Neck and Neck

I’m still progressing on a slow, downward slope. The result of my first visit for a medical evaluation was that I had some tendinitis in my shoulder. Steroids didn’t fix it. Exercise didn’t seem to be doing anything. So I made an second appointment and waited two weeks for a new evaluation.

Dr. Bevers’ first question was ‘When was the car accident?’ I haven’t had anything, including sudden braking, happen in more than four years. I aced his motor function and mobility exam. So the next escalation is to take some x-rays. Which were inconclusive. So on to an MRI. And wait another two weeks for that appointment.

The MRI was not fun. Lying on my back for twenty-three minutes; no problem. But listening to FM radio; really? The tech was more than happy to chose any radio station that they could receive. I opted for KOSU’s classical music over the country music norm. I needn’t have bothered. This MRI wasn’t like in hospital shows. It was more like an old cuisinart. Imagine trying to listen to Mussorgsky while Ray Charles practices a few Hammond Organ riffs. And as soon as they slid me into the drawer, my shoulder started pinching. But ‘hold still’ (for twenty-three minutes).

So, I’ve gone from occasional tingling and numbness for a few minutes a day to most of the day dealing with some level of discomfort and the odd pressure. I shouldn’t complain too much, and I don’t, because the actual pain level is rarely more than a two on a scale of ten. But something isn’t right, and I’d like it fixed.

Time passes. It apparently takes two weeks to get an evaluation on the MRI as Dr. Braly’s office is very busy. Their diagnosis is ‘moderate stenosis between c5-c6 and c6-c7’. They’ve scheduled me for an injection on 8/13. Did you catch that? Another two weeks.