Forthcoming 3 level cervical fusion

[LC in UK]

Following on from my "Spastic Paraparesis " thread.
Think this thread title is more appropriate.....
Have been told this week that I had been wrongly put onto an outpatients appointments list instead of the admissions list for the fusion
Plus the letter from my ortho surgeon asking for my op to be expedited had been sent to the wrong address
Fortunately I now have a wonderful Patient Liaison lady at Kings who is putting the "wrongs" right and keeping me informed.
The neurosurgeon is reviewing my file and she will contact me with the outcome.
Hope I won't be left too much longer, my legs are still not "firing on all cylinders". !

[mmglobal]

Lynette... I'm so glad that your case is moving forward. Hopefully it won't be too long.... keep us posted.

All the best,

Mark

[LC in UK]

Thankyou Mark
Have had very low morale last couple of days as I was told that I still have to do a 4 month wait for surgery but my GP is faxing the hospital again as my problems are getting worse. He's asking for one of the other neurosurgeons at Kings to operate. Fingers crossed yet again.
Had to give up on the Christmas shopping with my daughter yesterday as my legs were dragging so much and my hip and knee joints were very painful.
Never mind, we rested up in a nearby Pizza hut and I may well do the rest of the shopping online!
Be in touch
Lynette

[mmglobal]

Pizza Hut in the UK? I hope you don't have Starbucks... 3 on every corner.

[LC in UK]

Hi Mark
Yes indeed we do have Starbucks, they're all over the UK like a rash!
Found out at a quiz Friday night that they got the name from the Moby Dick movie!!
Don't think they're the best coffee makers either!
Does anybody know if Trigeminal Neuralgia can be triggered by cervical stenosis? From what I've read up on it doesn't look likely as the major nerve pathway starts in the brainstem which of course is higher up.
But by golly this is one very painful condition I've never had before. Thought I had toothache starting last week but the nerve pain has spread to the top and bottom teeth on my right side and in a weird fashion it comes and goes throughout the day gaining in intensity as time goes on.
Don't know whether to bother my gp with this on top of everything else!!
Any advice would be more than welcome.
Lynette

[LC in UK]

Had my Pre-op Assessment at Kings on Friday and have to return on New Years Eve to see the anaesthetist.
Hopefully it won't be long til I have the operation now. I noticed the blood test forms had "urgent" marked on them. Don't know if that's significant but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Have been told I'll be in for 6-7 days.
Happy Christmas everybody!
Best Wishes
Lynette

[LC in UK]

Following phone calls with Kings admissions I have a possible date for 3 level ACDF surgery for 11th February. With a different surgeon but with the continuing deterioration I have to go for this. The surgeon has good experience and this is an eminent neuro hospital so I feel confident of a good outcome.
This will be confirmed next week after a few preliminaries and I'll post again then.
Best wishes
Lynette

[Maria]

For your upcoming surgery Lynnette! Sounds like it's been quite the process to get there and you've hung in there well meanwhile. Hope the next 5 weeks will fly by and all will go well in the meantime pre-op.

[LC in UK]

Thanks a lot Maria!
Have plenty of "sorting-out" to do at home to get ready for this so time will fly, hope you are well?
Best wishes
Lynette

[Maria]

Lynette,
thank you for asking! We have had a rain storm and everything that is injured on me has been hurting big time!

My neck, my low back and my knees have been really pitiful! I had to spend all day yesterday in bed due to multiple aching body parts. This is so unusal for me to get it *all* at one time. Oh yes, my elbows even hurt!!!!

Top that off, even tho I slept most of the afternoon and night, I woke up in awful aching pain, had a big monster of a migraine so I let the dogs out to do their thing, fed dogs and cats, scooped litter which was as challenging as trying to get food into bowls (bending and squatting) and then took drugs and hit the sack again for a few hours.

I'm waiting for our rain storm weather to be OVER!!!! I'm such a freaking weather vane.

Other than this~ I'm doing GREAT! Sure enough tho if I lived where it was damp, cold and rainy I'd have been having the low back surgery authorized for me and thinking I better have a better consultation re my neck cuz when it''s a hurtin'~ that ain't pretty!

Hope you are well ~ and wishing you my best! Hope I haven't scared you off with the little details of my arthritic degenerative life! Really, when the weather is nice, warm, sunny and such, my body feels oh so very much better!

[LC in UK]

Sorry to hear you're in the grip of flare-up Maria, poor you.
Hope the rainstorm has passed by now and perhaps there's less humidity in the air? Best thing is to take it easy when you're going through a rough patch, give in, rest up and settle down with the animals for company!
I hope you're feeling better by now.
I'm finding it tough to get going in the mornings right now, 6 months of not being able to walk properly and so much restricted movement is pushing me right to the edge.
Haven't find much on the forum from people with cord compression having the walking problems that I have. Lots of stuff about pain and painkillers but not leg weakness. Perhaps thats cos my neck and arm pains burnt out long ago and now the focus has shifted!! Just hope its not too late!
We do need to talk about our various symptoms , it's not really a morbid fascination but strangely comforting to identify with others who are unfortunately in the same boat as us. Just means we're all normal!! If you see what I mean!!
Wishing you better days,
Best wishes
Lynette

[LC in UK]

Have been told by the GI Physiology doctor this week that I've suffered irreparable nerve damage largely caused by lumbar surgery. I suspect the Anterior Fusion is responsible but at least I won't now be expecting an improvement following the ACDF . Incredible that it's taken 13 years to finally learn what's caused these problems. I suppose it's impossible to have so much instrumentation put in without damaging the pudendal nerve?
C'est la vie..............

[mmglobal]

LC... what makes him say it's already permanent? I've seen many people who've been told this by their doctors and discover that the doctors were wrong. Please see JackH on the GPN page... he had been told that for many, many years.

Could be permanent, but the doctors who are saying that... how do they know. It is my understanding that EMG results give a different 'signature' if the nerve irritation is due to compression, versus a lesion on the nerve (which is more likely to be permanent.)

All the best,

Mark

[LC in UK]

Thankyou for that advice Mark, will indeed check out the GPN posting.
I hope the guy's wrong, although he did do extensive testing.
Will pm
Lynette

[LC in UK]

Was called to Kings last week to see Mr Kulkarni who has taken my case over from Mr Gullan who has left. Had an hour and a half consultation with him which included going over the MRI scans together.
Mr Kulkarni says I probably need a 2 level cervical fusion and that the leg weakness is caused by compression of L1/2 and he showed me the critical point on my spine. How come my orthopaedic consultant didn't see this last November??
EMG tests are lined up for arms and legs (4 week wait ) and will see Mr K again after the neurologist has reported on the results.
Thereafter cervical fusion and lumbar decompression will be carried out at Kings.
I appreciate the time Mr Kulkarni spent with me in discussion and explanation but feel angry again about wasted time and more delay.
Sorry that you're C-spine is giving you trouble Mark, it certainly takes the shine off life doesn't it?
Will be in touch
Lynette