Cervical spinal stenosis & spondylosis

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sugardoodle31

Hi all hope you’re okay!
My MRI:

Advanced spondylotic changes at the age of 35, at C4/5 and C5/6 with severe right C5 C4 foraminal stenosis compressing the existing right C5 root and accounting for C5 radiculopathy. Minor left C4/5 and bilateral C5/6 foraminal stenosis.

This was diagnosed in Sept 24, and I was referred for spinal surgery. I’m losing the ability to use my right arm and hand, and in the past week my neck pain is worse and my left hand has begun to tingle too.
The referral wasn’t sent properly apparently, so there’s a minimum wait of 50 weeks from today to be seen, as urgent.
I can’t afford private.

I’m on so much medication my heads always a bit floaty, but it never fully takes away the pain. I’m slowly losing the ability to do more in the home which is annoying the living daylights out of me.
I also have issues with my knees but not sure if connected but defo OA there, I have physio which is doing nothing. I can barely walk.

I’m 36 now with two kids, can’t work, but every day I feel like I’m becoming closer to being permanently disabled.

Does anybody have any advice? I am pestering my GP like crazy, they’ve referred me everywhere and I’m being turned away and I feel like I’m being destined to a bed for the rest of my life.

Skyla

I've also had every referral rejected for the last 6 years. Can't get to even see a specialist. Even the pain clinic refused a nerve block that previously issued them. Can't get to see a neurosurgeon and have bilateral foraminal stenosis, spondylosis, disc bulges C3,4,5,6 7, arthritis. ME and fibro. I have lost the use of my arms and hands due to limited range of movement and severe pain with burning paresthesia, neuropathic pain. No Dr takes it seriously and when they refer me, they never include all of this info. They pu lt that I have some C4 never compression that's of no significance because some physio clinician who never met me, read my MRI and wrote that I had a possible tight trapezius and nerve compression of C4 with no significance. The radiology report makes it very clear that her report is wrong and the anaesthetist I saw a few years ago even shook his head saying she was very wrong and wrote to my doctor requesting a referral to a specialist so the doctor referred me back then but it got rejected twice.

Now every time a Dr sends off for a referral, they quote what this physio clinician wrote who never met me and just gob me off with pills which I've been on for the last 33 years of my life.

Now I have bowel issues. Last year with 6 ulcers and gastritis with mild liver damage which is no surprise and now daily stomach pains with an inability to eat food with IBD symptoms I'm still trying to get a diagnosis for or at least to see what's going on. One Dr was dismissive and used the old " oh its because you're thinking about it" and did nothing other than gaslight me.

Yesterday I received my PIP form so my stress levels are making it impossible to sleep on top of my pain etc etc.

I have spoken to PALS but I've not got help from anyone to help with doing the admin they've asked me to do. I'm so fatigued that doing these tasks makes it impossible.

I've asked CAB for help with my review form that I have been given 3 weeks to do but they say they're full to capacity.

It's so much to cope with and can't seem to get any help from anyone. Just don't know what to do myself.

Sorry you're also going through this:(