Basically as it states in my sig, one day in 2009 i woke up and could not get out of bed...my neck felt "broken."
Eventually (a few days later) I dragged myself to a local emergency care center, they did X-rays, and gave me Percocets, tramadols, and muscle relaxers for about 2 months (x-rays appeared clear). Drugs worked to a point, but eventually a Chiropractor i know sat me down on a chair one day and just pressed on my head/shoulder a little...and the pain went away for over a month.
He kept doing things like that every so often when i would see him, but then at the end of last year (2010) even after putting me on a table, it was hurting more, not less...so he recommended going back to a doctor for new x-rays/MRI.
That led to a Neurologist visit, and days after the MRI (it took awhile to find a machine i fit into...i am a big guy
), the surgeon wanted to meet, he wanted to do fusion the next week...after i got home and did some reading i realize that at my age (oh right, forgot to mention, i am 31) that would likely mean more by the time i hit 55/60 and the associated loss of range of motion/ability are a future i refuse to accept.
So here i am trying to learn more about ADR and the options available...and i get the feeling that i need to make a decision sooner rather than later from how the neurologist and initial surgeon reacted to my MRI.
My current drug level is : Gabapentin 3 times a day at 1200mg/900mg/1200mg; Percocet 2 every 6 hours for pain.
Oh, in case you wonder how this may have been caused...your guess is as good as mine, from what i can assume it either occurred in 98 when i totaled my car, or when i was rear ended (more than once in the last 10 years, although all prior to '06...so if it happened then it waited awhile before causing me pain/trouble)