Advice needed from those who have suffered spinal injuries

[taylapj]

Hi all,  i know this isn't directly for this forum, but some of you have mentioned that you have spine / disc problems.

I have had my first physio session today and she basically said that i will have to learn to accept my condition
[Large disc prolapse at c3-4 impinging of nerve root and spinal cord, mild disc prolapse at c4-3, Cervical stenosis, moderate scoliosis }  apparently apart from gentle daily exercising there's nothing that can be done, also if i continue to work with challenging behaviour in care i would be at risk of permanent damage if i got pulled. She said it in a nice way, but i'm finding it really hard to accept that i may have to change my career because of this ..........

Thanks so much everyone x

[taylapj]

Thanks Selma I just can't believe that the medical proffesion would leave a 29 year old lady  like this, I mean is it really safe to leave someone with spinal cord impingement... It's beyond belief ....

[selmaS]

Hi...sorry, I feel it is a risk....knowing that a sneeze could affect the symptoms...and a bumpy car ride and a roller coaster.....so, to be physically pulled , pushed  or whatever, I do feel it would have an impact.

I have a bulging disk.....it was like that for yrs, why it slipped out further is beyond me.....so, I also feel u may not need to be pulled or pushed to have something go amiss.....

Find a Dr u trust, and follow his/her suggestions for u.

I know it is  not easy, but chiari is life altering to say the least.

"selma"

[taylapj]

Yes but it's the spinal cord and nerve root impingement I'm asking if I was to be pulled or my neck jaulted could I end up in a worse situation?

[selmaS]

AS to what u should do regarding work...I say listen to ur body...if u have more issues due to work related activities...u may want to look at something else.I had to look at changing my work b4 I got my dx....and now that I had surgery I still have to look for something other than what I was doing in order to feel ok......

Listen to ur body.

"selma"

[Jennyfoo]

Stupid iPhone auto spell correct. My 3 younger kids, not "gouged" kids. Lol.

[Jennyfoo]

I have Ankylosing Spondylitis, DDD, had a discectomy 2 yrs ago for a ruptured L5-S1, arthritis up my entire spine worse than most people twice my age(33) plus Chiari. I work with "people with learning disabilities and challenging behavior" every day; my kids. My 3 gouged kids were adopted through foster care. All were prenatally exposed to drugs and/or alcohol. My 2 2nd graders have learning issues ; one is severely learning disabled and the other has ADHD, ODD, possible fetal alcohol effect(she's our most challenging kid). In addition, our bio daughter has mild autism.

I'm not changing my job/caree as a stay-at-home mom. I honestly see no reason for you to change yours.

TTFN,
Jenn

[taylapj]

So what do you think about the risk to my neck given working with people who have learning disabilities and challenging behaviour? Would you say its too risky?

[selmaS]

Oh I know....I guess when it comes down to specializing...freezing people sounds more interesting than dealing with all those little pesky nerve endings in the spine......

[taylapj]

Thanks for the reply, feel like i am falling apart, the pain [ mild - moderate or severe ] is daily and really wearing me out.

Fancy this, in this new age world we live in that we can freeze people and bring them back to life, do heart transplants, and yet WE have to put up with this for a lifetime ........

[selmaS]

Hi...disk and spinal issues is a big problem for chiarians...all of us deal with it in some form or  another.

I do have a bulging disk in an area of stinosis...causing a CSF blockage....the disk shifted after my PFD further to cause this blockage.

I have been aware of the disk since I was a teenager and was told the same thing u were told....however, it has shifted and I was told I would need the disk removed and the disk above and the one below would need to be fused in place.

This surgery has been put off until after my DD's wedding and I was healed from my PFD.

Chiarians do have this issue , some could be  a result of related issues with EDS, or DDD which everyone gets with aging, but us chiarians tend to get earlier than the average person.

"selma"