Degenerative disc disease

[dgshelton]

Does anyone else here have degenerative disc disease? I recently got off of pain management because I am no longer having fibromyalgia pain, but now the pain in my neck and right shoulder that I've had off and on for about 20 years is back. I've had numerous MRI's which have shown degenerative disc disease. My mom had it, all her brothers and sister have it, and all my brothers and sister also have it. I have been told I will eventually have to have surgery, but because of my diabetes, my neurosurgeon won't do it until I am to the point of almost being paralyzed. I'm not there yet although I do have numbness and tingling in my left arm when I move my head a certain way.

I was just wondering if this has something to do with gluten intolerance.

Hugs,

[sarkin]

Denise,

My cousin has DDD - I will ask what she knows about it. I owe her a long letter, so it won't be a fast response... I've been meaning to let her know about my gluten crash, among other things - she's very knowledgeable about nutrition and pain management (professionally as well as personally). (And her degenerative disk disease is on my list of conditions in the family that make me wonder about a connection to gluten sensitivity.)

Sorry to hear about your pain - hope you're able to find relief. Maybe further degeneration will be slowed, now that you've found a root cause for so many potential health issues (I do realize that gluten is not the only bad guy in the fight for feeling good, but sometimes it seems that way to me!).

Love,
Sara

p.s. how much numbness/tingling constitute 'almost being paralyzed', I wonder? I think you should let your doctor know, though I am *not* saying you are in danger of paralysis or surgery any time soon!

[JLH]

My DH has it. He has never been tested but, obviously, passed on a Celiac gene to DD#1..........

I'll have to get her results so they can be posted here. She did get the the 0603 from me. :-(

[maestraz]

Hi Denise,
I, too, have DDD in my Cervical 6-7 vertebrae that has progressed since an x-ray about 5years ago. I had pretty significant pain late last spring in my left shoulder and down the arm, right into the wrist bone, but not the hand. My rheumatologist sent me for PT, and 6-7 visits with the PT over the summer have had me pain free since mid-August. My PT does a lot of bio-mechanical stuff, not traction, which I know some PTs recommend. The rheumatologist gave me a scrip for Tramadol, but I have not yet needed to use it.

Interestingly, I also have a weird-feeling ring finger on my right hand that is causing me strength problems with things like opening jars, turning door knobs, stuff like that. Not sure what that might be. it sometimes feels " not all there."

Given that the DDD was there before the LC, I'm not sure I can attribute it to LC. However, I did not have the type of pain I describe above before my LC diagnosis in 3/11.

I would do anything before I would let anyone operate on my spine....though I know people who have had relief from it.

Hoping you can find relief.

[dgshelton]

Sara - I did talk to my PCP and he checked it out. The numbness and tingling are not any worse than they have been in the past. I think I would need to have considerable weakness for my neuro to consider me "almost paralyzed". He suggested that I look into having injections to block the nerve. The thought of someone sticking a needle in my neck makes me cringe.

Maestraz - My DDD is between C4 and C5. I have had muscle spasms in the past that have actually made my spine curve. I have over the years tried physical therapy, massage, heat, ice, traction, and biomechanics. Nothing seems to help. I wish it did!

Hugs,

[Sheila]

I'm so sorry you are experiencing so much pain from your DDD in your cervical spine. The numbness and tingling indicate a nerve that is being impinged. If you let that go on for too long, the nerve doesn't recover well. I had a spinal fusion about 5 years ago and was at the point of barely being able to walk when it was finally done. My sciatic nerve was desiccated and I have permanent loss of feeling in parts of my toes, foot, calf and thigh. Had the situation gone on much longer, I would have possibly been partially paralyzed. Very, very scary at the time. As you get older the DDD isn't the only problem. You then add OA, spinal stenosis, bone spurs, spondylolisthesis etc.

Your body becomes stressed when you have chronic severe pain and your immune system is compromised. In the 6 months between the time my back went out totally and I had the surgery I had 3 MRSA infections and the shingles. My doc told me that my immune system was stressed from the chronic severe pain. IOW, the longer you let the situation go, the worse it can get. I know you have the special circumstance of having diabetes and that would certainly effect any decision you make. I wish I had insisted on seeing a neurosurgeon instead of trying to deal with the pain with injections that didn't work, accupuncture that didn't help and chiropractic that also was ineffective. Hindsight is 20/20 and I didn't want to have another back surgery. The surgery was very difficult but the result has been very good. I had to give up a lot of activities that I enjoy but I can walk and live a normal life and for that I'm very grateful.

Be sure you are seeing the best neurosurgeon you can find and know that steroid injections frequently don't work and aren't good for you anyway. I had 5 injections the year of my fusion and each one was worse than the last. I hope your pain improves and you can find a solution that will improve your quality of life. Surgery should be a last resort but it is often necessary to ensure a decent quality of life when letting things go on too long could cause permanent disability. I know it's a downer, and I'm sorry but it is something to think about seriously.
Sheila

[dgshelton]

Shelia - Thank you so much for your concern! I am definitely seeing the best neurosurgeon around here. He is the head of the department for Louisiana State University and has taught all over the world. I was his wife's paralegal, so he is also a personal friend. He doesn't want to do surgery until it is absolutely imperative because diabetics don't heal well, especially when screws and plates are involved. My mother has the same surgery for the exact same discs and was in far more pain after the surgery than she was before it. She was to the point of almost being paralyzed when they did her surgery. The last 10 years of her life she was in such horrible pain that she could not do any of the things she enjoyed before the surgery, like bowling or shopping or traveling. That is the reason I'm not going to have the surgery until I absolutely have to.

Hugs,

[Sheila]

Oh Lord, I feel so sorry for your Mom. I was terrified that I would end up crippled after my fusion. There were no guarantees but I had reached the end of the road. Hopefully, you will never reach the point of having to have the surgery.

It is great that you have such a good relationship with your neuro and can be confident in his expertise. It can be a real crap shoot, choosing a surgeon. A friend had a very similar surgery to mine before I did and he suggested I have a consult with this team of neuros. They did a miraculously great job on me but my friend's situation was different and his result has not been so good. He has chronic pain when on his feet and that sure messes up your life. However, he is able to walk and still play a little tennis and he's very thankful for that.

I go to a very old fashioned chiropractor twice a month and he keeps everything aligned when it gets out of whack. He doesn't go near my lower back but he keeps the rest of the arthritic joints, TMJ, esophageal spasm etc under control. Sometimes the minimum amount of interference is the best.
Sheila