Hello,

I have been diagnosed with cervical spondylosis and cervical disk herniation. I have to go in to get surgery next month, the procedure is anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion.

I am due out of the Coast Guard at the end of September. I went through tap class and made a copy of all my medical records and contacted my DAV rep in the Seattle area where I am moving to.

I am wondering if anyone out there has had, or knows someone who has filed for disability for this condition and what they have been awarded. Everyone I ask wont speculate on a % for this, but they all seem to think I will get rated.

I also have frequent headaches that are documented from this condition. Any information would be appreciated.

Frozen...

Just curious because I've been diagnosed with "disorders of the cervical spine" and they haven't been willing to go any further than that yet... But when/where do you get your headaches at? Mine are at the base of my skull right at the first few vertebrae and are worse when I first wake up. The docs prescribed 200mg of Celebrex twice a day and I've been taking it for about 4 years now. I'm looking to get some type of fix rather than taking pills for the rest of my life.

Mine start at the base of my skull and move up to a full on migrane. I have never experienced true migrains before this but I can tell you they are not pleasant.

This all started as I thought I had a pinched nerve, and it didnt go away. I went to the doctor and he sent me for an x-ray. The x-ray identified a possible problem so he sent me for a MRI.

The MRI indicated the issue and I was placed on physical therapy for a month (with no results) and then sent to a Cervical Spine specialist. He put me on a cycle of steriods for a month and it did not help, and now the surgery is scheduled.

I would suggest getting a cervical x-ray, if it shows anything they will probably get you an MRI to isolate exactly where the problem lies.

I've had two MRI's and both say "straightening of the cervical lordosis and disk degenerative disease".

My MRI was

C5-6 Cervical Degenerative Disease

C5-6 Large Right Paracentral/Foraminal Disk Herniation with associated moderate to severe spinal stenosis

C6-7 Focal Right Foraminal Disk Osteophyte Complex resulting in Right Neural Foraminal Stenosis

I dont understand it much at all other than the pictures my doctor showed me, and the surgery procedure.

Hope it was helpful

I had my c6-7 fused in NOV of 06, I thought about filling for a dis % but decided I would rather stay in. For info sakes expect to be in a hard coller for several months, and your looking at a total recovery time of about a year. This is a nasty surgery, not saying I regret it I'm doing great now I will get some numbness in my finger tips every now and then but all in all I'm 100% back to normal. Just so you know you can't get out untill your fit for full duty and if your expecting to be 100% by sept and able to do any physcial labor you should really think again, I spent last summer working for my father-in-law doing construction and there was a lot I couldn't do due to pain, and loss of mobility/strengh and that was 6-8 mo afterwards.

had c5/6 done in 2000 while at AFSNCOA, back to work in 21 days, soft collar for 14 days and try not to sneeze for a month. FFD in 6 months.

had c6/7 done in 2002 or 3 can't remember exactly which, soft collar for 14 days, back to work in 21 days, FFD in 6 months.

Both were fully fused and have metal work with screws to back it all up.

2006 had L4/5 done, full metal bracing with six screws; 30 days laying around, had a hard fiberglass full ab wrap around brace for 45 days, FFD in 9 months.

Next will be L5/S1...hopefully not soon.

Do what the docs tell you...faithfully including the PT.

Sounds like ya'll are worse off than me... It's hell getting old isn't it?

All I know is that I wake up every morning with a splitting headache that goes from the back of my neck all the way up and around me head to the left side of my face. And after taking 2400mg Vitamin M for about 4 years, they switched me to 400mg of Celebrex and pushed me out the door, and that was 4 years ago.

Did any of you have to push to get something done? I'm just wondering how much more I need to start complaining.

I had a cervical discectomy with fusion at C5-6 last April 11th. Held together with a Titanium plate and 4 screws. Surgery, while several hours long (around 4; came to in my room) I was standing and walking later that afternoon. Went home the 2nd day after surgery (DR offered to let me go home the day after but I was really "out of it" and felt better off staying one more day. No neck brace. from the day of surgery to fit for full duty - 4 months. I'm a federal law enforcement officer; the only permanent restriction is no overtime; 8 hours a day only. (still have lower back issues)

You will have an option - with the fusion they will harvest a piece of bone for [i]filler[/]. It either comes from your hip or a cadaver. Several people I have spoken to gave their own bone, from their hip. To a person they all said the pain from the graft (bone from the hip) took longer to go away and was more painful then the neck surgery. If you don't smoke (its been almost 14 years for me) then your neck will heal faster.

Now the VA Question. I was rated for 20% for my cervical disc problems. After the surgery the VA re-evaluated me - and still am at 20% for that. I am 80% overall...

I've been through similar pains and had C5-6 fused.

The VA broke my claim down into quadrants. Degenerative disc disease thoracolumbar spine 20%, degenerative disc disease cervical spine 10%, Lumbar radiculopathy and peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity, and Lumbar radiculopathy and peripheral neuropathy, right extremity. The neuropathy is due to my diabetes. They do not give a rating for degenerative disc disease. They break it down into sections...this keeps the overall rating lower.

You will have to take the needle nerve test for the VA. This was extremely painful for me because I had a dead zone. When they hit the dead zone the juice is turned to max. As soon as they moved the needle out of the dead zone they would have to peal me off the roof (nothing like max juice into good nerves).

The VA could care less about pain. The rating is set by range of motion. The more you can bend the less the rating, the less the higher.

They also gave me 0% for the scars from the surgery. 0% is set in case something happens in the future. My combined rating in the end was 80%.

I'm in the appeal process for other things. This is a long process and what is obvious to me or you is not to them.

Example One of my appeals: th Va deturmined:
1. I had the condition when I was in service.
2. I had it after service.
3. The condition was not seen during my VA C&P so it was not deemed by the VA as chronic and there for it is not defined as service related.

Every Dr I've seen during my appeal process has said the same thing. This condition once diagnosed is always considered chronic in nature. It was the primary reason I retired. But I was on medication at the time of my C&P so it was not seen. They never considered my medication nor the chronic nature of this order.

My problem is that my Doctor does not want to use the word chronic for this order. It is like the doctor having to mention that our heart beats in order for us to live. No one has to be a doctor to know this. But the VA wants it in witting. And the doctors feel foolish having to mention something that is so obvious as your heart beats in order for you to live. I believe the final VA rating people are not doctors at all and must see it in black and white before they will give a final rating.

On a positive note I got more than I claimed. I'm now appealing the obvious and that is the appeal process...

Yeah, I've had the "needle test" done 3 times over the past 10 years, and it ain't pretty!!!

They did it for my Lumbar once and twice for cervical.

When they did my Lumbar they hit a spot in my lower back and I almost soiled myself.

Also, what I found out that I thought was kinda funny(not ina HA-HA way) was that there is no more reading and interpreting of the results bya human being.

The machine they use to "electrocute you" is slaved thru a computer and afta the test the computer spits out a report and thats it. No human input.

No observations from the expert giving the tests. And the VAMC I go to; VAMC Jamaica Plain Ma, has two guys working the EMG lab been doing it at least 15 years each. Very nice gentleman, VERY well versed in what they do. And what they observe of you while administering the tests IS NOT included in the final report.

NO "when I did such and such a test on the patients such and such area he howled in pain and almost came off the exam table", NO " when I did the test here every muscle in both of the patients legs contracted and then went into spasm", NO "when the tests were done the patient couldn't get off the exam table and reports at follow up that after the last test he could barely walk for the next two weeks".

NONE of that is in these tests anymore. Now its just straight findings of how long it took the electrical impulse to travel from point A to point B-JRC

ps- the VA absolutely doesn't like to use the word "chronic" in association with any SC injury. Chronic means they own it. Who says VA Medical doesn't work EXACTLY the way VA Admin tells it too!!!

Just got a letter from the VA in the mail yesterday stating that they recieved my claim. I am going through my DAV rep in the state of Washington, as I was told this was the best route to take, they seem to get you a better % than going straight through the VA as I understand.

You guys have me paranoid now about this shock test.

Nah, don't get paranoid about it, just understand what it is and what the potential of the test is, both in how ya can possibly feel afterwards and how the test results may or may not play into any decision they make.

And about using the DAV- Welp, I'm a lifemember and have been since I 1st got out of the military back in the 80's( I was granted an sc 3 months after I got out, I had gone to the VA 2 weeks after I got out. Things worked ina slightly different way back then)and my final case spent almost 5 years being horsed around by the VA. And I had a rep from the DAV "representing me", and I "fired him" and revoked my POA to the DAV just a bit more than halfway thru, and shoulda done it even sooner than that.

TOTALLY inadequate "representation", too the point that representation isn't even the right word to use. And YES, I know I'm not the only "plaintiff" on the DAV's roster.

Its ABSOLUTELY imperative you DEMAND open lines of communication with your DAV rep and that they ABSOLUTELY don't "sign off" on anything(which you've given them the absolute legal right ta do so in signing the POA)until discussing it with you and you've given them permission to.

Course, they DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT and their signature or initials on any VA paperwork is just as valid as yours is. And there ain't a blooming thing ya can do about it if they do sign something on your behalf that maybe ya wouldn't have-JRC