My significant other is a personal injury attorney - so she has relationships with some medical professionals in the field - what I call her 'hired guns' She insisted the chiro write me a referral for an MRI before anything else.

Good on her.

Better on you for listening. Heh

To everyone out there. I went through all of this many times and have 2 double fusions in my neck and a triple fusion in my lumbar. One third of my spine is fused and I have MS. Don't get depressed, PLEASE! We had a guy on here years ago that had fought through it all and was slowly coming back, when the depression just overcame and he ended his own life. I know it sucks sitting on a nice beach watching waves roll in. Try reading a classic or researching a topic you've always been interested in. Remember, everything happens for a reason. There is a season for everything in life. You have to take your time with conservative treatments; no sudden jerking, wrenching motion on the chiro, slowly build your weight, reps, tension whatever the treatment is that works for you. Ice and heat have been my best treatment also. It's okay to use meds, that's what they are for. Be careful who you discuss meds with, there are some desperate folks out there. Muscle relaxers and Lyrica seem to do very well for me. You will miss swells, parties, trips, etc.and at times it will feel like the world is zipping by and you are just watching. Friends will leave and even relatives will distance themselves. If you get any settlement, tell no one; it's for your future medical care. You might be thinking this is all gloomy and dark. Well. it can be, and it did kick the crap out of me when I had to use a walker for a few months. I changed my diet and life has slowed down, but now has much more meaning to me. I've read a lot of books and studied many subjects. I've become a more complete person than before. I can surf a couple 2 hour sessions a week. Don't miss the opportunity to grow. Hope this helps.

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Peace, Love and SOUL!

Guess I wrote too much, I had spaces in the above reply. Sorry about the eye strain.

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Peace, Love and SOUL!

I have been living mith multiple disk issues in my lumbar spine for 5 years now. From my experience, don't push it, drink lots of water, stay away from salt, sugar, and alcohol. Once the pain subsides, start working to strenghing the muscles in the surrounding area and make sure to eliminate any muscle imbalances (especially near the injury). Oh, and pracitce good posture. I sincerely hope you feel better soon.

............Kratom works good for pain and energy to work long hours ask a 90yo Asian fisherman, they have taken Kratom for 2000yrs. Just mix it in ur water bottle, but measure carefully w scale. And don't buy from head shops. Mail order in bulk only. Try Trans-Pacific World Botanics. They are also called Speciosa Pro. Out of Corvallis, Oregon. It does have side effects of constipation so try prunes and stay loose. many have stopped pain med by using Kratom. Just get the ground powder in bulk. I spent 60 bucks and got a bulk sack that lasted a month recently. just mix in water. measure well.start w 1 gram. Wait 45 min. When ur tolerance builds can mix 3 or 4 grams in water bottle but take it easy that should last for the day almost and drink water bottle 1/3 or even 1/4 if the batch is strong. You can drive play music work what ever job on it just dont over do it. a good batch is strong at 2 grams, real strong, Overdose means having to rest an hour or so and some mention throwing up but I just take a 45 min lay down and only over did in. 3 times or so in 20 plus years. A 3 Gram dose of good batch will put you on the couch for a few hour wishing you had half that dose then you would have been rocking . you may have to repeatedly email them to start. They don't seem to seek a lot of new clients. But once your in they will ship with a photo copy of a U.S. Postal money and stamp envelop even before u mail it they will ship. Plus free samples every order of different stains. It's legal in Florida but not Tenn. example don't drive it to other states or countries without checking. Oddly Its grown in Indonesia and largely illegal. It's like a cup of coffee and a few pain killers if u get a good batch. good luck. Trust me it works.

Re Kratom:

Try a smaller dose mixing it with grapefruit juice, it potentiates bioavailability.
This works.
sciencblogs

But be careful, there is potential for dependency with that stuff, it is an opioid receptor agonist.

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"The truth is incontrovertible.
malice may attack it,
ignorance may deride it,
but in the end,
there it is." -Sir Winston Churchill

RE: Chiropractic, my Doctor, http://jacklynady.com/ does the most complete and through X-ray work-up you've ever seen! Upper cervical is a real science and he takes dozens of X-rays from many different angles before he begins treatment. nsbkook, RE: V.A. Disability, I'm sure you have a good shot. I used the D.A.V. instead of VFW or an attorney. Sending you a PM

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Life is a garden*Dig it!

you need some CBDs, brother.  good effect would be amazing for you - life changing in such a positive way.   There is a CBS vial with 75 drops for $40-50 in Ashland, Oregon at several of the outlets - rec available.  On drop a day, or maybe less.  like 275% concentation CBD, and less than .5% THC (barely detectible). 

Sad thing - in Florida such a simple solution is a life ruining felony risk trying to find it.  And if you travel to the sources you can't bring it back here - this is such an F'd up situation we allow our medical community to force on us so we run to them.  2 hours to colorado or 4 to oregon will help out, brother.  

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it's never too late to have a happy childhood...

Edited: 08/14/2016 at 09:02 AM by TONYlookaround

I have two herniated discs in my neck... whenever they bug me, I do the eagle pose (google it)... I don't cross my legs or bend my knees; great stretch for the muscles aggravating my discs

nsbkook, PM sent.

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Life is a garden*Dig it!

Update - I had another radiologist look at my MRIs. His findings were much more alarming than the radiologist from NSI. He stated that one of my cervical herniations is significant - impinging 50% on my spine - which is causing the buzzing sensation and pain in my arm. He said I need to see a neurosurgeon right away and look into surgery - and he practically never recommends surgery. He also stated that one minor accident or impact to my neck right now and I could end up paralysed.

Recommended not going to the chiro because one wrong adjustment and I could end up paralysed too.

He also found a labral tear or what he said is commonly called a SLAP tear in my shoulder - that may or may not need surgery.

Now - he works for personal injury lawyers almost exclusively - so he's paid/conditioned to say the sky is falling. But what he said about my neck did scare me.

I am trying to get in to see Dr. Masson asap.

I also went to florida pain institute and they recommended an epidural steroid injection.

Herc on this thread has been doing some PT exercises with me which has been helping. And I bought one of those blow up cervical decompression neck pillow type things.

I haven't been taking any chemical painkillers, because they don't work for me anyway, but the kratom has been working really well.

Dang Steve, that sounds terrible.  My friend had the same diagnosis, he had herniated cervical discs and his doc said one slip up and he could wind up in a wheel chair.  He had surgery.

The most advanced, highest possible positive outcome therapy is a new proceedure called Prolothearapy. Look up Prolothearapy and Prolothearapy for your specific condition.  It usually requires three sessions at $1K per session, but the outcomes speak for themselves; stronger than before the injury.

Here is a site locator for prolothearapy:

http://www.getprolo.com/florida-prolotherapy-doctors/

And exactly how is that going to restore the shape/volume of the disc and move it away from his spinal cord?

 

Yikes!

My neck's been imaged a few times, once at the emergency room; fortunately nothing needed to be done, but it's certified ugly.  Best wishes.  

The only hope I can offer is that aging necks and backs tend to look awful, and function reasonably well anyway.  That's something that good specialists know from experience, of course.

dang... didn't get to read it all but i will say, good luck dude

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hey, i don't know if you read this yet ----------> I <3 16streets.com

thank you Sean O'hare

Delicious beer comes from here

yep. that's exactly what this radiologist said.

Way back when, , , , when we first met Dr. Paine, , , , my wife had been dragging her right leg around at The Cape and KSC for a couple months; the NASA clinic types were treating her for a "sprained hip" and giving her Bengay. Dr. Paine got the MRI's and X-rays done and called her in ASAP. He told her the same things about possibly being paralyzed. Surgery it was. The next morning, bright-and-early, I was in her room when he came in. She was "out of it" from the surgery and pain meds. He told her to get out of bead and stand for him. I interjected a ", , , ,what the hell, , , ,". She got out of bed and swayed around a bit, standing pretty good on her right leg. He said something to the effect that ", , , , that's good, , , ,". Outside of her room I asked him what all of that was about, , , ,? He told me that he was worried that she would not be able to use her right leg, after all of the disc and nerve damage he saw during surgery.

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Dora Hates You

I have a surgery consult with dr Masson in Orlando next month. That's the earliest I could get in.