disc patients - what do you know now that you wished you knew before you get hurt?

[beaujolais]

disc patients - what do you know now that you wished you knew before you get hurt?

For me, I never would have worked in a hospital doing heavy lifting (duh)!

I wish I knew more of the symptoms of early disc problems (little bit of a hum/buzzing feeling on occasion or an occasional thigh ping).

That glucosamine/chond. may be more important than perhaps realized. In an article I was reading the other day, a small animal vet was considering that even puppies should be started on it so they don’t end up as messed up older dogs.

What do you wish you knew or had done differently?

[equisusan]

As you know sonomacounty I have neck disc issues and will be having surgery this year. I wish doctors didn’t always assume symptoms are of a systemic illness. I’ve been misdiagnosed so many times. I wish I’d known about dermatomes. I wish somebody knowledgeable had shown me the problem areas on my MRI because seeing is believing.

I sometimes wish I had a lower pain threshold so I wouldn’t suffer for so long although maybe I never would have been a rider then. I don’t think I could have changed anything to avoid this. I have a long neck and I got rear ended by a car at 50mph. I work all day on a computer and I jump horses. Was destined for this.

[beaujolais]

So sorry, Sue! Those &%$#@!!! rear ended car crashes make lots of bad discs, unfortunately.

I started on a small dose of Cymbalta recently & doubled my glucosamine and it’s helping slightly. Maybe it’s the MSM in the gluc/chond/msm liquid?

I tell myself that if I need a surgery, lots of people have it and most have great outcomes & are very glad they did. I guess we don’t get through this life and get to keep our bodies intact, usually. It 's a hard one to cope with, for sure, still.

“I wish doctors didn’t always assume symptoms are of a systemic illness.”

Agreed. They wrote my shoulder & upper arm burning off to fibro but I had a spur & stenosis in my neck. I didn:t know enough back then to ask for an MRI. Fortunately, the neck/shoulders have quieted down.

I think they don’t order MRIs as they should because the thinking is that most everyone has disc issues. But, widespread or not, often it is the problem!!!

Funny thinking, eh?

[equisusan]

[QUOTE=sonomacounty;7491153]
So sorry, Sue! Those &%$#@!!! rear ended car crashes make lots of bad discs, unfortunately.

I started on a small dose of Cymbalta recently & doubled my glucosamine and it’s helping slightly. Maybe it’s the MSM in the gluc/chond/msm liquid?

I tell myself that if I need a surgery, lots of people have it and most have great outcomes & are very glad they did. I guess we don’t get through this life and get to keep our bodies intact, usually. It 's a hard one to cope with, for sure, still.

“I wish doctors didn’t always assume symptoms are of a systemic illness.”

Agreed. They wrote my shoulder & upper arm burning off to fibro but I had a spur & stenosis in my neck. I didn:t know enough back then to ask for an MRI. Fortunately, the neck/shoulders have quieted down.

I think they don’t order MRIs as they should because the thinking is that most everyone has disc issues. But, widespread or not, often it is the problem!!!

Funny thinking, eh?[/QUOTE]

I think that the biggest problem for me is that it effected both hands and arms so the docs ran down the rheumatoid arthritis road when I had no swelling whatsoever. It felt like severe carpal tunnel based on symptoms I read online but it was my neck. I really didn’t want surgery but then I sat with my orthopedic surgeon and he showed me my good discs and the two bad discs - one almost totally disintegrated as well as the lack of space for my nerves. As I looked at that it seemed clear for me that no supplements, or CESIs or RFA was going to fix that. It’s structural and it’s time. And yes most people about 75% report success with the outcome of the first surgery while others may need additional. And yes sometimes it destabilizes other discs further up or further down but I can’t work so I have to do it and deal with what comes if and when it comes. I’m actually excited to get on with it now but of course I get to move to a totally new city in the midst of all this. LOL