Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
205009 tn?1218559728

Is surgery needed

Multi-level Cervical DDD, Areflexia and Options
Hi!  I am a 30 year old female who has lived with cervical DDD since I was 25.  I have no kids but we are looking to start a family in the next couple of years.  
I have moderate to severe disc herniations at 4 levels in my cervical spine.  I am followed by a pain mgmt doc and recently went to be re-evaluated by my ortho doc for surgery.  Previously I had good days where my neck barely hurt or didn't hurt at all and my ortho recommended I not pursue any surgery at the time as a 4 level fusion would cause pain and stiffness daily.  I readily agreed as I would like to wait until disc replacements are available for multi-level usage.  However, I recently went for an appt with my pain mgmt doc as I have been having some daily pain and stiffness, primarily on the left side.  She was unable to get any reflexes from my left arm and my right arm reflexes were very limited.  I am able to find very little about what areflexia can mean for my future.  I am not numb but have trouble gripping well.  I have broken a number of dishes lately because I just couldn't hold onto them! :)  
What, if anything, can I or should I look into with the areflexia?  Will it resolve on it's own?  Should I have surgery before I begin trying to have children?  Should I have surgery now?  Are there any online resources that can give me more information on areflexia and cervical DDD?  I work at a hospital so I do have access to a number of journals.  Are there any you recommend?  Any advice would be very appreciated.
Thank you!
Morgan

Also:
I forgot to mention I also have a hemangioma in my thoracic spince and mild to moderate DDD in my lumbar spine.  We believe it is genetic as my sister and I who share only a father both have degenerative diseases.
I am a healthy, normal weight, work out regularly at exercises approved by my pain mgmt doc and eat heathy foods.
2 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
623823 tn?1357416657
First of all, forget about that areflexia, if one physician couldn't find in you reflexes, it does not mean a catastrophe, simply he should repeat his exam properly,
what is dangerous is hyperreflexia (strong reflexes), that’s mean a harm to the spinal cord, please note that through the cervical spinal cord the whole body took its orders from the brain; so a herniated disc, extruded outside its initial location, putting on risk the precious spinal cord should not be treated with analgesics, it should be operated, that’s why the human body elicited many signs of danger (pain, weakness, tingling..)
so disc heniation means neurosurgeon.. no other players here.. please understand the serious situation, unless there are no serious heniations.
hemangioma is nothing important, only radiological findings
Helpful - 0
205009 tn?1218559728
I also get headaches very frequently and this had been explained to ma as being related to my CDDD.
Helpful - 0

You are reading content posted in the Neurosurgery Forum

Popular Resources
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
In this special Missouri Medicine report, doctors examine advances in diagnosis and treatment of this devastating and costly neurodegenerative disease.
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
Discover some of the causes of dizziness and how to treat it.
Discover the common causes of headaches and how to treat headache pain.
Two of the largest studies on Alzheimer’s have yielded new clues about the disease