scheduling to see a specialist (doctor)

[louisvillekid]

been having issues for years with my upper spine, neck, and side my face. basically they just throw pills at me, they don't do anything, and I just stay pissed off and angry at the medical world, so I just mask it with alcohol. so in past couple of years with MRIs and CTs , and worthless visits to physical therapy to so-called strengthen my neck "my neck is STrong!", fuckers don't listen. Finally convinced them to quit looking at my neck and head, that yes the ****** up palsy type feeling that goes into my face, that it starts in my upper spine, that's were something feels kinked and it follows up my neck into side my face. Finally get the scan, I have degenerative discs(yes I know, feel the crunching and grinding daily), I have 2 bulging vertebrae and calcified deposits wrapping around something or other. So I'm elated, like "Yes, they gonna cut me open and fix whatever the fu*k drives me crazy!" Nope, schedule me see a neurosurgeon and after month half wait, he looks at me, has me do those crappy little resistance tests, ones a 90 year old could pass. Proceeds tell me, "yeh, I see all the problems, but if nothing is penetrating the interior spinal column I don't see anything I can do. I can give you some muscle relaxers, and to take them at bedtime cause they make you drowsy." Well thanks for fu*kin nothing. You know when I don't have the palsy feeling and like I'm having a mini stroke, it's WHEN I'm ASLEEP! It's like, You mean to tell me that for 18 years and for the past 2 that has became so bad, and that's why I'm seeking answers, you gonna tell me even though scans show zhit is messed up, you say it sounds like a cramp and here's some pills. So fast forward 3 months, tryin get another referral to someone different, for 2nd opinion. So June 3rd reg doctor puts in referral, June 17th I ain't heard anything, call, have leave message, June 20th, call, have leave message. Today I drive up there to figure out what the Frick is going on. That turns into a so n so didn't do this, and we waiting on this or that. I'm like, just get me an appointment. Scheduling lady on phone with neurosurgeon scheduling person, tells me Aug 24th is first available. I'm pissed, but all on the inside, don't want to blow up and then be told I'm sounding threatening and can I please leave, then have call my insurance and find a new doctors office that is accepting new patients, wait for new insurance card in mail with new office listed on it, schedule an appointment, have retell my story all over, pay more copays, and be basically even more pissed. So I just say, "imagine that(with a dry sarcastic tone), yeh I guess that date will have to work." Scheduling lady tells person on other end, yeh I'll take it, but then she asks, hey is there a number he can call to check if there are cancellations, to maybe get in sooner. With phone to her ear, she turns to me and says, They have an opening tomorrow at 1pm do you want that one. Well Yeh, what the Frick you think. So basically next available date went from 2 months later till "oh, well I guess we can fit him in tomorrow." Now whether this neurosurgeon can do anything or not I don't know. I'm not very optimistic. I know if he mentions trying Lyrica or Cymbalta I'm going flip. Those 2 drugs have been pushed onto me so many times. I'm so sick of it.
Well hope everyone else is having a glorious day, later.

[rkelly110]

Chiropractor?

[Grits n' Gravy]

Damn. Sorry to hear LK. Vert surgery should be your last option though. Read Dr. Sarno's book on back pain. May not cure you but it will provide some help.

[louisvillekid]

Chiropractor?

actually that is what started the whole weird feeling going up side of my face years ago. In 90s I used chuck boxes at ups and my back would ache and pop. The one and only chiropractor I went to, he took x-rays and told me I had this and that wrong And these nerves were doing this and that, I was young and didn't know medical zhit as much, and didn't know you can't see nerves in an x-ray. So he basically cracked and popped my whole spine from my tailbone to my neck, even had me relax lying down and I thought he was doing some kind of massage to my head , and next thing I knew, it was a quick twist and my whole neck cracked and popped. Within a couple weeks is when the symptoms first started appearing. I would go to doctor and he would do the lil tests check for resistance and see if I show signs of a stroke, and then just say it is probably just a muscle issue or something and give me a steroid to take for a week. And when I would mention the chiropractor, they would look at me all apprehensive, and say Oh don't go to a chiropractor they will do more harm than good. So symptoms would kinda fade away, like barely there, but I would faintly feel em, but still enough mess with my mind, so just drown it out with alcohol. So since that chiropractor wringed my neck and back, they crack and pop with ease, and ache if I don't manually make them pop. I went back to that chiropractor and told him the issues and he was like Oh I didn't cause that, but let me re-wring your neck and I'll fix it. I declined cause I was scared he'd make it worse and or paralyze me. So in following years it would get so bad I would go to emergency rooms thinking I was having a stroke, only be told No, but they believe I'm having the feeling I'm having but they don't know why, and here's some pills to try. Then in early 00s that chiropractor was in the news for fraud and bunch other shit, I don't remember it all. I called an attorney and explained how I went to him and since then have this messed up neck and spine and palsy type feeling in my face. Attorney was like, unless I'm paralysed, ain't zhit they could do. So fast forward years later of just crunching popping and cracking, plus the anxiety and stress from the worrying, and numerous pills to try, and various physical therapy tries.. The last physical therapy try, last Aug, they would actually do some sort chiropractor type stuff. After all the goofy stretching and playing with rubber balls and bands, they would have me lie on side of table, cross arms like hugging myself, roll me onto my back, have me bend knees and keep feet flat on table, and raise my hips off table, then he would thrust his weight of body down on my crossed arms, and it would make my upper spine, in between shoulder blades, crack and pop, and afterwards he would ask if that relieved anything , and I'd say No, and he'd looked all disappointed, as if i was going to be like, YEH, it's a miracle, it's all gone And I'm all better now. Which I would like to happen, but hasn't been the case. So now with scans proving degenerative discs and two bulging discs in top spine right below neck. I'm curious as to how long these discs have been out of whack, was it the one and only chiropractor I visited years ago, or did the physical therapy guy do it. OR a combination of both. All I know is I want my face tongue and neck to feel normal. Zhit for all I know I could go to another chiropractor and he do some adjustment and BAM, I'm all better. But I'm also worried he could make it worse, like paralyze me.

[louisvillekid]

Damn. Sorry to hear LK. Vert surgery should be your last option though. Read Dr. Sarno's book on back pain. May not cure you but it will provide some help.

that's another one of the big problems, is after I explain my symptoms to a nurse, then a doctor will come in and say "so where is the pain?" there is no pain, well sometimes , but it more a dull nagging, sometimes I get some sharp pains in my shoulder or down in my arms, but they go away. the palsy type feeling and the tingling with semi numbness is a constant (to varying degrees). That is another problem, when people look at me, they think, well he's standing and moving and talking. But the feeling on side of my face is like I rode with window down and wind beat my face and my nerve endings are trying to work it out. Or that I slept on side my face and it just will not wake all the way back up. Or that I went to dentist and got numbed up and it just hasn't wore off all the way. Again, it comes and goes in varying degrees, that is why I'm convinced something is kinking right below my neck in my upper spine right off to the side between the shoulder blade, cause it like I feel it follow up from that area. Basically I know what I feel, and doctors say they believe me, but have no answers, except to say, here , try these nerve pills.

[Grits n' Gravy]

You are correct that pills aren't a real long term solution. Read Sarno's book LK. It helped my pop.

[bozeman]

Dude, find an awesome massage therapist, my wife had a tense neck for like years and by pure accident got an appointment with an ex vancouver whitecaps rmt - he told her he would try to focus on that and in 1 session( i am not advertizing like on tv it was gone

[BiTeMe UsAdOj]

I can only wish you GL but it is sincere.

Living with a chronic medical issue blows.

Hopefully some kind of manageable solution finds you soon.

Take Grits advice and read the book and leave no other stone unturned... be it conventional or alternative medicine.

I've lived with clotting/pulmonary embolism issues reoccurring for last 2+yrs, so I definitely relate to your frustration when docs can't seem to find a viable solution to a serious medical problem.

Again, GL and keep us posted on your (hopefully) progress.

[stackz125]

Go for the massages that give happy endings. They cure everything! And they feel you relaxed too.

[Muller Rose]

I hope everything will be fine. Get well!

[Andy117]

actually that is what started the whole weird feeling going up side of my face years ago. In 90s I used chuck boxes at ups and my back would ache and pop. The one and only chiropractor I went to, he took x-rays and told me I had this and that wrong And these nerves were doing this and that, I was young and didn't know medical zhit as much, and didn't know you can't see nerves in an x-ray. So he basically cracked and popped my whole spine from my tailbone to my neck, even had me relax lying down and I thought he was doing some kind of massage to my head , and next thing I knew, it was a quick twist and my whole neck cracked and popped. Within a couple weeks is when the symptoms first started appearing. I would go to doctor and he would do the lil tests check for resistance and see if I show signs of a stroke, and then just say it is probably just a muscle issue or something and give me a steroid to take for a week. And when I would mention the chiropractor, they would look at me all apprehensive, and say Oh don't go to a chiropractor they will do more harm than good. So symptoms would kinda fade away, like barely there, but I would faintly feel em, but still enough mess with my mind, so just drown it out with alcohol. So since that chiropractor wringed my neck and back, they crack and pop with ease, and ache if I don't manually make them pop. I went back to that chiropractor and told him the issues and he was like Oh I didn't cause that, but let me re-wring your neck and I'll fix it. I declined cause I was scared he'd make it worse and or paralyze me. So in following years it would get so bad I would go to emergency rooms thinking I was having a stroke, only be told No, but they believe I'm having the feeling I'm having but they don't know why, and here's some pills to try. Then in early 00s that chiropractor was in the news for fraud and bunch other shit, I don't remember it all. I called an attorney and explained how I went to him and since then have this messed up neck and spine and palsy type feeling in my face. Attorney was like, unless I'm paralysed, ain't zhit they could do. So fast forward years later of just crunching popping and cracking, plus the anxiety and stress from the worrying, and numerous pills to try, and various physical therapy tries.. The last physical therapy try, last Aug, they would actually do some sort chiropractor type stuff. After all the goofy stretching and playing with rubber balls and bands, they would have me lie on side of table, cross arms like hugging myself, roll me onto my back, have me bend knees and keep feet flat on table, and raise my hips off table, then he would thrust his weight of body down on my crossed arms, and it would make my upper spine, in between shoulder blades, crack and pop, and afterwards he would ask if that relieved anything , and I'd say No, and he'd looked all disappointed, as if i was going to be like, YEH, it's a miracle, it's all gone And I'm all better now. Which I would like to happen, but hasn't been the case. So now with scans proving degenerative discs and two bulging discs in top spine right below neck. I'm curious as to how long these discs have been out of whack, was it the one and only chiropractor I visited years ago, or did the physical therapy guy do it. OR a combination of both. All I know is I want my face tongue and neck to feel normal. Zhit for all I know I could go to another chiropractor and he do some adjustment and BAM, I'm all better. But I'm also worried he could make it worse, like paralyze me.

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[StackinGreen]

I read a few lines here or there

They have to have a reason to do surgery. If there is no organic reason, they can't justify it.

pain and sensations are subjective, sad to say

you can send me images of a cervical MRI if you want