I had a CT scan done of my Cervical spine (neck) 8 months ago. The report concluded that there was no "significant" abnormality.
In the last 6 months, I have been experiencing severe, chronic neck pain associated with terrible headaches and even trouble breathing at times. Most of the time, the pain is dull, heavy, aching and throbbing. But other times, it can be sharp, shooting, and stinging. The pain occasionally radiates into both of my shoulders, collarbones, biceps, and forearms- and even down into the upper thoracic spine area. My arms feel fatigued and totally exhausted with even minimal exertion and the tips of a couple of my fingers sting, and then they go numb. I can only write for about 5 minutes, then my right hand starts to seize up, I lose muscle control, and it goes spastic. Then it feels like the hand is locking up...then it goes weak...and I have allmost no power to clench my fist.
Also, I get muscle spasms in the neck, but also in the soft tissues surrounding the collarbones, shoulders, biceps, and forearms.
I have trouble swallowing sometimes. I have over-active or over-responsive reflexes, like my head suddenly jerking to the side for a second while watching TV, or I'll be using the computer mouse, and my arm will just bang into the wall. It does not matter what I do, I just cannot get in a comfortable position with my pillow. My neck never feels relaxed. Valium/Ativan? They do not work. The only thing that takes the pain away is OxyContin- but I hate that drug, and I am searching for a medication that is effective and not addictive. My hands are completely bombarded with tremors, my eyelids will not stop twitching, and now and again I feel strange sensations that come and go- all over the face, around the head, the jaw, and the arms- like someone is lightly caressing my skin with cotton candy.
Is it possible for degenerative changes to occur in the neck in as little as 8 months? Do these symptoms indicate that there has been a rapid onset of deterioration? Is it possible that there could be old AND new findings that were not detected on the CT that an MRI scan would detect? I think I need an MRI for further investigation. Your thoughts?
Some information you might want to know:
PREVIOUS MRI REPORTS: Thoracic, Lumbar, and Brain.
Upper back: Moderate kyphosis, disc degeneration at T3&T4 with T4 2mm disc protrusion, multiple level bilateral facet joint arthritis, osteophytosis and sclerosis.
Lower: Congenital central lumbar canal stenosis at L1/2 to L4/5, L5/S1 disc degeneration and narrowing present/desiccation expected to follow.
Brain: Normal Examination.
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