Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy

[moeck]

Hi all.  i had been hanging out on the MS boards because like so many over there my brain mri shows some lesions and I had not yet been diagnosed with anything that could explain all my symptoms until yesterday.  So here is a not so brief history.  the only thing not explained now is the brain lesions but two neuros have said they could just be age (I'm 51)
After over a year of testing I have gone from a rheumatologist who said FM to a primary care doc who blamed things on my thyroid to another rheumatologist who said it was sero-negative inflammatory arthritis.  During that time my symptoms of neck pain, cracking feelings in my neck when I turned my head, hand numbness on the right and occasional falling (right leg giving way) led to neck x-rays, then mri's which showed spinal strenosis and two herniated cervical discs.  I had the cervical discectomy and fusion done on May 1.  everything seemed to be going well, then on July 1 I fell and from there things went downhill.  Severe radiculapthy on the right, urinary incontinence, right leg weakness, balance problems. mri of brain showed frontal lesions so off to a neuro I go.  More testing and mri's and neuro is blaming everything on carpal tunnel and lumbar facet disease.  have a severe episode of being unable to move my right leg, hospitalized for three days and sent home on PT with a diagnosis of degenerative disc disease.  Lumbar nerve blocks done, no effect, right hand CT release done, little improvment.
Yesterday I had a consultation with a neuro at JHHS.  I had sent him all the reports earlier and brought my mri's with me.  He has diagnosed me with cervical myelopathy.  Since I also have the spondylosis I looked up CSM and the symptoms and progression fit exactly.
S0, here i am, hoping to learn more and find out how others are coping with this.
moeck

[moonmaiden]

Same for me. I have cervical spondylosis w/narrowing of the spinal canal and a few other things, chronic pain (head, joints), delayed nerve function, numbness in hands, and eye problems such as Oscillopsia, nystagmus, and dry eye.

I'm 50 years old. My spine is about 70ish, I think.  

I had a C-spine fusion in 1991.

Best wishes.  It has taken me 8 years to figure some of this out.

[CspineMess]

I am 37 and have also had cervical discectomy and decompression with fusion C5-C6-C7 18 months ago.  At the time also had myelopathy.  Now I am having many neuro problems including trouble walking, weak right arm and hand, hyprereflexia, clonus, Hoffman's sign, etc....  From what I have read decompression surgery is only option to arrest progression of neuro symptoms, but usually only stops not improves.  Lower extremity improvement ~23%, Upper extremity improvement ~37%.  I am in similar position as you.  I need to do something before I cannot walk or use my right hand/arm anymore.  One thing that help me is a TENS unit (electrical stimulation) at home.  Seems to block pain signals to my brain and stop overactive nerves.  But, it is very hard.  I also wear a soft cervical collar (keeps neck from gettitng to compressed) and an elbow brace (for damaged ulnar nerve).   I also take muscle relaxant at night now and am sleeping much better.  Of course, these are not solutions, just patches to help cope.  I have nerve spasms, severe cervico-genic headaches, nausea and vomiting and neck/shoulder/arm pain and numbness in ring finger and pinky.  I don't know what will work for you, but I wish you the best and want you to know you are not alone.