[Wnywoman]

#20583

Hello Doctor, first and foremost, I’d like to thank you for having this amazing forum available for people who are concerned and looking for answers. Afer a work related injury, I had pain, numbness, tingling, and loss of strength, all of which were concentrated on my right side ( shoulder, arm, hand, fingers). I had ACDF“>ACDF surgery on level c6/7 in February of 2014. The hardware consists of a titanium plate, screws, and a cage. I was 31 years old at the time of surgery.

Immediately after having the surgery, I had more strengh back in my right arm and the numbness stopped. Recovery went fine. I went for my follow up X-Rays and had no additional problems. I still had neck pain“>neck pain and spasms but nothing I couldn’t deal with. I returned to work and had no problems. I have a very physical job.

Approximately 6 weeks ago, I began getting frequent tingling in my hands and fingers, which I ignored and wrote off as a side effect of weaning off of Lexapro. Side note, I lost my mother to Cancer last February and was having a hard time dealing with the grief, so my Primary put me on a low dose of Lexapro just to get me over the hump. We had it all planned out that since it was grief related I would only stay on it for 3-6 months. I began taking it in April. At the end of August, I started cutting the dose in half ( as instructed) for 8 days, I then cut it in quarters and my last dose was on September 6th. As i mentioned, this tingling was geting worse and worse and I was also having dizzy spells. After fainting on Sepember 21st, I went to the Emergency Room. I told them that I believed that it was medication side effects and they did some blood work and diagnosed me with Medication Withdrawal.

After a week, the symptoms were getting worse and I began to have pain shoot down my arms and my right shoulder. The tingling is near constant and it is in both hands, arms and even in my toes. I became concerned that this wasn’t a medication issue. I called my Primary and he didn’t believe that this was medication related either, given the small dose I was on, the short duration, the fact that I weaned off properly, and the date that I last took it. He referred me back to my Neurologist’s Office as he believed it was neuroligical or vascular based. They ordered an MRI and a MRA w contrast. The PA from my Neurologists office just called me and told me that my paper MRI results came back fine. She said the hardware is all in place. I asked if there was a solid fusion and she said that MRI’s do not mention that. She canceled my appointment (when I was supposed to bring the CD) and told me to follow up with my Primary Doctor.

So, I guess my question is; is it possible that my symptoms are being caused by possible non fusion or any surgery or spine related condition? I know I’m not imagining the symptoms and they are not getting any less severe. Since my Primary has said it’s not the medication and my Neurologist has said it’s not the surgery, I don’t know who else to ask. The Neurologist’s PA did mention that the MRI revealed muscle spasms“>muscle spasms ( I didn’t even know they can show that) but as I mentioned, I can deal with pain and spasms, it’s the numbness and tingling that scares me, and it’s not decreasing. Do you have any insight or advice on what my next step should be? I appreciate your time.

Sincerely,
Angela

[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#20586

Sorry to hear about your mother. I lost mine one year ago and am sensitive to your loss.

Pseudoarthrosis (lack of fusion) symptoms typically occur about 6 months (plus or minus) from the original surgery so this is in the differential diagnosis. An MRI will not diagnose this condition. You would need a CT scan for this diagnosis.

Other possibilities are levels above and below but that should be diagnosed with a physical examination and the MRI. Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) can also cause these symptoms. See the TOS section on this website.

Dr. Corenman

PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
 
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.

[Wnywoman]

#20589

Thank you for your condolences. I’m sorry for your loss as well. My mother only made it 4 months from diagnosis to death and was only 51 years old when she died. In that short 4 month span, she wen’t through many painful operations and procedures, trying to extend her life, and ultimately made her last months even more painful. She also had a 15 year old son, my half brother, whom I ended up adopting. The duration and watching her suffer was extremely tramatic for me, as we were very close.

Thank you for your medical advice. I will ask my Primary for the proper referrals. Best of luck to you.

[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#20594

Good luck and please keep in touch regarding your progress.

Dr. Corenman

PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
 
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.

[Author]

Posts