[Cynlite]

Well said Annapurna!

Phatbird, you can't give up and you have to try and stay positive in spite of the pain! I know how hard it is to do. BTW, there is a Facebook page "Cervical Disc Replacement Surgery" that is very active. You might find the people there will also help to give you the emotional support needed. None of us can go this alone. When I found these two communities, they really have helped me a lot in so many ways.

I have practiced many different things on myself to see if they made a difference in how I feel. I made drastic changes to my diet focusing on eliminating inflammatory foods. I don't drink caffeine. I only drink wine occasionally now because I've noticed that alcohol makes me feel worse. I juice with lots of ginger and turmeric. I started slicing ginger into my green tea. I stretch and try to move as much as I can. I can't exercise like I used to but, I know that movement is very important. Do what you can do so you don't lose it! I try to take drugs as little as possible because while they can help in the short term, there are always the side effects. I think that meditation and/or prayer are important because they help us to relieve our stress levels. Try to figure out what works for your body and control what you can control.

This year, I started seeing an Endocrinologist. Using some bioidentical hormone creams have helped me to have more energy. Low testosterone = higher pain. It's good to have your hormone levels checked regularly to make sure they haven't gotten screwed up by the narcotics and other drugs. Having your hormones messed up can be pretty awful just by itself.

Have you ever been tested for interstitial cystitis? It can create severe pelvic pain.

Also, I take what the surgeons say with a grain of salt. They do not know everything and some are just wrong. I believe that what they don't know about the spine is a lot more than what they do know about the spine. I've read many miraculous stories on this board. The surgeons really can't speak about the atypical symptoms or referred pain because each person is so unique. They tend to focus on typical symptoms that affect the majority. I believe they do the best they can with what they know. I just keep searching for the very best doctors to add to my team. Little by little things improve. Just keep seeing all the various specialists so you can rule out what you don't have. It helps to figure out what you do have going wrong with your body. Good luck to you!