Hi Dr. Corenman: wanted to briefly follow up with you. I have seen the neurologist. She confirms that I have a very mild carpal tunnel issue, but my entire L arm and hand are at least moderately denervated. She did not see any new areas – the damage looked old. She didn’t examine the right arm as my symptoms are mostly on the left. I am due to see my neurologist in a couple of weeks. My plan was to talk with him about basically doing some “tune-up” surgeries like foraminotomies to improve the quality of my life. I know I’m not going to get much better, but it seems like some interventions can take place that would help me be more comfortable.
In the meantime, I have had an episode which has caused me some concern. I’ve had 2 episodes of dysphagia in the last month. A large pill lodged in my throat the first time, and I had to vomit to dislodge it. This is really unusual for me as I take a LOT of pills without issue, but I passed it off.
A couple of days ago, the same thing happened. I coughed violently to dislodge the pill. The pill came up, but I went through a 5-10 minute episode of intense radicular pain. The pain stated at the base of my skull and radiated bilaterally down the tops of my shoulders, arms to my middle fingers and thumbs (mostly – the rest of my hands were affected, but not as strongly). The pain was very intense, made me gasp and freeze. It faded, thank god! – and left me with more pain and weakness in my L shoulder, arm and hand. That has not subsided. Today, both arms feel heavy, weaker, and mildly painful.
I am wondering what I might have done with the coughing episode. Am I looking at failure or movement of the plate, screws or cabling? Did I herniate yet another disc? I realize you can’t really answer this question with any certainty at all, but I guess I’m just looking for your thoughts on what might have happened, and if I should take action sooner, rather than later in seeing the neurosurgeon. Thanks again for your help! Beth