Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Neck issue and Question folks...

Phew Sue - TENS $700!! Must be top of the range professional... Mine was only a Boots £29 reduced to £10. My physio advised not to go the v. expensive route as the cheaper versions would do the necessary! Dunno. Still not as yet used mine -

Molly
Keeping on Keeping on

HEY BUG yes i have had trouble swallowing since age 16.the more bent over i get the worse it gets.Hope Art and the not so little bugs are ok.
Bradford

Hi Cindy!
Yet another good suggestion! Looks like we have quite a few members with "frozen neck" issues! argh! Hate it!! Once it starts up..it just creeps up on the shoulder and gosh it makes it so uncomfortable. We bought a new used vehicle a week or so ago. It's an Impala and I love it. Its so big and roomy and the seats work great. I dont have a hard time with the "dipping in and out" of the seat when getting in and out. Thats a relief! The chevy malibu gave me much more grief!

We received a downpour of rain today..much needed!! But afterwards we were even more stiff. I took an afternoon nap and had super stiff feet and my mothers hip was stiff and Gianna's hip was stiff as well. This weather is just terrible for us right now. Good thing is we have rain coming all week for us through 4th of july which i am so glad!! Our plants are hurting so bad from the intense heat.

I have some free time tomorrow so I am going to check out the cervical collar and memory pillows!! When did you use the cervical collar Cindy? Night time or during your daily routine?

Many thanks for your suggestion!
Your pal buggy!

Hey there buggy, I hope this finds you with a little less pain
In answer to you question, day or night???? Night. My headaches are horendous at night if I move my neck from neutral position. Hope this helps you.
Cindy

I think I've had a little of what you are describing but definately not to the extent you seem to be. It's quite uncomfortable. I've also had the pain you described in the middle of my chest and that's uncomfortable as well. I didn't realize it had a name until you mentioned it.

My main neck problem (and it's actually hurting quite badly at the moment) is in the back of my neck towards the bump of my spine (for the lack of a better description). Several of my docs have said they don't think it's related to my AS diagnosis (because AS starts in the upper mid back... blah, blah, blah) although several sources on the internet say women tend to have the first AS symptoms in the neck. But I won't completely dismiss the possibility that it's not since it's the only part of my spine that hasn't responded much to my Enbrel. But then again, those on Enbrel with AS say it hasn't helped their neck either.

I get very bad headaches when my neck cramps up... to the point I throw up if I don't take a pain pill quick enough. And there are just days when no pain pill seems to help. I use a microwave heat pack called a bed buddy that I bought at Walgreens, but in the last few years I haven't used it as much because I think I have started to become really sensitive to the smell of the corn inside it and it seems to make me more likely to throw up. I think it may be an association I've made like when you get sick after eating a certain food you can't eat it for a while. I've had different versions but I like the bed buddy best because it has rope handles on each side which lets me put pressure on my neck at the same time. I also can lay on it like you would a neck pillow which provides a bit more heat and pressure though the heat pack advises against sleeping with it. Sorry but I'll put up with a burn instead any day. As my back has become worse I purchased a heating pad that is large enough to heat most of my back and I position it and my pillow so that it gets my neck also. Again, you aren't supposed to lay on the heating pad or sleep on it according to the instructions but I will take that chance when I'm hurting bad enough. A lot of times I'll put it behind me when I'm sitting at the computer or on the couch watching TV. When it hurts too much to lay, I'll prop myself on the chair with the pad behind me and fall asleep sitting up the best I can.

I have to say though, my ex had some neck issues and he tried heat and the chiropractor he went to said it aggrivated his condition more. He said he should have used ice... sooo, that's my disclaimer! lol I felt so bad for suggesting it. I've been told to alternate but I have a hard time getting comfortable with an ice pack.

A deep tissue massage of my neck and shoulder also helps a lot. It takes pain to get rid of my pain! I also have issues with my right shoulder generally when my neck acts up too. In fact if turn my head side to side while having a deep tissue massage of my right shoulder it will a lot of times pop pop pop... if it's the right kind of pop can provide instant pain relief. It's pretty loud too.

I've tried a faucet injection of my neck, a tens unit (can't get the pads to stay on my neck)... I think I can fill up a whole trunk full of things I've purchased for my back and neck hoping it would give me some pain relief. And I don't even want to know how much money I've spent over the years. People say I'm lucky that I don't have kids because they are expensive. I think I spend more on my back than a lot of people do on their kids!

I definately, without a doubt, have a lot of pain with weather and pressure changes. And it's been a rough year so far. I almost always start hurting two days before it rains. Once it rains, I get better. Sometimes pretty quickly. If it's going to rain, just rain already!

Hope you feel better soon!

Sharon

Hi brent!
Good to hear from you..sorry for late replies to you and everyone else...crazy summer! crazy flare!

I think u are correct brent! It's funny you mention the Protonix..that was my med for my LPR. About the same thing as GERD. It helped me for a long time then they had to double it. I finally got so fed up and weaned myself off a few meds. At the time my LPR and asthma was so out of control my immunologist wanted me to get off some of the meds till we could slowly figure out which med was truly helping me or possibly interfering with one that could be helping me. Lately I think that it's not the LPR but the neck changes. I just feel different. The neck is so stiff Brent. It's so frustrating. I get terrible stiffness and headaches. If the pain escalates I end up throwing up from the intensity. I never had migraines or headaches before like this.

I need to go see my GI doc very soon. My mom even told me maybe I need to get things checked out again and possibly the procedure for the LPR. I forgot what its called. I dont know what I need...CT scan or MRI to see any changes in my neck. It just makes me very uneasy when I eat. I have to eat very small bites. Not an easy thing from a VERY big eating bug.

Take care my friend... your pal turtle bug..

hi Molly,

that expensive unit is a tens/if...supposed to retrain the muscles....apparently my muscles spasm because they don't know any better...i only 1/2 believe that....i'll have to see what the PT lends me.....

sue

The TENS unit my insurance supplied me with was worth about $800. My TENS/IF stim is worth about $1500. Those babies can be really expensive, but from an insurance company's point of view they are cheaper than surgery and cheaper than Remicade and cheaper than treating serious side effects from meds and cheaper than a whole bunch of other stuff. I love my TENS. It has been a lifesaver for me at times. My IF stim was also a big help in calming down my neck.

Not everyone finds them so helpful, but they sure have been for me.

Kare

Hi Glen!
Good to hear from you my friend!
Sorry to hear that you too have had the neck issues. It settled down for a bit for me and today its back. We have more rain coming all week. So it should hopefully ease up! The humidity is still really bad even though the temps have been in the low 90's.

I did manage some gardening yesterday..or in least supervise it! Art wouldnt trust me with the huge new shovel he bought. So I had him plant my new hybrid peach hibiscus and a couple of bouganvilles. I miss the actually shoveling and stuff..but he did let me put them in and cover them up and water them. I love having gardening again. My parents were kind enough to replant my mexican ferns into the former veggie garden in the side of the house. I told my mom and robert today I was going to give them away b/c i didnt have the energy to go finding big planters for them and hauling some potting soil bags. They surprised me..I was soooo happy! With all the rain the soil was perfect! I'll take some pics later!

Please let me know how your appt goes tomorrow Glen! I will be thinking of you....take care of you and your lovely family.. your pal bug

Hey Angie,

I hope you have good luck with your neck. It can really be a pain in the..................butt?? Seriously, I hope you can find relief. I'm a bit nervous about this appointment today. I see him @ 3 P.M. Hopefully, he'll have some good news.
Really, I bet Art just wanted to use that shiny new shovel himself first. Us men like to pretend we are just "helping" our women when in fact its our way to use this cool new tool. That especaially applies when its a power tool. Like for instance I had the chance to play with my new power washer Saturday. It's pretty cool and it did a great job of cleaning the house.
Good luck on your flowers. Sounds like a lot of fun.

Glenn

P.S. I'll make a post today after I get home about my dr. appointment.