new neck pain

Shelby,

I have been suffering with neck and shoulder (in the back area). Mine gets aggravated by simply sitting or walking and it gets worse at night. My MO scared the heck out of me by ordering a CT scan followed by an MRI. All this right before my daughter's wedding. But it is not MBC… I have a bone spur and a torn tendon in the rotator cuff. Kinda common as we get older. My ortho doc took several X-rays specifically looking for the bone spur and he found it.  So try not to let your mind go to the dark side. But I would tell your MO so that the right tests can be ordered. Take a deep breath and try not to worry. I am of course not a doctor, but if you read some of my posts from May of this year you will see that I was in the same state of mind you are. Your situation really sounds like mine. I am having arthroscopic surgery on 10/6. Hope I helped…it is much more likely to be an arthritic problem than MBC.

Jenifer

I have "mild" (?) congenital spine problems. It's a family thing. My Dad had it, my brother has it, my cousin has it (and he bought into the surgery recommendation which does not have a great prognosis for lumbar problems so he's had multiple surgeries and is still in constant pain and on disability).  I told my doc I didn't want to fuse my spine. So, while I once needed a cane to stand in lines, succumbed to a handicapped parking placard for a year, and often walked bent over and sideways - I am still operation-free at 55.  I have scoliosis, arthritis, herniated discs, and severe central canal stenosis. So I'm just explaining that I'm no stranger to back pain. I would think yours sounds like a "pinched nerve" by the way you describe how it happened as you sat up.  Sometimes my problems start when I strain myself.  But more often it is a slight move or none at all.  My first pains were in my neck/shoulder area, as early as Jr. High.  I might sneeze, or flip my head over to dry my hair - and the sharp pain would start.  People made fun of me in school when I said sommersaults hurt (not diagnosed until my twenties when the x-ray tech couldn't understand why she wasn't getting a STRAIGHT x-ray of my spine.  I require meds for MRIs because I can't lie on my back well (though I'm a lot better these days). I once had someone come up behind me and just gently surprise my by touching my waist and my back "went out."  I leaned over into my car's trunk and my back "went out." I turned over in bed and my back "went out."  MOST, but not all, of these were lower back.  But my neck does it too.

I haven't found much help for the pain, I just soldier on because we have to. I'm so sad to see my daughter also has it (scoliosis, a prominent vertebra, and slumped shoulders--and she's already showing symptoms). I just tried to strengthen my muscles in the area--I don't know if it worked but I've been a lot worse than I am now.

The reason I'm going into all this is to say that a quick pain like that can be a lot of things, but I've personally found it to be an impinged nerve. Unfortunately I don't have much to suggest because I'm still dealing with nerve pain/problems in my cranial nerves (Which can be due to cervical impingement as well) - but I just wanted to say that there are a number of things that could be taking place other than mets. So best luck to ya. Hope you get some relief.

Whatnow, I too have scoliosis, quite severe, but never had surgery!  However, since rads, it has been giving me a lot of troubles!!  I've been looking into a new brace called Spinecor!  Just thought I'd mention it in case you didn't know about it!  Google it!  It may be very helpful to your daughter!!  I'm in the process of looking into getting one for myself!!  I have a double or "S" curve and was borderline needing surgery as a teenager, but I'm 50 now and still have managed without surgery but this latest pain is a little difficult to live with!