Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Aldeer General Forum Nerve problems in my neck

I eventually had to go under the knife for the same issues. Held off for as long as i could but got to the point where i wasnt sleeping and had numb fingers on both hands. Still deal with daily pain but no where remotely as bad as before. Switched from daily aleve to turmeric a couple years ago and it really seems to help. Worth a shot if you havent tried it.

Mine is C4 & C5. Originally injured my back jumping off the highest part of Chimney Rock at Lake Martin in high school. Fast forward about 20 years ago and injured my back again duck hunting. Dealt with the pain until disc finally ruptured. I have had broken bones, burns, severe cuts and all other manor of injury but this was the absolute worst pain I have experienced. Had surgery where they went in just below my neck on my back. The surgeon basically went into the spinal column, trimmed the disc and enlarged the exit holes for the nerves. Worked great. It still flairs up from time to time and I just deal with the pain until it naturally heals. I limit IBP and other drugs and let the body slowly work its magic. When I reinjure, its usually something simple like sleeping in wrong position or laying on the couch. Sleeping in hotel rooms with thin pillows is always a problem.

I have never had a block and have not considered having the fusion surgery but both are probably in my future at some point. I still hunt, work out, ride mountain bikes, hike, run a chainsaw, do tractor work and everything else I want to do, I'm just more deliberate in my movements and how I do things. When researching, I found out that long term use of Ibuprofen can slow/prevent the body's natural healing process which I why I try to limit it after the first day or so that I reinjure.

CAUTION - Doctors have a bad habit of throwing a bunch of painkillers at back problems. I know of people who have developed bad habits from getting addicted to these drugs.

That damn chimney rock got me back in 2010. Hurt for over a year but healed up.

As for pain meds and muscle relaxers, I stay away. Don’t like the way they make me feel. Fortunately I don’t have an addictive personality. No tobacco, no coffee, alcohol on the weekends mainly. But I can definitely see how something like this could turn a person to drugs and worse.

When I told my doc absolutely no opioid pain killers he looked at me like I was an alien. I think they got so many folks coming in looking for opioids that it throws them off guard when somebody says no opioids. Fortunately it got him to find me alternatives. I got a shot in the neck and learned a bunch of at home PT. Its helping for now but eventually the bone spurs will win and I'll have to get some kind of surgery.

Mine is C4-C5, the surgery they want to goes in thru the front of my neck very close to the larynx. Install screws and 2 plates, out of work for 3-6 weeks. The recovery time 6 months or more.

Decided to go option 2 with blocks, first one a little better but not good enough, so I scheduled another one 3 weeks later. Thankfully this one has been working well for the past 4 months.

I will manage as long as I can to stay out of surgery, the Doctors say it is a very challenging procedure with too many variables that don’t give the warm and fuzzies, hard pass!

My wife had to have the surgery. It got to the point that neck pain was bad and shots, medication and PT didn’t help. She felt immediate relief after surgery. PITA wearing neck brace for several months and lost some range of motion but pain is gone. She got lucky that the top orthopedic surgeon/neurosurgeon at UM did her surgery. If you do it pick the right surgeon.

I know a story from a member on here who shall remain nameless unless he decides to chime in. His father had the same surgery, the same one that I need and it sounds like you need to the same one too. But they go in from the front of the neck. They cut his father's larynx during the surgery and his father went through several years of being debilitated from it before passing away.

When I broke my neck in ‘09, the had to go in from the front and back. Wound up with a plate, 2 rods and 8 screws.

What you went through is something that is probably in textbooks today.

That's a normal sight in Seminole.

ACDF surgery will knock the pain out as soon as you wake from anesthesia. About 6-8 week recovery and it will be fixed. Epidural shots can work for extended periods but its not fixing the problem.

Hope You get some relief and get to feeling better soon!