Back Pain Support Group

I originally joined the pituitary tumor group and have now joined the back pain support group. I am 44 years old, I have children ages 17, 14, 10, and 4 and have just been diagnosed with degenerative disk disease in my neck C1 – C6 and a 1.5 cm pituitary tumor. I am in fairly good shape ( or used to be), working out 5 times a week up until January of this year. I went to see my GP about numbness and tingling in my left shoulder and arm and he prescribed an MRI of my neck and brain. I thank God he did one of the brain, which is when they found the pituitary tumor. I originally thought he would do the pituitary tumor removal first. Apparently my neck is worse off than I thought it was and performing the pituitary tumor removal would be too high a risk considering the condition my neck is in, sooo he will have to fuse my neck together C1 through C6 to avoid possible paralysis first. I suffer with numbness in my left shoulder, tingling in forearms and fingers, and headaches. I am scheduled to have that surgery done April 19th. After that the neck is healed he will remove the tumor. I am not sure which surgery I am more concerned about, the fusion or the tumor removal. Wow I have a lot to contemplate over this next 6 months because the neck surgery will take about 6 months to heal. Is that a correct healing time, 6 months? I could use any words of wisdom.

Rod

hello and WELCOME, just know that my father in law had the same neck surgery at 65 years old and is 100% better. Also my girfriend had constant headaches and they removed her tumor and she is fine, and no cancer so there is hope for you, please know you will be ok it is very scary the unknowns i am facing some surgery myself so i know surgery is scary also, i will certainly pray for you, and please post anything you need to anytime you need to we are always here for you, anytime you want to pm me you are welcome i will get back to you, it may take a while i am on sparingly lately because of my condition, but i certainly invite you to write me , just look up it will all fall in place exactly the way it should, i send you big hugs and much Love Debi

Hey Rod,

Welcome to the forum. Have you had any other therapies or treatments on your neck yet? I'd honestly be a little cautious about going straight to surgery without having had any surgery, or at least without getting a second opinion on it. Have you seen any other doctors to be sure this is the right step for you?

I always get a little concerned when doctors want to do more than 3 levels of fusion as well because the general rule is that the best chance of a successful fusion is with 3 or fewer levels. Once you start going for more than that, you're chances are greatly reduced for a successful fusion with each additional level. Also, when you start adding in disease processes, things like DDD can make a real difference in how you respond to the surgery, and how the rest of your back holds up to it.

With a spinal fusion, you also need to consider that they're going to use a "cage" that wraps around your vertebrae, so that will add some amt of weight to your neck region. Some fusions don't take, which means they may have to adjust or remove the cage and replace it with another, or do a different surgery the second time around. If the fusion does take, they sometimes remove the cage later as well. The cage can move around with you, and it can cause problems doing that. These are all issues that MAY occur but don't always.

You can have complications from surgery--you can reject sutures, the cage, or react to anesthesia, just to name a few. This can occur with any surgery.

I'm certainly not trying to scare you, but trying to lay out things that may not have been mentioned, and most definitely should have. It's not that I DON'T want you to have surgery, I just really want to be sure you've asked and had answered all the questions that are important when it comes to the surgery, things you may not have even known you needed to ask.

That said, everyone's very different, and everyone reacts differently. Many people have had very successful surgeries, and others not so much. Your best bet is to be sure you're comfortable with your surgeon, you trust him, and you feel like you've had all your questions answered. If you feel like this is your best option, go for it. If you have doubts, any at all, don't do it, and go for a second, and even third, opinion before jumping head first without knowing what's below.

If you have any more questions, be sure to let us know!

Hugs,

jen

Just started having major pains in my neck last week.... accompanied with headaches. my right eye has been having shooting pains that feel like its in the back of the eye. I am not sure whats causing what.... I have a pre-op appointment for my back surgery on Friday. have any of you had the shooting pains from behind the right eye or major redness and irritation in the eye? I am getting through one day at a time right now...

Hey Rod,

I tried to respond to this yesterday, but it wouldn't let me post--I was having a lot of MDJ issues yesterday, so I decided to try again today. Let's see if this one works! lol

I get shooting pains in the back of my eyes (both of them, depending on what's going on). I also have had migraines, though, since I was a child, so these usually come on when I'm either getting or have a migraine, so they may not be what you're getting.

I also have a lot of redness and irritation in my eyes, but I also have dry eye as well as the migraines, so I'm not sure, again, if this is at all related to anything you may be experiencing. Have you seeing a neurologist? Are you seeing a neurosurgeon, or is it an orthopedic?

I have to say that it seems like going straight to surgery is rushing things (not sure if you read my post above or not), without looking into some other possible treatments, and/or other conditions that may be accompanying what is going on with you. I would think that you need referrals, etc. to be sure that you are doing the right thing. This is, of course, JMO, but I've been through a LOT with not only my back but my migraines as well. I've had migraines for 28 years now, and I've also learned a lot about who should do surgery on the back! I'm just concerned for you, so take it all for what it's worth.

Hugs, and keep us updated.

jen

OK, I found out more information...before any tumor removal can be done my herniated disks in my neck will need to be fixed first. First some results form my eye exam and blood work. My eye exam showed very very little deterioration on my right side peripheral vision. My blood work all came back normal so he said my tumor is a non functioning one. He showed me the angle that the neck would have to be tilted to perform the tumor removal and I know right now I can not bend my neck back like that without some pretty tough pain. I have DDD in C5-C6 which i have had since birth, so he will have to fuse C4-C5 and C6-C7. This procedure is called an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. He will put me in touch with an endocrinologist after my neck surgery as well as an ear, nose and throat specialist.

I have done some research on this neurosurgeon and he is the best in our area.

Boy hi i wish you well, you do have a hard road in front of you , but we are here to help all that we can, it is good that you have the best neurosurgeon , that is so important, you will get good care , did they say what aused this tumor or wont they know until it is removed? I will pray for you and want you to know we are thinking of you, sincerely, Debi

Welcome bucfanrod,

I am so glad that you are able to have the best work on you. When it comes to surgery on the back only the best will do. Keep us posted with your surgery and recovery. We have much to learn from you.

kjv1956

Hello all,

Thank you all for your responses, they have been very encouraging, comforting and thought provoking.

It seems my neck is in more pain now than before. So I am looking forward to the surgery to get rid of my pain, but not looking forward to the surgery.... you know what I mean? My surgery is this coming Tuesday the 19th. I have been told by the surgeon and others that there is a chance that the disks above and below might eventually have problems. I know once I recover I want to get back in the gym to strengthen my core muscle groups. I do believe that my muscle development has kept the injured disks protected this long so if I can strengthen them back up, I pray, I can avoid further damage to my other disks. What have some of your experiences been with recovery.

Rod

Well, getting ready for surgery tomorrow.... All sorts of feelings running through my mind... the best one though is being comforted by Lord and Savior and by my beautiful wife and family...

Rod