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c6 c7 surgery
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dear doc. 3 months ago I have experianced a small pain in my armpit, which was spred to shoulder blade. nothing unbearable but i couldnt cycle any more. GP was useless wasting my time with pain killers and useless refereal to a "hand specialist". i went to see osteopath and she didnt help much. the same with acupuncturalist. A month ago we went to maldives and i experiances few painfull shots from neck to wrist while snorkling. the numbness continued after the holiday until 10 days ago when i couldnt move the entire left side (shoulder, arm, hand) one morning. ended in urgent neurology department. originally before the scans brachial plexus neuritis was diagnosed. however, few days ago i had an MRI scan and a call from another neurologist to come and discuss the treatment. well, there was 3 docs and they recomended an operation. they didnt give me a precise diagnosis. the only thing i understand is that the thing is urgent. now we are waiting the call from the hospital. please have a look at the scans and let meknow your opinion and the type of operation you would consider (maybe minimally invasive). i still have pains in my shoulder blade, arm, elbow, wrist and numing index finger. my legs and the rest are fine. go to toilet a bit more friquently but also drink more water last 10 days... well hopefully you have enought info now. regards from sunny cambridge UK. regards, gloria
Answer:
c6 c7 surgery
Hi ggloria,
Sorry you are dealing with all this pain and discomfort. I am not a doctor, but I see a pretty severe herniated disc between your 6th and 7th cervical vertebrae. The most common procedure for this would be a fusion, in which the surgeon removes the disc and the space is fused using bone grafts and hardware. There is also discetomy in which the disc is removed, but there is no fusion. This is less invasive, but I think your herniation may be too severe for this to be an option. It looks like there may be some spinal cord compression, and if that is indeed the case, I would agree with your surgeons that surgery is probably a good idea. Best of luck and keep us posted!
Answer:
c6 c7 surgery
what about HBOT??? any alternatives to surgery?? any less invasive methods???
Answer:
c6 c7 surgery
I don't think there are enough studies to prove the effectiveness of HBOT at this point. The premise of HBOT is that it increases oxygen flow to promote heating, but not enough has been done to prove this and I would question its effectiveness to heal a severely herniated disc. It is also almost impossible to get insurance to cover it. Its worth talking to your doctor about it, though. You should talk to your physician about whether conservative treatment is advised in your case. While conservative treatment such as physical therapy is usually utilized before surgery, if the condition is severe enough, surgery may be a better route. He will be better able to tell you about your different options.