Neck Update

It's been a while since I've updated about my neck and it's perhaps something some of you have been wondering about especially since I was able to see a number of doctors when we were home in January.

Long story short....after seeing my doctor, a sports medicine doctor, an orthopedic surgeon, a thoracic outlet specialist, a physiotherapist and a neurophysiologist - I have a list of things that I DON'T have. I don't have thoracic outlet syndrome (at least it's very unlikely). I don't have a pinched nerve in my neck (an electrodiagnostic study showed that my nerves are completely healthy). It's not my rotator cuff.  I DO have arthritis in my sternoclavicular joint (where my clavicle meets my sternum) and first rib joint (the joint where my first rib meets my sternum). The thoracic outlet specialist also told me that I have a very "messed up" spine for "someone so young" and he ordered an MRI for my C-spine which will not happen until sometime in December.

Several doctors alluded to but did not diagnose myofascial pain syndrome which according to my long list of symptoms seems to check all the boxes. Myofasical pain syndrome is a chronic pain disorder caused by a disfunction in the connective tissue that runs between and around all your muscles in a specific area - in my case, my upper back and neck. Essentially it causes your muscles to be really tight all of the time, which causes knots called trigger points. These trigger points refer pain to completely unrelated areas - for example - I have a knot in my back that, when pressed, makes my wrist hurt and another one that feels like crushing chest pain. Treatment includes medication, physiotherapy and massage. My doctor prescribed me some medication to help me sleep and since returning to Zap in February I have been going faithfully for massages twice a week. I also have discovered some topical medications that have menthol in them and that seems to be the key to them working well for pain relief. I still have very bad pain especially on days when we are really busy (stress-related) but for the most part my pain has been somewhat manageable since returning.

I had no idea how much the massages were helping until we went to Spain. I go for massages every Monday and Thursday and we left on a Tuesday - so by Friday I was in SO MUCH PAIN! I had terrible migraines caused from neck pain, sore clavicle, shoulder and arm, pain so overwhelming! I missed my massage lady so badly!! It was nice to find out that something I'm doing is actually helping.

So that's where things stand right now. Some days are okay and some days are awful but God is good and gets me through. Thank you so much for continuing to pray for me.

*ALSO* see my last post about Spain where God healed part of my back!!*