TVCH FORUMS HOME . JOIN . FAN CLUBS . DONATE . CONTACT . CHAT  
 Wikia  Quick Links   TOPICS . TREE-VIEW . SEARCH . HELP! . NEWS . PROFILE
Archive through November 06, 2006

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: Jan. 2007 ~ Mar. 2007: Health Center: Spinal Issues: Archive through November 06, 2006 users admin

Author Message
Ginger1218
Member

08-31-2001

Tuesday, October 31, 2006 - 5:15 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ginger1218 a private message Print Post    
awww Herck, thanks, I am just waiting for an appointment now for the cyst to be aspirated to take the pressure off the nerve root. They said it is a large cyst and - it is just causing me agony. If I can get some relief from this pain, we will schedule the surgery for January. This morning I had to stop myself from driving into a wall. The pain is that intense.

Twinkie
Member

09-24-2002

Tuesday, October 31, 2006 - 7:52 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Twinkie a private message Print Post    
Ginger, go ahead and take the pain meds and become a drug addict. You can worry about that after this is all over. I can't stand pain so I'm a firm believer in pain meds. It really beats driving into a wall.

Herckleperckle
Member

11-20-2003

Wednesday, November 01, 2006 - 5:44 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Herckleperckle a private message Print Post    
Source: Ivanhoe.com
Reported November 1, 2006


Oh, My Aching Back!



ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- A simple everyday move moved Timothy Pickens to unimaginable pain.

"I reached down to touch the computer mouse and shut it off, and I just tipped myself a little bit to reach down and it just grabbed," Pickens says. Now he's working to get his back back in shape.

Pickens is one of 400,000 people living with spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal column. But for many, years of misdiagnosis keeps them in pain. Back pain is one of the most common medical complaints, but it can be one of the hardest to diagnose.

Carolyn Koski has lived with back pain her entire life. "Numbness, balance, fatigue, dizziness," she says. Doctors diagnosed her with spinal stenosis, but physiatrist Andrew Haig used an EMG to reveal the real problem -- nerve disease.

MRIs are what most doctors use to look at your spine, but an MRI scan can only give a picture of the nerve. "It's kinda like looking at a photograph of a car to see if it has dents," Dr. Haig, M.D., of University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, tells Ivanhoe.

What an MRI doesn't show is pain.

An old test is breaking new ground when it comes to finding out what's hurting your back. An EMG records the electrical activity of muscles and can actually test nerve function and find out if anything hurts.

"It's more like putting the key in the engine to see if the car works or not. There are lots of dented cars that work just fine," Dr. Haig says.

Dr. Haig believes more doctors are not using EMG to test for back pain because the results are harder to read and takes more time to diagnose.



If you would like more information, please contact:

Andrew Haig, M.D.
Associate Professor
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Orthopedic Surgery
The University of Michigan
(734) 763-4300
andyhaig@med.umich.edu

Ben Stein
American Institute of Physics for the American Association of Physicists in Medicine
(301) 209-3088
bstein@aip.org

Ginger1218
Member

08-31-2001

Wednesday, November 01, 2006 - 2:52 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ginger1218 a private message Print Post    
Thank God I finally got an appointment for Friday to have this cyst drained/aspirated. If this does not relieve the pain, then I don't know what I will do. Because they all believe this is what is causing the intense pain right now. At least if it helps I can have relief until I do the surgery in January.

Gilda
Member

08-21-2006

Wednesday, November 01, 2006 - 3:46 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Gilda a private message Print Post    
Ginger, I am so happy to hear that u will have the cyst drained on Friday. Hopefully you will get some relief!!! I'm rooting for you!!! Good luck! Keep us posted!!!!

Twinkie
Member

09-24-2002

Wednesday, November 01, 2006 - 8:35 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Twinkie a private message Print Post    
That's great, Ginger! Hopefully it will give you a lot of relief!

Ginger1218
Member

08-31-2001

Friday, November 03, 2006 - 7:11 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ginger1218 a private message Print Post    
Pray that this will help today. I had tickets to see Elton John last night and I went, I took so many drugs in order to be able to deal with it. I loved the concert, by the time I got home I just cried. Sooo hopefully will get pain relief today.

Landi
Member

07-29-2002

Friday, November 03, 2006 - 8:42 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landi a private message Print Post    
i'm praying for you ginger. some relief has to be in sight! i know about the drugs just to cope with the pain.

Retired
Member

07-11-2001

Friday, November 03, 2006 - 9:23 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Retired a private message Print Post    
(((Ginger))) Praying you will get some relief after today's procedure.

Twinkie
Member

09-24-2002

Friday, November 03, 2006 - 3:57 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Twinkie a private message Print Post    
Ginger, I so hope that it went really well today and you have relief.

Herckleperckle
Member

11-20-2003

Friday, November 03, 2006 - 4:00 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Herckleperckle a private message Print Post    
Gingah, you alive there? Any better, hon?

Mameblanche
Member

08-24-2002

Friday, November 03, 2006 - 8:09 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mameblanche a private message Print Post    

Hope all went well Ginge! Hugs.

Ginger1218
Member

08-31-2001

Saturday, November 04, 2006 - 7:29 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ginger1218 a private message Print Post    
Well, it was not like getting the epidural, they went into the cyst with the needle to rupture it, the doctor said, this is going to hurt, so I said bad? she said yes, well, the pain felt like my whole leg was going to explode. OMG, it was intense. But they ruptured it and then put in the steroid. The doctor said that I probably won't have relief till Sunday or Monday because the nerve was so compressed that it was very inflamed and needed to improve. I was in a lot of pain last night, took pills and went to sleep (they toldme to go right into bed for at least 6 hours.
This morning I am still in pain, but I can say it is a tiny bit less intense. I am disappointed because I led myself to believe that once they ruptured the cyst, that the pain would go away. LOL, I must be on a lot of drugs. Even if I get 50% relief I will deal with that. I just need to survive until the surgery. But, we will see, the doctor was hopeful.

Retired
Member

07-11-2001

Saturday, November 04, 2006 - 8:33 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Retired a private message Print Post    
Ginger, I'm glad you had it done and have some relief. Give it time like the doctor said.

Twinkie
Member

09-24-2002

Saturday, November 04, 2006 - 10:22 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Twinkie a private message Print Post    
Ginger, I hope you are feeling 100% better soon!

Ginger1218
Member

08-31-2001

Sunday, November 05, 2006 - 10:31 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ginger1218 a private message Print Post    
It is Sunday and when I woke up this morning I was pleasantly surprised, the pain was definitely decreased. I will go as far as to say that it is decreased about 40-50%. They said 48 hours it will be significant improvement and 5-7 days for the maximum benefit. This is the least amount of pain I have had in almost 3 months. Oh God Bless this doctor. She is wonderful. What an incredible hospital this Hospital for Special Surgery is. That is where I will be having the surgery. But thanks for all prayers, you guys are awesome

Retired
Member

07-11-2001

Sunday, November 05, 2006 - 11:18 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Retired a private message Print Post    
Yay for decreased pain levels!!!! I am so happy you are feeling better. So are you going to join in and run the marathon now or is it over already?

Twinkie
Member

09-24-2002

Sunday, November 05, 2006 - 11:26 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Twinkie a private message Print Post    
That's great, Ginger!! I'm so glad you have some relief!

Gilda
Member

08-21-2006

Sunday, November 05, 2006 - 11:37 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Gilda a private message Print Post    
Ginger, I'm also happy to hear the good news that you've got some relief!!!

Mak1
Member

08-12-2002

Sunday, November 05, 2006 - 2:49 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mak1 a private message Print Post    
Ginger, I'm so happy to hear this!

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Sunday, November 05, 2006 - 10:32 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
Ginger, I just read about it in Lumbele's Update and came looking for the thread. Glad you finally got a bit of relief. Hope it gets even better.

Baby
Member

01-08-2006

Sunday, November 05, 2006 - 11:02 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Baby a private message Print Post    
That is great news, Ginger!!! Now, that is something that makes me smile!

Just give it some time, it will continue to improve.

Herckleperckle
Member

11-20-2003

Monday, November 06, 2006 - 12:41 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Herckleperckle a private message Print Post    
Thank goodness you are nearly out of pain, Ginger. I am so happy for you, hon!

1


Mocha
Member

08-12-2001

Monday, November 06, 2006 - 7:38 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mocha a private message Print Post    
Yay Ginger!

Babyruth
Member

07-19-2001

Monday, November 06, 2006 - 8:07 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Babyruth a private message Print Post    
That's great news, Ginger!! I'm so happy for you! I'm sending you good vibes for continued relief...
~~~~~~~~~:-)~~~~~~~~~~