Nothing trivial I assure you. Didn't mean to really share so much but just getting on the computer a few times helps me to feel 'normal' again. I drive an 18-wheeler over the road here in the US. I was taken off in an ambulance Friday because of pain from a bulging disk in my neck right at the base of the skull. They say there is nothing that will need to be fixed surgically. Can't find any pinched nerves or anything like that. Really they have no clue what is causing the pain.Had an MRI, had a cat scan, then had a spinal tap to check for viral and other problems. All clean. ( Can't wait for the bill for all this! Talk about pain!! ).

I'll see my doctors on Monday and they will review everything and see what they know. Probably a little squirrel soup and I'll be back to normal. What do city doctors know anyway?

Think it's just going to be finding the right combination of pain meds and muscle relaxers just to get me through till I heal on my own. Who knows? But it is really awful right now.

Thanks for giving me a place to vent here. You guys and gals sure are something. Hope I'm back to 'normal' soon.

Wishing you a speedy recovery! The venting here is priceless. I used it myself a couple of years ago when I had heart trouble. These guys here surely were able to cheer me up.

My hospital bill: $23000+ and climbing

My CoffeeCup buddies - Priceless!

The hospital bill is one thing, but your health is the main issue and we all wish you well on your recovery.

always a day late and a dollar short here, but better late then never to hope you feel better soon Gunsmoke. Hopefully it's not anything too serious. I have 2 herniated disks in my neck that have been there for the good part of 10+ years and so far it's only made me have to do an injection here and there to solve the problems for a while. Maybe that's all it is for you too? MRI should/should have found that though so I guess we'll wait and see what they tell you. Good luck on it and here's hoping for minor injuries that can be dealt with easily!

Gunsmoke / Lance,

If you hear the message that surgery is indicated to deal with your problem, I recommend you get a second opinion, maybe a third as well. The spine is a tricky area. If you look at the spine as a mechanical assembly, you see that it is rather under-designed for the work it must do. Also, depending upon what surgery might be indicated, it may be that drilling through one or more vertebrae is required. I speak as the owner of two herniated lumbar discs who has considered this problem.

It's hard to know whether one is better off intervening medically and palliatively, as Jo Ann is doing, or cutting into discs or bone, or maybe doing nothing but resting and carefully exercising. No one really knows how a particular individual is going to do with even the most skillful, best advised surgery. And then, there are more and less skillful surgeons out there.

Not to freak you out, but proceed with caution.

Already freaked! Good advice on the second/third opinion though. Right now the doc I saw in Texas ( spinal specialist ) says it does not look like anything that would require surgery to fix. He suggests muscle relaxers and pain control along with physical therapy. I go Monday to see my country doctor and see what he advises. I'm just hoping they can find a non-narcotic to deal with this as I work through it. The narcs ( 4 out of 6 of my current meds ) are really making me feel worse that the original problem.
And you don't even want to see a portion of the list of side affects these drugs can cause . . .

I'll update after I see the doc on Monday.