Hate to bring this up again, but prob V7…. In short I have had a bad neck, shoulder etc and pins & needles in my left arm, shoulder and left leg for 5 months! the pain has been awful, seen my GP 8 times now

Finally had an xray on my neck 3 weeks ago, seems the space in between the bones in my neck have narrowed (c6 c7 and T1) and is crushing the discs and nerves. Now I need an mri to get the full picture to see what it is but they said it could be prolapsed or herniated disc but also signs of arthritis. Now last week the pain got 100 times worse to the point I want to A&E.. im now on 3 hefty pain killers at the same time (tramadol, Voltarol and co codamol) but they would not do a scan, the doc said he was treating the pain, I said why not treat the problem? I am still in horrendous pain with the pain killers and am waiting (could be weeks) for my mri. How the heck can I get an mri sooner, something has changed and made my situation a lot worse, I would presume my GP could push for a scan straight away? I am almost crippled with this and can only just drive, cannot sleep. Worst of all is 5 months and no diagnosis!

Any advice on getting an mri pushed through quickly?

Sadly i cannot afford to go private

My nurse mum tested me years ago.

Hmm,
That should have been on the diabetes thread.

Good luck with your probs.
J.

takes the pesh, one our friends had back pain, went to GP sent for MRI same day, next day had an Op for a prolapsed disc… 24 friggin hours from problem to solution, 5 months with no diagnosis for me… nice how the NHS treat people the same

Sadly i cannot afford to go private

Its appalling that this would probably be the only option. I suppose there's some consolation that it is an option. A friend with a herniated disc and 6 months of delay this spring/summer is having the op under private care because of delays from the NHS. He's a teacher too. Unbelievable. His theory is that he'd rather be back working and paying off a loan for treatment, than lying on his back on the sofa for a day longer (maybe another 2 or 3 months). Cant really blame him.

Perhaps your friend who got the treatment you want had different symptoms? Sounds very very unusual to have surgery in 2 days for back pain so I guess there is rather more to that than you / we know.

Surgery for back pain is not terribly reliable and is very much the last resort ( especially if there are degenerative changes)- unless done privately when there is more profit in surgery so it is done quickly.

Have you asked for a second opinion / another GP yet? That was some of the advice you were given earlier.

MRI scans are not 100% sure for diagnosis either.

I had a problem with my right arm a few years ago (tricep stopped working) but was fortunate enough to be able to go private.

If I was in your position I would go back to your GP (or another in the same practice – especially if there's one whose sporty) and firmly but pleasantly demand a high priority MRI scan – and I mean demand.

If I remember correctly the only really effective treatment for nerve pain is one of the anti-depressants but can't remember which one or how it is administered.

As for me – time ultimately was the healer.

Good Luck

Afraid there are waiting lists in the nhs on account of how its funded. Always have been always will be.
Don't compare your condition to others who got treated quicker. No 2 cases are alike.You'll just end up even more frustrated.
From the description of your friend's problem he would have had to have had cauda equina syndrome which can potentially cause permanent paralysis. If we see that we send you in the same day.
Pain on its own is not a reason for an urgent mri scan, but progressive weakness of the limbs would be, or permanent sensory changes numbness etc.
At the end of the day the reason for having the MRI is to see if there is something potentially surgically treatable. We are talking spinal cord surgery on the neck here. Only ever a last resort. If the mri is negative the surgeon can't help.
Having said that you shouldn't be in pain. talk to your GP about pain relief. "pain patches" are often effective and have less side effects than high dose strong pain killers
Best of luck

I have seen more than 1 gp, 4 in total. It seems the ultimate problem is my spine spaces have collapsed and this is the issue, wether I have herniated or prolapse disc is another matter, they should have done an MRi in the 1st place as the Xray was untimatley a waste of time.. I said this at the time and knew I would be back for an MRI… I need an MRI as in the words of the GP "you need to see a nuro sergeon, but to get to one you need an MRI for them to look at" why the fek this takes 5 and a half months is beyond me. Problem is as it is in my neck, I can still walk, our friend had a prolapsed disc in her lower back so mobility was effected hence being seen straight away…. so same problems, different area of the back.

While I have sympathy with you I tell you 3 times – your friend getting surgery within two days would be very very unusual for a prolapsed disc.

Re read Docrobsters post.

If it was just pain I would not mind…. my left arm has constant pins & needles, left leg at times, arm has numbness and loss of feeling in the fingers, arm goes dead and very heavy 30 times a day or so!…

My wife suffered a prolapsed disc lower down her spine but has not had surgery. Never mind surgery at such short notice.
Physio and pain management.
If its any help, amytriptylene (sp) on a night helped greatly with the pain/muscle spasm to such an extent that she is thankfully off the codeine based pain killers most of the time.

The OP is talking about his neck not lower spine.
Whole different ball game risk wise. A slip of the knife at C3 level and you stop breathing. At L5 you might not walk again but it would't be fatal.
Neurosurgeons do necks, orthopaedic surgeons do backs. (tho n/surgeons do those as well). Tells you a lot about the technical difficulties of the operation. One is used to operating on something with the consistency of toothpaste and where 1mm can be the difference between talking/not talking or seeing/not seeing, the other uses black and decker drills and plays rugby…
And yes amitriptylline is a very helpful drug for neuropathic pain like this- and is really hard to spell!
Again talk to your GP about pain relief. Don't think you can demand an urgent MRI though as someone suggested above, unless you would like to nominate the person ahead of you in the queue whose place you are going to take.
MRIs don't cure pain. They help surgeons make decisions.

I believe that a drug called Gabapentin (?sp) is good for neuropathic pain. I would see if you can receive some NHS physio if cash is tight. If you can afford it try an osteopath, private physio or chiropractor, personal recommendation is best. Surgery is a last resort & it doesn't seem that you have been through all the other options yet.

I have had 5 months of intensive physio… it has made it worse

Just reread the op. If you are getting symptoms in both the left arm & leg I would want a neurologists opinion, & be fairly insistent about it. Inability to sleep seems to generate action by the NHS, try emphasising that.

re: MRI waits, you should be seen within 6 weeks – that's the maximum currently allowed for normal referrals (most people are seen within 4 weeks) – the tricky bit might be getting your GP to refer.

Well I spoke to my GP they have referred me but have agreed to push the MRI though as I am in a bad way.. the pain is 9/10 and I cannot sleep, the pain killers are not good as they render me into a mess of spaced out and off the planet. I think they did say I need an MRi and the opinion of a nuro sergeon. Hopefully this will get sorted this year, I would quite like to ride again sometime!!