lotus
Dear special person, yes, I have suffered with neck pain for years and years. I am 43 now. I had been in a couple of car accidents but thought nothing of it at the time. I have had several other injury-traumas to my neck, as well as when I move muscles a certain way--as in pulling a boat anchor up, I was in very severe pain for a few months. Nothing helped. chiropractors, physical therapy (some relief but not permanent), orthopedics, soma, motrin, vioxx, etc. The neck pain acts up after or during some types of activites, such as typing and sitting too long in front of PC. I also get severe migraines. Immitrex used to work. not anymore. tried elavil as a preventative. No go. Now, I have gone to pain management, after insisting upon getting a MRI which showed disc problems, not severe enough for surgery, but enough to press against the spinal cord and nerves, causing pain down my left arm and hand. My index finger is numb. I had 3 cortisone injections. No relief. Finally, went through narcotics, 10-20 mg hydrocodone or morphine, which does bring relief to the pain and the headaches. I am trying to get disability. I dont want to be hooked on narcotics, besides now I am getting rebound headaches. so off to another neurologist who has put me on depakote. but I am skeptical. I have had relief-temporarily from acupuncture. I think massage and acupuncture, heat therapy, traction, etc. help but it is an ongoing process. it will never go away. so I hang my head slightly off the edge of the bed occasionally, take nice aromatherapy baths with epsom's salts, or soak my feet in epsom's salts with an ice pack on my head or neck. If I had not insisted on the MRI, I would never have gotten anywhere with any doctors, all they wanted to do, is give me motrin or vioxx. the pain can be very incapacitating, I have at times not been able to barely move or nod my head. but like one doc said to me, its like lightning, you never know when it will hit. so all thats left for me is pain management, and I will continue with herbal therapy and acupuncture. good luck to you. the worst part was having pain and no one would give me anything for it that worked, which for me, was narcotics and the above stated procedures. i also am going to ask this doc for physical therapy. I find that helpful. hang in there!!