Degenerative Disc Disease in Cervical Spine

[Magzy01]

I have degenerative disc disease in my cervical spine, I have had 3 MRI scans now, one in Sept 2007, one in Nov 2010, and one in Jun 2012. The first scan showed general wear and tear, and I was offered no treatment at all. Over time, my neck started to become more painful, and I also unfortunately incurred a partial tear to the tendon in my left shoulder, so was sent for another MRI scan in 2010, my neck was scanned at the same time as my shoulder, and I was told that I had bulging discs at c5, c6 level, together with some slight narrowing and compression of spinal nerves. My shoulder was taken as priority, due to the level of pain I was suffering with it, and no treatment offered for my neck. I had my shoulder opearted on in Aug 2011 and the tendon has been repaired. To cut a long story short, I had to wait until January 2012, before I was finally seen by a neuro surgeon regarding my neck. I was offered a nerve root injection, which I had in March 2012, and this offered no benefits/relief at all.

I was seen back in clinic following this injection in May, and it was agreed that as my symptoms had become worse and were moving to the right side aswell as the left (which is prodominantley where my symptoms had originally been) it would be a good idea to get an up to date MRI scan, to see what was now going on. The results of this scan, have shown, the discs still protruding, with problems from C3 to C7 now, there is also slight straightening of the curve in the spine, due to pressure, and I have bone spurs growing aswell, there also seems to be some compression to the spinal chord and also more pressure on the nerves too, together with narrowing. I haven't been seen by the Neuro Surgeon, I was given an appointment following the scan, for May 2013, to discuss the scan results,(which will then be 12 months out of date) but have managed to obtain the details of the scan through my gp.

At this present moment in time, I am taking 150mg of Tramadol daily, prescribed for the pain I am in, (which is quite considerable) and I can't manage without pain relief, I am also taking paracetomol. My gp, is quite concerened about my results, and has since July, been in contact with the hospital trying to get me seen earlier, as she agrees with me, that I shouldn't have to wait until May 2013, - so far the hospital are just ignoring her correspondence???
My concern is, that things have over time got worse with my neck, I am only having pain relief as my treatment now, which just helps with the pain, I know this is a progressive illness and even though my GP is constantly chasing the hospital on my behalf, nothing is happening.

I really am in limbo to be honest, as all my gp, seems to be able to do, is carry on prescribing the pain killers and chase the hospital... she doesn't seem able to give me any real answers as to what the future holds for me and/or what I would be looking at as treatment (if any treatment is an option).
I am in pain, I have problems sleeping, due to the pain waking me each time I move on top of not being able to get comfortable, I suffer with pins and needles in both hands and sometimes my right foot too, I also get pins and needles at the back of my head, I have been experiencing a sharp pain on the left side of my neck recently, that feels like a finger being dug in to it. I also get a lot of swelling appear at the base of my skull/curve of my neck towards the end of most days, or following certain movement, (I have been told that is probably just fluid retention... but it is painful to touch and worries me). My right hand suffers with periodic spasm type attacks, and I drop things regularly, I can also no longer look up, and if I sit without any kind of support with my neck for longer than 20 minutes, I suffer for days with pain and discomfort. I find it hard now to wash and style my hair, and have days, where I just am in high levels of discomfort/pain that I seem unable to get on top of.

I am sorry for the essay, but I am scared of the future just now, as things are getting worse, and I am getting no treatment, I hate the medication I am on, but can't manage without it. I need answers, but don't know where to go to get them from. Do I try and contact the hospital myself? or just hope they respond eventually to my GP??
Any advice right now would be appreciated, and thank you just for reading my post.

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[archie]

I'm afraid you have been caught up on the referral system. You could try and switch onto the urgent list due to experiencing pins and needles into both hands and feet but your GP would have to refer you again. Many nhs trusts are now using private clinics to speed up waiting times so check if this is an option in your area. It sounds as though you would need orthopaedic investigation before progressing with treatment. Is going private an option?

[Magzy01]

Thank you for replying to my post. Unfortunately, being seen privately really isn't an option for me just now. Since my original post, my husband has written directly to the Chief Executive Officer, at the hospital, basically just asking if my recent scan can be looked at, and asking if someone can just at least contact me, it's not about kicking up a fuss or anything, what has been more frustrating is the fact that my GP has been chasing, and they have told her secretary, they will be contacting me directly, but haven't. The problem I have, has unfortunately got worse, comparing scans, and the pain and problems I am experiencing, seem to be continuing to get worse too.
I will let you know, how it goes, and thanks again.

[scramster]

Sorry to hear of your situation. It's unacceptable.

You could try going back to your GP and asking for referral to a different hospital. It worked for me in the past when the waiting times at my local hospital were very long.

You don't say if you have been referred for physio? That's another possibility that may help so i would inquire about that.

[Magzy01]

I had my physio suspended, as they put me back in the hands of the Neurosurgeons, once a new scan had been requested. My gp wouldn't refer me back for physio without the say so from the hospital, she ended up chasing the hospital 3 times, with no success, so last week, we put in an official complaint to the CEO at the hospital, I received a phonecall within 2 days, offering me an appointment that very day???? As it goes, I was unable to attend at such short notice,(I wouldn't have got there in time, as I am 20 miles away) but low and behold they had another appointment they could offer me, which is for next week... amazing how they seem to have been able to offer me 2 separate appointment times, within a week of each other, following an official complaint, whereas my original appointment is still over 7 months off. I have told them, I will be keeping the complaint open, until after I have seen the consultant, as I really don't want to be fobbed off anymore. I will let you know how I get on next week, and thank you to all who has read my post and replied.