Deborahdmamd
Frequent Poster

THanks for the reps!

thank you for the reps, breautiful!

Though I've had 6 spinal surgeries, I've also had one major shoulder surgery and a knee surgery. At some point, both of my knees need replaced.

My right shoulder surgery was to fix a torn rotater cuff (85% tear), a detached tendon (my shoulder had fallen an inch and a half...and is still not level with the other, to this day) and several cartilage tears (one was 2-inches long). I have seven scars on my shoulder from this surgery.

So...unfortunately, my issues do not just lie with my back. My shoulder gives me a LOT of trouble when lifting. I still have pain. In fact, my left arm is stronger than my right and I'm right-handed. :-/

Not only do I deal with osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease, I have sever spinal stenosis. Basically, my spinal canal and the channels that the nerves pass through when they leave the spine are being pinched off and closing up. I'm told the doctor will need to eventually "roto-root" my spinal canal to keep it from paralyzing me from the waste down. I've been slowly losing feeling below my waste for 4 or 5 years, now. Doctor tells me my spine is in same shape as somebody about 85 years old. :-(

So...do I feel pain in places other than my back? Oh yeah...but what you're currently having is not nearly to the level of degeneration that I'm at (thankfully!!!).

Sadly, I'm 44 and have been dealing with this since I was 30. :-/

As I have osteoarthritis in almost all of my joints, I might have pain in my neck, shoulder, knees, back, arm, hands, etc. all at the same time. So...I may not, necessarily, be a good judge for exactly what you're dealing with. I can only tell you my experiences and compare notes...to see if what you're dealing with is anything like what I tend to have in the same region as you. And, from the sounds of it, they do sound similar to what I'm dealing with at the L4/L5 disc level. That's the nerve that travels down through your hip and travels down the outside of your leg (and it's also the most common to go, first, due to it's location in the spine).

...to be continued.

To be honest, I have pain in lots of places. The pain associated with my lumbar region starts there and radiates down both sides..and, sometimes, just stays in the lower region, but the lowest part in the center. Those times (like today), they're extremely sharp stabbing pains like somebody is stabbing me with an icepick and tends to stop me in my tracks. Even making it difficult to walk. I'm really having to put a lot of weight on my cane, today. :-/

I have pain in my hips and down different parts of my legs (inside, front, outside, etc). It just depends on what nerve is being pinched at the moment. After having 8 herniations and having 7 discs bulging, currently, the pain is pretty erratic. One of my disc herniations was in my cervical region (C6/C7). They had to go through the front of my neck to get to it, replaced it with cadaver bone and let it fuse, naturally.

...to be continued.

Thanks for the rep! Judging from below, you're a rep machine!

Thanks for the reps

Thanks for the rep points, Deb! I sincerely hope you're not dealing with any if the same issues I am. Honestly, its no bed of roses! Any time I can be of assistance ( when it comes to spinal-related issues), don't hesitate to ask! I'm more than willing to share any of my experiences if it'll help!

thank you for the reps, keep you head up and keep chugging along