Hi all,

I've popped in and out over the last couple of years to complain about
my neck pain and the various diagnoses I've had. I tried just about
everything I could think of to make it feel better, from yoga and other
kinds of exercise, traction, physical therapy, cortisone injections,
and medication (vicodin and nortriptylene). An MRI showed a ruptured
disk at C6-C7.

The shortened version of this story is that I finally had surgery last
Thursday to remove the disk, and I'm so glad I did it. The pain is
almost all gone, and when the incision site is healed, I think the pain
will be entirely gone. The strength in my left arm (the one affected by
the pinched nerve) has come back virtually overnight. Of course, I'll
have to do some work to regain the muscle mass and so on, but I'm
pleased as can be. And pretty zoned out on percocet at the moment!

I can start weaning myself from the nortriptylene and vicodin
immediately--what a treat it will be to get my body free of those
drugs. Although, one positive side effect of the percocet has been that
I don't feel much like eating, which is truly remarkable for me.

My daughters have been sweet, taking care of me instead of me taking
care of them this time. I'll take a few more days off of work, then
start working from home to get back into the swing of things. With my
new wireless router, I can even work in comfort from my rocking chair.

I wish I could share this good luck--you all have my wishes for a pain
free evening and comfortable days ahead.

Cheers,

Evelyn (mother of Elena, who has JRA
       and Pancha, who has FMS)