Calling AZB....Help!!

Actually no.....it wasn't a joke!

Just a well meaning gesture by a friend who stopped in on his way through town.
But I'm still not going to let a chiropractor "manipulate" my neck......
Hopefully the anti-gravity "exercises" will free the nerves that are pinched. If not then what I was told 12 yrs ago will come to pass and there will be permanent damage (which is occuring even as we speak). I was informed long ago that I will eventually be paralyzed from the 2nd vertabrea down and there is nothing to be done until that occurs. Pain Killers do NOT help _they just put me in a stupour when I can't cope with the pain any longer.
Once the paralysis has occurred they will operate to fuse the neck which will ensure for a while that the nerves don't pinch and the pain will go away, however since there is a 50/50 chance of leaving me paralyzed from the 2nd vert. down they wait until the paralysis has occurred before doing the surgery as it is a pain relief measure only!
With any luck while I'm on my way to physio I'll turn my head to make sure there's no traffic at an intersection and the vertabrae will "snap" back into position by themselves.
Every one of has their trial and tribulations.......this is mine.

Ouch! I feel for you Mommc.

I have been there. Remember that pain is a state of mind. It can be conquered without pain killers. Try yoga when your pain is at a low level.

Thanks lina......hope you have a great birthday.....
I do Yoga every day and also practise biofeedback. Meditation helps also as does heat!! (just turned the sauna on!!). Massage helps and I wish it just weren't so darned expensive or I'd go twice a day for sure!! I have one of those gizmos that does electric massage with heat but hands reach all the spots the "machine" doesn't. Hubby came home at lunch time to massage my neck and stretch it a bit so now I can actually feel the fingers in my left hand! I've gotten used to numb or tingly hands...and I only get scared when I can't feel my feet-besides which it makes walking real difficult. That hasn't happened for a few years now so I guess what I'm doing is working!!
I have decided to finally go for a "facet joint" injection to see if it helps. Prayers would be nice as there is a risk of paralyzation with the procedure (I believe it's about 30%but don't quote me!). It's done under general anaethetic to make sure you don't move while they place the needles using xray to administer the injection close to the spinal cord.
I refuse to cancel my trip....just hope we don't spend too much time in the cooler climes but head to central/south Italy.
Wish Lil wasn't hanging around the DR with the low pressures or I'd head down there!!

I just don't get it.

At first I thought it was a bait to get me into some trouble with you guys. Now I feel sorry for you MommC. You show no faith in chiropractors and for that you deserve to suffer (your choice).
Seems like you have made up your mind on the road to total paralysis.
Now let me tell you something:
It may come as news to you but I have corrected conditions like yours on several people. I have had people who couldn't move their arm or feel their fingers. They showed trust and faith in me and now they are being rewarded with good- pain-free health. Let me ask you this, who the hell told you that chiropractic adjustment in the neck, can give you brain infarction? If it was your MD then I would like to see his source of information. Now match this number of people who have died or paralyzed by an upper cervical manipulation with the deaths related from eating prescribed medicine or off the shelve medicine.
This is just absurd to hear that chiropractors kill people. Just pure ignorance.
Now it seems to me that you are not only suffering from C2/C3 or C4 vertebral misalignments but I am sure you are also effected in the lower cervicals. If you are unable to lift your arms laterally or unable to flex your arm (bicep muscle) then you maybe suffering from C5 pinched nerve. Now if you feel pain or numbness or cramps in the thumb and the index finger then you are suffering from C6 nerve root (pinched, lay-man's term). Now if you are feeling something in your middle finger or no strength in the triceps muscles then C7 is effected. Now if you are feeling pain, numbness in the last two fingers then C8 is also effected.
I can go on and on but I don't have the benefit of examining you or to see your x rays.
MommC, a good qualified / reputable chiro can cure your condition so easily that even you would be shocked.
The sad part is that you have made up your mind and accepted to become paralyzed than to let a chiro help you.
Now tell me this: does anyone understand that concept at all?
Sadly, she is not the only one who feels like her, there are many people who act and believe in what she does.
God help you. Good luck.

(P.S. Tell me if you have arthritis in your cervical spine? Are any vertebral bodies fused or about to fuse together? What is the integrity of the cervical discs? Etc etc.)

Thanks Janice......and yes to all of the above! I have a very capa ble ortho surgeon and all it takes is a phone call to get me into the regular Thursday schedule for the facet joint injections. Don't even need to see him before hand (even tho' its been a while-his office has a standing order to schedule me!!)
We've been there-done that and discussed all the options with all the relevant specialists. Plain truth of the matter is I just "wore out" about 35 years before I should have.
Thank God I'm healthy (must be all that good food I eat!! ) and have a very dense bone structure or I'd really be up the creek! I've taken up weight lifting (under strict supervision of course) to help keep it that way and was blessed by genes that have delayed the onset of menopause well past the age that it usually occurs (I also look a good 10-15 yrs younger than I really am and the hair dye helps!!)
I could have chosen surgery but the risks outweight the benefits at this point (altho'after the last 3-4 days I'm thinking about re-considering). To me a 50% chance of being paralyzed are not good enough odds just to overcome a bit of pain (well ok-intense pain at times but usually not long as yet!). Surprising as Linamia says how much pain is mind over matter....I do have constant pain but usually manage to ignore it! Now if surgery would "resolve" the problem I'd book it for NOW-this minute!! But it won't so I've chosen to delay as long as possible, which for me means as long as I can stand on my own two feet (which IS iffy some days) I'll wait to undergo the "knife".
Really I'm in pretty good shape but i sure can sympathize with those who have "bigger" problems.