2024 started off bad, I had recently (late 2023) been treated with steroid injections and nerve desensitisation treatments to help relieve the pain in my right shoulder. I fell a few years previously, unknown at the time completely destroyed the rotator cuff muscles but lived through the pain. NHS scans said it was fine. Eventually when I went for private medical help, I was told it was too late, there is nothing left to repair, the muscles had degenerated.
I was also experiencing severe muscle wastage in my left arm, constant pins and needles in my left hand and sought advice.
I went through so many scans, tests, nerve conductivity studies (again NHS showed different to private tests)
Eventually a spinal surgeon said that they had checked everything and the only option now was spinal surgery. The MRI showed cervical spinal compression on the left side between C2-C7. I understand why they checked everything else first, spinal surgery was the last option.
I have lost count of the amount of surgery I have had, but the thought of spinal surgery feared me the most (even more than leg amputations)
Foraminotomy C5/C6 & C6/C7 (January 2024)
I had 5 ‘spaces’ between cervical vertebrae that needed fixing. I was told that privately they can only do 2 of them at a time. To have all 5 done in one go I would have to go through the NHS, he could put me on the priority list but there was still a long wait. I decided to go privately knowing that I may have to go through this at least twice.
Agreed on C5/6/7 to fix the constant pins and needles in my left hand.
I had the surgery and the following morning I was almost paralysed. Probably not my best move but I fought against it and after several hours, I was able to move again. It was my back muscles going into spasm. However this scared the crap out of me. I thought something had gone wrong in surgery. This happened for several days even after I had been discharged from hospital.
Thankfully this resolved itself and I started to recover. The pins and needles stopped after a while and a few months later all is good.
Foraminotomy C3/C4 & C4/C5 (September 2024)
Back to see the same surgeon, very quick appointment, he had already seen the MRI scans from before. We agreed that C3/4/5 still needed to be done. This should then help me to rebuild the muscle wastage in my left arm and resolve the numbness.
C2/3 was mentioned but he doesn’t think this one is as bad and I wouldn’t get a great benefit from it. He will have a look during the surgery, but I have decided I wont be going back for a third round of spinal surgery if this is not done.
I know more what to expect and if I get the ‘temporary paralysis’ again, hopefully I wont panic so much.