Hi Everyone I'm new here

smol
smol Member Posts: 43
edited 5. Feb 2012, 12:44 in Say Hello Archive
Hi Everyone
I was diagnosed a year ago with 3 prolapsed discs in my neck along with early OA. I've had problems with my neck ever since I had a stupid accident 12 or so years ago (headed what I thought was a HUGE air filled ball, it wasn't!) I have spent a small fortune on osteopaths, physiotherapy and chiropractors over the years and nothing has ever helped.
18 months ago I began to experience tingling in my arm and fingers and numb patches on my index finger and thumb. Saw a GP had an MRI and the it was all revealed. I've since found out that I have another condition which predisposes me to injuries that dont heal well and OA it's called Hypermobility Syndrome and explains other weird goings on like Raynauds syndrome and IBS among other things.
After my DX my symptoms settled down some and the feeling came back in my finger and thumb and I thought everything was going OK, then in Sept 2011 my symptoms began to return (I think the disc slipped further or another has joined the party :? ) worse than before, now I have nerve pain running down both arms, I wake often in the night to find my little finger and inside of the ring finger and side of my hand are numb and very tingly. Now I take so many pain meds (dont know if I'm allowed to mention what or how much here) I rattle. My big prob is I'm having to take diazepam daily to stop the very painful permanent spasms in my neck and buttock. I'm having an Sacro Iliac joint and facet joint injections this month, but the pain dr has booked me in for a nerve block on C6/C7 (i think) too, hopefully will be having all 3 done at the same time. I know what to expect for my lower back injections, but have no idea what a nerve block will be like. has anyone else had this done? is it effective/worth having.
I try to eat a well balanced diet, I move around as much as possible (when I can) I take glucosamine supplements and do my physio/pilates exercises daily, but nothing seems to help past a certain point.

I'm glad to be here and meet people like myself or suffering similar problems.

Sarah
Sarah

‎"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."- Edward Everett Hale

Comments

  • prefabkid47
    prefabkid47 Member Posts: 1,316
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Sarah
    Welcome to the forum,as we always say it's a shame you had to find us.Now you have you will find us a caring and supportive crowd,after all we have so much in common.
    Sorry you have the problems you have but feel free to post any aspect of these on the LWA (where most members hang out),there will always someone there to listen.
    We have a great wealth of knowledge gained from personal experiences and if we don't always know the answer we will point you in the right direction.
    If you ever feel you want a bit of light relief there is always the Chit Chat forum.
    Ron
    ''Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy''. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,332
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Sarah

    lovely to meet you :)

    I have sero-neg RA as well as some osteo (I presume!) in my back and cervical sponylosis in my neck. So l am very familiar with what you describe :(

    I have had surgery on my back, which helped a lot having totally lost the feeling in one leg at the time and also lost sensation in my shouder chest when my neck 'goes'. One or two on here have had neck surgery - two this last year gone.

    I have not tried jabs into any of these areas, but there is a lass on here who has regular jabs in her neck area, my ex MIL has had the nerve blocks in her back many times and swears by them.

    Anyway lovely to meet you and hope to see you posting on other forums soon.

    Love

    Toni xxx
  • smol
    smol Member Posts: 43
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hiya
    Thanks for the lovely warm welcome. I'm really pleased to meet you.
    Hope this cold snap isn't hurting you as much as it is me. I can't seem to get warm at the moment. Glad I'm off work at the moment
    Sarah

    ‎"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."- Edward Everett Hale
  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,332
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Come on in then Sarah and join in one of the other forums....maybe LWA???

    By the way you can tell us what meds you are on that's fine. :)

    Love

    Toni xxx
  • smol
    smol Member Posts: 43
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Ok are you ready for it?
    Tramadol SR 100mg x2 per day (lowered, used to have max)
    Naproxen 250mg x 2
    pregabalin 75mg x 2
    Diazepam 5mg @night
    amitriptyline 10/20mg @night
    the odd paracetamol as and when

    This is the best combo I've had so far, I think the diazepam is doing a great job of stopping the spasms that pull my joints out of place. Until this year I only took them when the spasms were so bad I couldn't move, now I can move more freely again.

    Been reading some of the posts relating to work issues as I've been having real trouble with work and capability issues. (long story so I wont bore you with it lol)
    I don't know what help or advice I could give in LWA, but I will certainly join in when I have something to offer or questions for you all.
    Sarah

    ‎"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."- Edward Everett Hale
  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,332
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    That's a fair quantity!!

    l took tramadol before and after surgery on my back, but not recently - and teh diazepam and yes they really really helped!

    Am on hydroxychloroquinine 2xs daily

    bu-trans patches (for pain)

    arcoxia 90mg

    amitriptyline 25mg

    colchicine at least 2xs daily

    omeprazole and co-codamols as and when :)

    Hope you will feel you can join in somewhere. even if you think you have nothing to add, often a supportive word helps.

    Love

    Toni xxx
  • suzygirl
    suzygirl Member Posts: 2,005
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Sarah and welcome to the forum.

    I have cervical spondylosis and severe degenerative disk disease, c3- c4 and L5 - S1. I chickened out of a referral to an orthapeadic surgeon. But am experiencing real problems at the moment, and am going to have to go back to the gp. I have right sided weakness, sciatica and numb fingers, due to this. I take tramadol, MST (slow release morphine), and Robaxin for the muscle spasms, although today I have taken diazepam and dont feel so drugged up as I do on the robaxin.

    I also have lupus, sjorgens, APS and inflammatory arthritis, so take a cocktail of meds for those as well.

    I reckon I have further damaged the neck going to the hairdressers, it is so painful.

    I have a friend who has the injections on her back and she is down for a nerve block. She says they really help. I hope yours help you, I willl be intereseted to know how you get on.

    I didnt mean to go on about myself, just wanted you to know I understand the pain and how bad it can be. I love my hot water bottle on my neck, and I also put a cool forehead headache patch on the forehead to help relax the muscles.

    Take care