MS and Degenrative Disc Disease
Does anyone else suffer from degenerative disc disease along with ms? The pain in my back is so bad and nothing helps.
Yes, I do! Its one of the worse they have seen, because Im not overweight or anything. I have severe spinal stenosis, radiculopathy, disc bulges, scoliosis and other stuff I just cant even name! Having back problems can make it seem like MS is doing things, but you find out that Spinal Stenosis will cause numbness in the feet n loss of sensation in the legs, the cervical stenosis causes numbness in fingers too....its a horrible thing to have both things. You don't know who's doing what!! One time my doctor thought I was having a flair up, because of numbness, after 5 days of steroids......I felt so good!! But, the regular numbness came back, then he said, its your back!!
Yes I do, I have Degenerative Disc Disease, Scoliosis, Spinal Stenosis, Spondylothisesis( 2 of my Vertebrae are calapsing in on one another in my Lower Lumbar area.). I broke my neck 3 years ago. It affected the 1st,2nd Vertebraes' in my neck and the Dens area of my neck. The Dens was broken in half and is the Swivel Point in the neck which allows your head to pivot back and forth. The Dr. who did my surgery stated I will need to have Surgery for Spinal Stenosis very soon and to not wait too long. So I guess I will tell my Family Dr. to set up the surgery after the Holidays', as I was told it will be a big surgery. I am scared to death to have it done, however, more frightened to be paralyzed if I wait too long. I am also not sure how it will affect my MS, will the MS be exacerbated? I have been lucky to have not had any major health issues' until 6 years ago and now it seems everything is hitting me, all at once. At 74, I don't have the luxury of time anylonger.
Good luck on your surgery and I will pray for you!🙏🏻🙏🏻
Sincerely,
Brenda
thanks for sharing your experience, although I'm sorry to hear that it's such an involved on! You certainly have a lot going on with your neck and back. Best of luck with the surgery and when you're up for it, we would love to hear how it all goes. And please know that we'll be thinking of you and hoping that you have a speedy recovery!
- Alene, moderator
Hi,
! I know that at least a few of our members deal with degenerative disc disease and MS. I hope some of them see your post and chime in, like, did, since I know you're looking for some personal perspective on the condition. I wanted to share some of the stories community members have shared about spinal issues (like spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease). Here's one -- https://multiplesclerosis.net/stories/scoliosis-spinal-stenosis. And here's another one -- https://multiplesclerosis.net/stories/ms-diagnosis-guilt. Now, treating that pain can be a challenge, as you well know. Steroid shots can help, temporarily, but it's generally not a long term solution. Has your doctor offered any helpful treatment options? Do they just quit working after a time or do they not work at all?
Best, Erin, MultipleSclerosis.net Team Member.- I suffer also from degenerate disc plus long-time MS
I hesitate to post. My fiancée isn't diagnosed with MS (no lesions), but she has many of the symptoms and her other specialists send her to MS doctors. Anyway, she has spinal stenosis and had c5 and c6 disc replacement surgery. It was like an act of God. For ten years she hadn't really been able to move her left arm. Doctors literally told her she was mental because her left arm and right leg were not working, she couldn't lift them. They were like props. Immediately after the surgery she was able to move and use her arm. Her right leg is still not working right and is numb. Well a lot of her is numb. Our ortho surgeon said his field has come a long way in five years. She had extra symtoms for two weeks after the surgery, but they subsided. Blessings and success with your surgery.
thank you for sharing her experience. Each time one of us tells our story, it's like we're helping to tell the story for our community as a whole. Chronic illness can look different for each of us, but one thing that's the same is the resilience and endurance that we need on a daily basis. We certainly are thinking of your fiancee!
Best
Alene, moderator
