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  #1  
Old 12-23-2010, 10:08 PM
F350Lawman F350Lawman is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 22
Default Hello...

Hi,

I am a 44 year old retired NYPD Sergeant and ford F350 owner/member of their web forum... thus the silly screen name . First of all I read many posts and my heart goes out to those of you who have suffered for years with such conditions. This is my first experience with neck/back issues and it was an eye-opener. I have always been great with pain, to the point were doctors refused to believe I had serious injuries until, test/X-ray etc. came back...but this was the worst. Not that the pain was the worst, just the constance of the pain and "weird" feeling of having central nervous system disruptions. My entire body was screwed up, loss of control of movement, spasms, tingling, no sleep, the drugged out feeling...it sucked to put it bluntly. I was praying to feel the relative comfort of a broken bone!

Anyway, I came to this site in November, a week after being diagnosed with C5/6 herniation causing numbness in my right hand and severe cord impingement along with C6-7 disc protrusion. Probably started happening about 17 years ago in a bad car wreck, but I ignored all symptoms and continued playing a ton of high impact sports. Even flag football league until 2 years ago..thought I was gonna pull a Brett Favre and unretire this spring, until this happened . Also played 8-10 hours racquetball weekly plus monthly weekend competitions.

Anyhow for years I just thought those pains in the middle of my back were spasms and shrugged it off. As far as the recent issue, I played pain free in a tournament all weekend and woke up very much in pain on Monday, and had numbness by Tuesday. I sought out a spine doc and then a second Doc. After X-rays/MRI/EMG they both agreed on a wait and see approach and then fusion if no progress (that was the beginning of November).

Now it is 7 weeks later and pain not really the issue at all, but numbness in right thumb and no nerve signal or control of the right supraspinatis and infraspinatis is causing wasting of muscle. EMG Doc, says this is chronic...guess I never realized it??? Also have nerve disruption on the left side but to a lesser extent. EMG says nerve problems at both disc levels.

I have continued doing my research and have gotten a plan of a 2 level ADR with Prodisc - C Nova at C67 and C56 from Dr. Bertagloni in Germany. I also have an appointment with Dr. Bitan in NYC in early January. I like the concept of ADR and getting prepared to make final choice if that is the way it goes. Really I am open to any solution, ADR, Hybrid or even something "minimally invasive (I doubt it), waiting a little longer, etc. My issue seems to be a little unique....I have little pain, and I am very functional but my nerves are really screwed up. Reflexes very exaggerated on left side of body and zero reflexes in right arm, along with loss of feeling and the muscle control I mentioned before. With all that said, I really dont feel bad... however I won't stand-by while muscles essentially die and wait for the other shoe to drop. Weird thing is though, I could sprint into the hospital if need be...makes opting for surgery a bit of an exercise in will power and faith :0)

As I side note, as luck would have it 3 weeks before my diagnosis, my business partner (retired NYS Trooper) backed out of a 2 level cervical fusion a few days before the surgery. He is also thinking about ADR...you can't make this stuff up.

Thanks for such a great site, and enjoy the Holidays!

Scott

Last edited by F350Lawman; 12-24-2010 at 12:03 AM.
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  #2  
Old 12-24-2010, 10:30 AM
jss's Avatar
jss jss is offline
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Scott,

Condolences on your condition, and I'm glad that you're not in a lot of pain right now; Welcome.

I have read a great many good things about Dr Bertagnoli, and have never read an unkind word about Dr Bitan; so I think that you'll be in good hands either way. I believe that Dr Bitan has a habit of prescribing hybrids in multilevel cases like yours. Please let us know what recommendation he gives you.

I'm glad that you're not minimizing the fact that you're not in a lot of pain. The longer our spinal cord and/or root nerves are compressed, the more likely it is that long term or even permanent nerve damage can result. I am 13 months post double cervical ADR and my left hand is still numb. Fortunately I don't have any residual atrophy.

Please keep us posted on your progress.

Good luck, Jeff
__________________
C4/5 - ACDF in 2000
C5/6 - ACDF in 2002
C3/4 & C6/7 - M6 ADR, Nov 2009, Barcelona
Conceded defeat to a manifestly disingenuous BCBS-TX in my quest for reimbursement, Jan 2011
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  #3  
Old 12-25-2010, 01:20 AM
F350Lawman F350Lawman is offline
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Yes, the symptoms are very tolerable, yet very disturbing, if that makes sense. The "it's just not right" feeling is pretty constant. Just when I think "hey this isn't so bad", I cough or sneeze and a pain shoots down my right shoulder into the arm. Seems like any little extra pressure causes the nerve to be pinched worse.
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  #4  
Old 12-26-2010, 01:38 PM
Jarrod Jarrod is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2010
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Lawman,

I had almost the exact same symptoms, severe pain after a weightlifting accident. It subsided and I was left with tingling/numbness and dexterity problems with my left hand. Soon after atrophy of my left forearm started taking place.
I am currently 17 days post op from a 3 level cervical ADR. I still have some numbness in my hand and arm, but it comes and goes and I have weird electrical pulses that shoot down my arm and into my hand, (not painful) think its the nerve trying to heal or fix itself. I feel my decision was a good one so far, and I can related to sneezing and coughing aggravating the the tingling and numbness in your arm, I had the same thing. Now when I sneeze nothing and when I cough very little, so I def am getting better.
Ive read that it can take 6-8 months for nerves to recover and I cant wait to get back to my active lifestyle. The Dr.'s you are considering are superb and you can read many success stories on the forum about them. Good luck and please keep us posted.

Sincerly Jarrod
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  #5  
Old 01-03-2011, 10:49 PM
F350Lawman F350Lawman is offline
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How are you making out...still improving I hope.
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  #6  
Old 01-05-2011, 08:39 PM
Jarrod Jarrod is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2010
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Lawman,
I am exactly one month post op today and feeling pretty darn good. Tingling and numbness are fading week by week and I can say that my surgery was a success so far. Dont want to jinx myself, haha, knock on wood.

Jarrod
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  #7  
Old 01-05-2011, 09:49 PM
wadelee wadelee is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 4
Default check out this site

Hi, I read your posts and hope you feel better. I'm faced with similiar problems, but not as bad as yours.

Anyway, I don't know if it's "PC" bring up this link on this support site, but I think it's good to know everything before making a decision. Hope I'm not doing anything that I shouldn't on this site, but...

www.anastasia-scott.com/
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  #8  
Old 01-05-2011, 11:52 PM
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jss jss is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,411
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wadlee,

I went to your link; and what a TERRIBLE story!

Please tell me, maybe ya'll can't play each other in tennis, but are you at least able to attend to your daily needs now AND be mostly pain free?

Jeff
__________________
C4/5 - ACDF in 2000
C5/6 - ACDF in 2002
C3/4 & C6/7 - M6 ADR, Nov 2009, Barcelona
Conceded defeat to a manifestly disingenuous BCBS-TX in my quest for reimbursement, Jan 2011
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  #9  
Old 01-06-2011, 12:39 AM
wadelee wadelee is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2011
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it is a truly sad story. I just happend to find it while researching Dr. B, which was mentioned by F350.

Here's the rest of the story. This is the real concerning part for all of us in terms of the Doctor...

I don't know if it's true, and I don't know if these issues are to be posted here, but here we go again!

Artificial Disc Prodisc
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  #10  
Old 01-26-2011, 10:04 PM
F350Lawman F350Lawman is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 22
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Well after having the second MRI and 2 visits to Dr. Bitan, we are applying to my insurance for a Hybrid procedure where C56 will be fused and C67 will get a ProDisc. The reason for the above is that Dr. Bitan doesn't believe in doing the ADR where the spinal edema is and that is C56. I am awaiting a reply from my insurance GHI and Empire BCBC.

My symptoms have gotten better but none of the Doctors I have seen like the amount of push on my spine, and the C56 disc is broken downward in a weird way sort of lying between the spine and C67. It is possible that everything is from C56 and thatC67 will not require the ADR. In that case I will get a one level fusion at C56.
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cervical adr, cervical arthroplasty, cervical disc replacement

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