[mosullivan86]

Hi Guys,

I have been lurking here for a while, and am finally introducing myself. I am 30 years old, and work as a pediatric intensive care RN. I love my job, but it is certainly not easy on the body.

since Nov. 2014 I have had mild symptoms associated with my C5-C6 herniation (mainly intermittent numbness in arms along the c5-c6 dermatome) Summer of 2016 my symptoms progressed to my legs (More numbness and tingling-intermittent) and I started to get pain in my shoulder and arms.

I have seen 2 neurosurgeons, 1 at Stanford recommended a Fusion but I should wait until "I cant walk" and one in Sacramento who said to do a Mobi-C Disc replacement, but had not done enough that I felt comfortable with him performing my surgery.

I am off to see Dr. Blumenthal on Wednesday at Texas Back Institute for a consult. I am extremely nervous as I keep doubting myself on the good days as to whether I need surgery or not. I have pain and numbness and tingling daily at about a steady pain level of 3-4. I function on that, with no meds. When I get a flare, my pain rises to a 6-7, and I am scared of how much worse it can get.

Being young I am scared about the life of the device and worse pain after, but I am also scared of the progression of the myelopathy that will more than likely occur.

I think Dr. Blumenthal will be my best bet at a normal (ish) life, and absolutely believe the surgeon's skill is a big factor in recovering from these surgeries.



Thanks for sharing your stories, and I am thankful to this site for support.