Let's start off with I had been having pain for 4 or so years now on and off.
In January I got the pain so bad In my neck and arm that it bed ridden me and I had to call my primary doctor again and he finally refers me to pain management.
There that doctor evaluates me and thinks it's finally time to order a MRI. I think finally it's about time. Been trying to get you doctors to listen to me and order this darn thing.
I go in the same day for my MRI.
Within 2 days my primary doctor calls me back and asks if I would come Into the office he would like to speak to me face to face right away. Instantly I panic and think I have cancer.
Well my thinking was right. I was told I have a very large tumor growing on my spine in a very dangerous spot and it had to be removed right away or could paralyze me or more kill me. But He would call the best neurosurgeon around and get me in right away.
I was called by a neuro at Wash U the very next day and a appointment was set for me to be seen.
I met Dr Ray. and his assistant Ellen and went over what needed to be done. He proceeds to tell me that the surgery will be within a few weeks. He has two options go in and try to remove it all or he can't remove it, will close me up and I will have to do chemo and radiation. If he does remove it he will then put hardware in to keep my neck straight and not leaning forward as this tends to happen in patients that have this surgery.
I go in 2 weeks later and have my surgery. Dr. Ray gets all the tumor and puts my hardware in. I go home a week later to recoup.
6 weeks later I go in for my check up and I am in pain. X-rays and MRI later and I learn that my hardware has pulled out and I need another surgery to fix it.
I spend another week in the hospital and I go home to recoup again
In the meantime I loose feeling on my left side especially my hand. All came back but my hand and now he thinks it never will. I deal with this pain everyday for the rest of my life.
I am Finally getting better until this past week. I'm still having neck pain and he thinks that I shouldn't be so he sent me in for a myleogram on Friday. I go home the same day. By Saturday night I have a headache so bad and have to go home to bed. Sunday I try again and by noon I'm sick puking up my food and have a terrible headache. So I call the on call neuro radiologist and he tells me I need a blood patch that I have a spinal fluid leak from my procedure. Well I went yesterday and had it done. That didn't go so well, I had a teaching student that couldn't get the job done and had to pull out and the doctor had to take over and start all over again. And let me say this test hurt, I thought my head was going to explode and my back hurt so bad. When all was done I go home to relax again with a very sore back that still hurts today.
But Dr. Ray called me and tells me he saw what happen and he is so sorry. He is also sorry that I had to hit every bump in the road for this surgery. But the best part was there Is no more bumps to hit.
So I hope now I can hopefully get rid of my pain With time and be me again.
Oh yeah and if you are wondering, they are not sure what kind of tumor I had and are studying it with a group of doctors. All I know is I am 1 in 15 to ever have this tumor and it has abnormal cells within the tumor itself. The doctor also said that I have probably have had this for years say 4 or so now and it has just been growing over time to the point it was finally pushing enough to cause me all the pain.
