Is there a doctor in the house?

Question

My right arm is suddenly so lame that I cannot adjust the rear view mirror with my right hand and I can barely get the key in the ignition with my right hand without the help of my left hand.

In the last five months I have gone from my regular MD, to a family orthopedic surgeon, now a professional-sports surgeon and most recently a brain surgeon. I have had two MRI's, two X-rays a nerve test (EMG) and four cortisone shots.

It would seem that I am in good hands, but there are two things that do not make sense to me. First is that I have two separate issues. One is a pinched nerve causing the loss of strength in my right arm and second is the garbage (bones spurs & such) and clicking/popping in my right shoulder joint that needs to cleaned up and ultimately have the joint replaced. Is this a strange coincidence maybe?

But the other thing that does not make sense to me, is that both the brain surgeon and the sports medicine guy agree that

that I have a pinched nerve according to my MRI but I do not have any of the other symptoms other that the loss of strength in my right shoulder which means to me that there is a piece missing in the puzzle and it is stopping me from surgery?

This maybe irrelevant, but my hands are somewhat swollen, both my thumbs suddenly seem arthritic, and at 62 year old my PSA level jumped from 3.9 to 7.1 in a year, but my prostate biopsy test was negative. And I am due to take another test next month (six months after the 7.1)

Answer 1

I've never heard of this particular problem before. However, if you are in need of joint replacement then I would like to mention that a lot of people travel overseas these days to countires like India, Singapore, Thailand, Mexico, etc. for their orthopedic surgeries as it's a lot cheaper over there because the cost of labor in those countries is much less as compared to the US/UK. The quality of hospitals in those countires and the services offered meet or exceed US/UK standards so there is no compromise. I know a friend who didn't have insurance and who had her hip replaced in India. She saved almost 75% of what she was quoted in the US. That covered not just the surgery but also the physiotherapy following the surgery, her travel, hospital stay, hotel stay, etc.

My friend engaged the services of a medical tourism company called Healthbase at http://www.healthbase.com. They connected her to a medical team in India that helped answer her questions and clarify all her doubts even before she actually flew there. You might wanna check them out. They also have a lot of resources online that you may find useful.

Answer 2

As i have found out MRI`s does not show everything that is wrong,,, a nerve conduction study sounds like a good idea in your case, if you have something wrong with the cervical spine, then -times out of 10 you have more problems with the spine, you need to see a neurosurgeon, he can get all the tests ordered, instead of having to go through this doctor to get to this doctor, with everyone wanting a piece of the money, a nerve conduction study will tell you what nerves is getting enough signals or not. Good Luck. As far as psa, goes ask neurosurgeon about this also, but keep a check on this it is getting up there.

Answer 3

Have you seen a neurologist? A neurologist could tell you what is causing the weakness in your right arm and could probably give you an unbiased opinion about whether the shoulder problems (or the prostate issues) are at all related. It sounds like you've already had a lot of tests, so hopefully the neurologist could just look at all the results and look at you and give you an answer. I would do that before taking the advice of people who have an incentive to operate.

Answer 4

the longer you let the bone press on that nerve the more likely you are to have permanent damage to the nerve......which means the pain will never go away. have they not at the least offered you cervical traction? there are devices to do this at home. also what about physical therapy, someone who specializes in myofascial release. do some on line reasearch and push those doctors to help you. good luck

Answer 5

maybe it is just the way you are sitting when you are driving. you may just be pressing on a nerve. try adjusting your seat , perhaps putting a seat pad on top of your other seat.or one of those seats that massage you as you sit.

Answer 6

Speak to your Doctor in a most respectful way, and just tell him your problem....that you want correct treatment and a conclusion to your problem...that you want a diagnosis, treatment plan, and above all honesty.......