. Right jaw. Right neck. Right clavicular area. Right shoulder blade. Right lower rib cage. Right pelvis. Right buttock.
99% of the time my pain is only on the right side, but, every once in a while, it goes to the left, and then thepain seems even more severe because I'm not used to it.
I can Everyone I just hope you can find a good doctor who knows what he is doing....it For me, it took about 6 months.
rhizotomy [2008-08-17]
I am so sorry you went through so much. I hope you are doing a lot better. They cannot do ESI's on me as I have had a laminectomy and they are afraid the needle will hit something. Now I also have a questionable sacral spinal cyst. I am praying this was misdiagnosed. My legs hurt terribly as do my low back. I get no pain relief from anything and have constant muscles spasms in my head and neck on top of this lumbar spine condition. Am getting another MRI this week to see if that cyst is there.
Crippling RA [2008-08-16]
Hi there,
I just found this board. I know there was one a few years ago but happy to see that it is back.
I have crippling RA and secondary conditions... active, reacitve, daily pain, all of the above. Many deformities which started in about the 8th year of the disease. It is now my 13th year.
I finally scheduled an appt for disability on Monday coming. I just did not want to give in but I am not able to keep a job. I am on medical leave from one inhouse joband work at home part-time on another, just wondering when will they tell me I am too unpredictable and cancel the contract.I really hope that doesn I just went through that with the last job. I have been hospitalized 6 times this year. Both hands are crippled with z-deformities, boutonnere I just type around it but obviously much slower thanI need to be for this job and definitely slower than the employer would like me to be. I made the mistake of thinking since this adesk job, then a disabled person should be able to do it.
If anyone else is going through the things I have mentioned above, please feel free to talk to me about any of it. I would love to hear from you and just hope we can support each other and/or come up with ways to still stay employed. blessings to all going through the variouspainful conditions.
MT in GA
RA 13 years andsecondary conditions withsicca symptoms, bone on bone hips, etc.
I hope you have better luck than I did. sm [2008-08-13]
I had 3 ESIs and 3 facet injections. None worked one iota. I worked at the hosp. so the pain doc was nice and did the 3rd facet.
The next thing was a foraminotomy, which barely touched my 90YO neck at age 35.
The neurosurgeon required a myelogram. Having typed them, it didn't dawn on me how big a mistake I'd made until I got a dural tear from one of my beloved Radiologists. He was just sick about it, as were the others in the group, as they said it happens about once a year. I ended up with chemical meningitis, which required three blood patches! It was awful!
A year later I had a fusion and my vocal cord was paralyzed! 2 Medrol Dosepaks did nothing. About 2-3 years later my voice returned to normal. It sounded like I'd been inhaling helium.
The good side of this is that this is all in the past tense. I still get the paresthesias in one arm, but compared to what I once had that seems like nothing.
Either way, there's no perfect answer. I hope your situation works out well.
I don't have MS, but I wanted. . sm [2008-04-23]
to say how sorry I am for what you must be going through! I don't have MS, but I have chronic fatigue and/or FM. I have been taking Provigil, and it has changed my life. It gives me the energy I need just to get through the day. It is very expensive though. This year our insurance will cover half of it (Thank goodness!).
I don't know of any chair that helps with nerve or muscle pain. I just make sure that my work area is set up so that I don't have to do long reaching (i.e. for heavy books)and I take breaks when I can and stretch. I have my monitor set up on about 4 books so that it is right in front of my face so that I don't have to bend my neck at all to look at the monitor.
Have you ever read the Spoons Theory? If you haven't read it, it is very interesting! I don't know how to make a link, but if you just Google it, it is easy to find.
Good luck to you and your kids!
ESIs [2008-01-23]
Thanks for the info. Will keep you posted. They are now checking me for a brain tumor/inflamed neck arteries.
neurosurgeon visit [2008-01-17]
Well, once again thisneurosurgeon saidmy MRI looks fine andI am not a surgical candidate. He is sending me to a new pain clinic. I have never had a cervical ESI so am very nervous. They will inject my previous scar at C5-6 or lower. OUCH. I am also seeing the neurologist Monday. I want an MRA of my neck vessels and an MRI of my brain. I feel like the nerves in my neck are torn or something. Just horrible pain. They all love Lyrica, but no thanks. I read it decreases the platelet count, not good.It costs a lot too, $50 copay and affects everyone differently. I am very sensitive to meds-wish I weren't. I would love to get rid of this 24/7 headache though, cannot take it much longer.
arteries in neck [2008-01-13]
The arteries from my skull to the base of my neck feel swollen and will not relax, pulling on my entire right arm. I need an MRA but convincing these doctors is another story. There is something really wrong. If I have a torn artery that is very serious. My MRI showed a C5-6 foraminal stenosis.
neck jerking [2007-12-02]
Well I had a fall down some stairs last Sunday, went to ER to get another CT scan, showed no herniation but now my neck is in worse spasm that I cannot get rid of with valium or flexeril. Going to pain doc tomorrow. Don't think my insurance covers Botox. My arms hurt too. Do you think I can trust that CT that I don't have a herniation? Very scared.
head pain and pain clinic [2007-10-27]
Geez, the doctor gave me methadone. I am terrified of taking this. I revisited another surgeon who is going to repeat a CAT scan of my neck and a SPECT scan to see if anything lights up. He feels I could have fibro as it develops after trauma especially after some surgeries. At least he listened. He wasn't too keen on the methadone, thought I should stick with other pain meds. I am so sick of meds that don't work or make me sick. I am extremely chemically sensitive. I also have a red rash on my occiput where the pain is. I hope my brains aren't trying to push out. Geez. I have just about had it. A naturopath here wants me to try her cold laser therapy on my skull but don't know much about it and don't have the money to try it out. Anyway, I'm still at square one. I am sure this is all fibro as I have the trigger points according to the chart - have 14 out of 16. I also have very big knuckles, another sign of fibro as the calcium collects there. Well, good luck to all.
Head pain [2007-10-20]
I have not found anything that helps yet. Take valium and pain pills, cannot take Neurontin. I think it is either fibromyalgia or occipital neuralgia or both. I can hardly function too, cannot drive far because of the dizziness. My last MRI of my neck showed DDD and bone spurs. Nortriptyline at night helped but caused me heart palpitations. More magnesium helps.
Head and rib pain [2007-10-20]
Hi,
Well my neurologist has dumped me-cannot find anything else to give me. I am so depressed. My ribs hurt too. I think it is all muscle related fibro pain. I had 1 hour of massage and also an hour of accupuncture with no relief. My sternocleidomastoid muscles feel like they are tearing behind my ears, cannot wear my glasses any more. I feel like I am about ready to have a heart attack from the muscle spasms over the ribs. I am going to increase my magnesium intake and see if that helps. My latest MRI of my neck does not look good either although the neuro says it is normal. The doctorsall make me sick. I had a posterior cervical laminectomy in 2002 for spinal stenosis, then the C2 nerve ablation in 2004 for the headaches. Now I have unbearable head pain. Wish I could go to the Bonati Laser Spine Clinic in Florida. I think they could help me. I am worried I have arachnoiditis. Dona friend with occipital neuralgia and trigeminal neuralgia that takes Avinza and Neurontin and got relief of her pain but I cannot take Neurontin. I do not know the answer any more.
Exedrin Migraine [2007-10-15]
No but might give it a try. Thanks. Feel like the arteries and muscles are pushing out of my occiput 24/7
severe head pain with fibro [2007-09-10]
OUCH, my head is killing me, like giant snakes trying to push out of my skull. The rheumatologist gave me Lyrica. Has anyone taken this? No one can figure out what is wrong with me. Have had C3-6 laminectomy (2002) and C2 nerve root ablation (2004). One doc says fibro, the other occipital neuralgia and the other degenerative disk disease and straight neck. I am about ready for the ER. Also having eczema on face. Just shoot me please!
RA [2007-09-04]
I got hurt on the police dept years ago and had a disk fusion in my neck. Well that went into chronic pain and fibromyalgia. Went to the PCP one day cause I couldnhot joints which I have never had and he said if I notice any hot joints to come in ASAP and they will start treatment. Been 2 yrs and nothing. Have arthritis throughout my spine but apparently not RA. I live on as low a dose of Percocet and Valium as possible just enough to take the edge off. Good luck. May be your thyroid as well. I have thyroid probs also. I transcribed a rheumatology that said people with thyroid problems and chronic pain should try T3 replacement along with the levothyroxine sometimes it helps. I have an appt Thursday and will ask him about that. See this job is good for something!!!! Good luck RA treatments are not fun I have a friend that has it and bless her heart she is only 21. At least I am in my mid 40s can't imagine dealing with that at such a young age.
Cipro-low thyroid [2007-06-03]
Gee, I wish I could sue the makers of these poisons. Now I have low thyroid which of course makes my muscles hurt worse. My skull is so tight I am about ready to pass out. Do your wrists and ankles hurt from your fibro? I am taking fish oil and guess I will try the nortriptyline. Need another MRI of my neck. I heard to avoid potatoes and night shade veges too. Gosh too much to do! I am going to order Super Green Foods to help and also change my vitamins. Was drinking a soy protein and that is making it worse. Am switching to GNC liquid vitamins and they also have liquid calcium and magnesium. Just shoot me!
I had the pins-and-needles sensation [2007-06-02]
going down my arm. It was from muscle knots in my neck, shoulders, and under my shoulder blades. Have you ever had a massage and other treatments from a physical therapist? The tension in our minds gets into our muscles, and those muscles really punish us. It is helpful to have some strong hands get into those knots and tell them Hello - do you feel how knotted you are? Untie, darn it! When the therapist pushes on a knot, it sort of hurts so good, and endorphins are released and finally you can isolate that particular area and leg it relax. Normal blood flow returns, pressure comes off nerves, and what do you know - comfort returns where there was clamped-in pain.
One way to test this is to reach up feel your jaw muscles. Most people who are holding stress in muscles are doing it in their jaw. Is the muscle tight at knotted? Massage both sides, trying to let go of the tension. Then do a stretching exercise there - I open my mouth as far as I can and at the same time pull my mouth skin inward. It stretches all sorts of muscles. Also gently move your jaw side to side and let it loosen up.
What did the doctor think? [2007-05-08]
I just had weird body aches for about a week (I don't have fibro, but would have pain if I didn't take Effexor). But even on Effexor I was having neck, shoulder, elbow, even wrist pain in my left arm. Weirdly it stopped after starting zinc and magnesia for the skin staph infection I've been battling for weeks. Keflex nearly knocked it out once, but it was coming back. The only other thing I did was take 1 dose of Vicodin, which I never take. The next morning the pain was gone AND all the spots on my arm looked much better.
correction [2007-04-26]
Sorry, I am 5 feet 5 inches and weigh 103 pounds, way too skinny. Got this way from my 2 neck surgeries and now gastritis/diverticulitis. I look and feel like a 90 year old woman.
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