Big Scare

I woke up New Year’s day 2024 with pain in the right rhomboid muscle area of my back, a pain with which I was all too familiar. This was the exact pain I had experienced in early 2023, that ultimately led to an anterior disc fusion of C-4 and C-5. In a repeat of what happened back then, the pain progressed to my right armpit, where the brachial nerve bundle traverses to the arm, and subsequently to my forearm, wrist, and fingers. The only difference now was the speed of progression. My diagnosis in 2023 included the presence of stenosis at every neck vertebrae, so I immediately feared the worst and was suddenly dreading the likelihood of another neck surgery.

This began a four month process to get the medical attention needed to validate the problem and determine what needed to be done before we returned to our travels in May. First, I contacted my PCP (Primary Care Physician) in Dallas, since she had made my referral for the same pain back in 2023. Unfortunately, because of insurance and business policies, she wouldn’t provide a referral without physically examining me, and a trip from Washington to Texas for a 30 minute exam definitely wasn’t in the cards. Second, I contacted the Neurology Clinic of the Swedish Hospital system, Issaquah, WA Campus. Clinic surgeons wouldn’t see me without a more current MRI, so I ultimately made a “self referral,” had another neck MRI, and subsequently saw two orthopedic surgeons. They confirmed the 2023 stenosis diagnosis and the efficacy of the 2023 surgery, but needed me to get a neck mylogram (MRI with contrast) before they’d proceed. We travelled to their Seattle Campus for this procedure, one I would not recommend if at all avoidable, frankly. This kicked my butt for about four days.

While the medical process unfolded, I didn’t stop exercising. I modified my daily gym and periodic hiking routines to compensate for but not aggravate the pain. In hindsight, this was probably the wisest action I took. I managed the pain with a Tylenol and Ibuprofen cocktail until ultimately getting a perscription for Gabapentin from MFI’s Issaquah PCP. I took Gabapentin prior to the 2023 surgery, and knew this would do the trick in relieving nerve pain without risk of side effects. One of the Ortho Docs recommended I consider purchasing a neck traction device. We did, and while I initially didn’t particularly care for it or believe it would help, I soon committed to using it twice a day. A traction session only takes about 3 minutes, and the result was considerable relief from a chronic stiff neck.

My follow-up with the Orthopedic Surgeon was in April 2024, and by this time I was actually experiencing much less pain. He provided a thorough diagnosis, said he saw no need for surgery, and suggested I periodically get a new MRI and related evaluation just to stay on top of any potential changes. They identified a weird offset between C-3 and C-4, clearly visible in the left picture below, but most importantly, the facets at C-4 and C-5 were open and not impinging on nerves.

My relief upon hearing I didn’t need surgery was substantial. I was scared and had been enduring a mild level of depressive worry over the prospects of another neck surgery and associated recovery. By the time we departed for Alaska, I was still getting a stiff neck depending on my daily level of physical activity. But I’ll take an acute stiff neck over chronic shoulder-arm-finger nerve pain, numbness, and tingling any day.

Healthy and Happy Camper Again, Phew!

Male member of the BunMack team. Happy to be Ms Fix It's lovely assistant on past and future projects. Maybe I'll learn some skills along the way. 69 years old when this adventure began, with expectations to help family and friends with their projects, see great sights along the way, and enjoy our life together.

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