well this is right up my alley. i had the same symptoms you describe the tingling in the fingers, etc. was told that i had a torn disk at the C5 and the neurosurgeon recommended surgery. i went ahead and scheduled it. a week before i went for my preop appt. and the doctor said i would be having the surgery on the C6-C7. i questioned this, as i had been told the C-5. i was assured it was the C6-C7. (if you end up going this route, confirm the diagnosis!!)

being the trusting person i am, i went ahead and had the surgery done. it was the best surgical experience i have ever had, by far. my scar is small, the pain to my neck minimal and my range of motion is great. a fusion was done, so it may weaken the disks above and below where it was done. building up the muscles around them will help with that.

HOWEVER, having said all of that, i was told that this surgery would relieve the pain between my shoulder blades and it has not. it is very sad to say that i had not had any pain except some mild muscular pain in my neck. i was told the problem in my back was caused from the impingement of the nerve from the C6. this did not prove to be the case.

what the surgery did take care of, though, was dizziness, nausea and equilibrium problems i experienced. it did not take care of the back pain.

so i am off to a pain mgt. doctor this week.

i can empathize with your having to be on your feet for 12 hours at a time. a very good friend of mine is a male nurse.

i, too, often wonder about an autoimmune problem within myself. i had surgery 4 years ago on my left shoulder due to arthritis which involved having a section of my collar bone removed, popping out the bone over the rotator cuff, scraping out all the bony spurs, etc.

maybe we can help each other!!!!

I was told on Wednesday I need to see a neurosurgeon. I have tried everything. PT, chiro. care, and pain management. Nothing helped. I even tried Cymbalta which did help with the pain but made me sick to my stomach, dizzy and I was shaking on the first dose. I couldn't take the side effects the first day and said...forget this!!! The one thing that did help, hurt too much to take. Some people do great on Cymbalta, I was not one of them.

I have two herniated disks in my neck. I have arthritis and degenerating disk disease. It's been a nightmare. I also have a pinched nerve and I'm in pain all the time. It hurts to drive!

I'm scared to have surgery too! I did have carpal tunnel surgery and it didn't go well. Let us know what you decide and I would love to know if the surgery is worth doing.

I have been on cymbalta as well for several years now. It does not really do anything for the pain that I can tell, but keeps the depression at bay for the most part, I think. I am never sure. But, I too find nothing really helps except heavy pain meds which you just can't live on. It is so wearing trying to live and function, but I keep going. I have not taken the plunge and gone to a neurosurgeon. My chiropractor thinks I don't need to at this point. My doctor thinks I should. I waver back and forth. I would not have surgery now anyway, I can't take the time off work again and I need to finish school. So. I wait. I hope I'm not doing permanent nerve damage as my doctor says is possible. I don't think its that bad yet. We shall see.

good morning, I am new to this site also. I am a retired nurse and am inbetween back surgery for stenosis and shot disc L5/S1 and a hip replacement. When I was in rehab after the lumbar surgery last summer, there were other older nurses with cervical and lumbar problems....as patients and on the staff. The staff called it nurses back. I suggest you find the neuro surgeon you can.....the quality of the surgeon is key. Then find a great physical therapist and gently start rehabing your body (the key is "gently"). There are lots of job areas for good nurses...you need to be looking for a nursing slot somewhere that is easier on your body....the PT may be able to help you evaluate what you body can handle. Good luck. 10 days before my new hip....it has been pain and a cane for year and a half . You are so young...same age as my kids LOL and lots of years to live in that body....be very good to it. Taking control and staying happy is good medicine too. There are answers out there...ask other nurses and the PTs for the names of the best neuros......both my neuro and the ortho I found are well known in our area for successes ...had to wait 9 weeks for an appt with the ortho I saw last week.....he was worth it. Try not to think about the "cut" but the cure and a new life...once you have arthritis pinching a nerve the longer you wait the more nerve damage you will have. It grows back slowly... once you find the right neuro...get it over with. Best wishes. Valerie/veggies5

Hi, I'm sorry I have no help for you, but The resopnse you are getting is good for me because I have had neck pain for years. Lately it has become worse. I'm going for an xray soon because I now have a cracking feeling in my neck. I also get Vertigo I wonger if it can be related? Thanks, Sheree

Ah, if only my problem was limited to my neck, I might be more eager to pursue a neuro surgeon. But I have had 6 surgeries in the past 7 years, and each one seems to leave me sicker than before. My adrenal glands have shut down, thyroid is messed up. I got screwed by a rheumatologist who said i had an inflammatory spondylosing arthritis and poisoned me with methotrexate and enbrel for 3 years before she up and decided I didn't have it after all and sent me away. I have horrendous fatigue. Surgery seems to put so much stress on my body that it just sets it back further and further. No one has figured out the underlying problem, if there is one. And, I live in Alaska, so the quality of doctors up here is not the best. I'd probably have to travel to find quality care and travel is too exhausting. I avoid it if I can. Anyway, I am rambling on.

Vanyel

Hi! I'm sorry you are having real chronic pain! I have disc herniations in the C5/6, C6/7 are. I aslo have bulges in the thorasic and disc herniations from L2/3 to Ls/1. I had a series of epidural injections in the summer(it wore off after two months, I will not go thru that again). I was put on Lyrica(it made me verysick and elevated my blood preesure). To be honest, what helps me a lot is water aerobics class with weights in the pool and physical therapy, celebrex. for my neck some times heat. Sat I went on a bus ride and was in very bad pain. A used a bottle of very cold soda as a pillow and it did the trick. I'll pray for releif for you!

Thank you ladysings. I hope things improve for you as well. Do they want to do surgery on your back/neck? Such horrible things to have to live with. Its depressing.