I have cervical myelopothy C5/6
On an average day my pain levels never go below 6, when I experience a flair up usually its 8- to 10 , and the flair ups can last for weeks until it subsides,
I’m constantly dropping thing, all glass ware in my house was changed to plastic, I have ceramic floors.. I have no feeling in my hands; I can feel pressure, but no sensation. In other words I can not tell if I’m touching sand paper or concrete, and touching steel is very unpleasent.My right side has been most affected. I can still use my arms and fingers I just got to focus on the task on hand. I learned to compensate, by applying thought and patients, relearning tasks that healthy people take for granted.
I will give you a prime example; a typical day , I make my self a mug of hot coffee, I hold it in my right hand (I’m right handed) as long as I’m mentally aware that the mug is in my hands everything appears normal the second the phone rings and my concentration is broken ,another one bites the dust,
I find it amazing how the human body can adapt to changes. I had to re learn just about everything, I always must be aware of my present surroundings. My physical situation does not compare, pain wise, to my skin sensation. With out medication, touching any thing is quit unpleasent some time down right painfull,
I can say this is the most debilitating for me,
This is the reason I have such trouble describing my pain to some one:
My neck/head/shoulder blade area –burning, itchy pins and needles, always stiff and a dole soreness, but constant. most of the time not bad enough to incapacitate me but bad enough to drive me nuts, then there is my right fore arms, in a flair up situation I’m convinced its going to explode just below the elbow, this pain usually radiates to my fingers which are constantly stiff and pain full but still usable.
Then there are my legs. Extreme itchy, burning, ants crawling, those pesky shooting pains which usually hit with out warning; sharp stabbing pains in my ankles and feet mostly. This lasts maybe a few seconds, boy do they hurt. My legs are wobbly , they work but not like most peoples, once again I have to focus on my stride. When I walk my right leg has a tendency to drag a bit. Two winters ago I was walking on ice and some one blew their car horn behind me before I new it I was in the hospital with a spiral a tibia fracture.
And for the icing on the cake these nasty muscle spasms
My neurologist tells me that most of the sensations I’m experiencing is caused by the myelopothy sending wrong signals to the brain,
In other words its all in my head?
I still love life

John from montreal