Yes, my worst pain is in my neck, and I had a discectomy and fusion because a disk had disintegrated so far I had "bone on bone" and pinched nerves. This showed up as "moderate arthritis and stenosis on an x-ray but was much more serious when detected on an MRI. I didn't get as much pain relief as I hoped for so now I'm going to get a steroid injection. The operation helped my hands and arms. The rest of the neck has arthritis and one disk is bulging, but not pinching nerves yet.
I've been taking Tramadol for a long time, and it helps my nerves, but not the pain so much. I hate the side effects if I try to quit taking it though, it's like having the flu! This is even if I try to go 12 hrs. without taking it. It is a synthetic opioid and although it used to be considered non-narcotic it is being, or has been, reclassified. My new Dr. does not like to prescribe it, so I am going to try to wean off it again.
I may try Neurontin (Gabapentin) again, since I had some success with it previously, and no side-effects. It is used for many symptoms off-label.
90% of the pain I had in my joints and lower back went away when I quit gluten.
Originally Posted by
TanyaL
I have found that my worse arthritis has started with bone injuries verified with xrays. Is this true with others?