Is dizziness associated with cervical stenosis?

[spinches]

I have for the past couple years been experiencing a kind of dizziness, not a spinning sensation but more like the aftereffects of a sedating drug. It has been lasting longer in recent months (hours or days). I used to notice when I felt it, and now I am more likely to notice when I don't feel it, because I feel it so much of the time. It gets more intense when I turn while walking, or when I am sitting at my desk and reach down for the lowest file cabinet drawer.

My neurologist thinks this is a symptom of my stenoses at C 5-6 and 6-7. All four of the surgeons I consulted dismissed this opinion and showed no interest in the dizziness. My neurological exams are always normal, and that is what they seem to regard as the best evidence for or against myelopathy.

Has anyone else had this symptom? If you had surgery for stenosis, did the dizziness get better?

Sandra

[Katie]

Hi Sandra. I haven't experienced that exact symptom but have had other funky things happen and had them completely dismissed by doctors. They later disappeared after surgery.

I would question the one that thinks it is related and ask how it is caused...what is the root of the issue so to speak. The body is very complex and just because a doctor hasn't come across something doesn't mean it isn't real.

[spinches]

Thank you Katie, that is a good idea to talk to the doctor who suggested a connection. It was the neurologist. After seeing my MRI, she wondered if I was feeling dizzy when I looked up or down, because of probable compression of the spinal cord in those head positions. I hadn't brought up the dizziness I was feeling because I didn't know it might be related to the numbness and pain that caused me to call the doctor.

The neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons I have consulted (4 of them) have shown no interest in this symptom, nor have they shown much interest in any of the neurologist's tests (nerve conduction studies, EMG). I have been wondering if surgeons rely primarily on what they can see visually and on what they can feel with their hands. They do give a lot of credibility to what I tell them about my muscle strength. One of them told me that testing my arm strength at the gym was the best way to know if I have nerve damage.

After I saw the neurologist and was diagnosed, I thought I would get clear and consistent recommendations from the surgeons about what to do or not do next. I have been very surprised by the degree to which surgical opinions vary, and how much they are based on guess work, personal biases, commitments to their teacher's philosophies, etc. It is obvious that not much is known at this point about how to treat the spine. I certainly don't blame the surgeons for not knowing. I just thought medicine was more advanced in this area than it is. I am grateful to have the support of so many well-informed people on this website as I try to reach major decisions in the absence of consistent medical opinions.

Sandra

[Katie]

Oh, nothing surprises me about the medical system anymore, after five years of battling for my spine.

I would suggest sending your images and symptoms out to some of the top international surgeons, as most of us here have done. Most do not charge for a consult, and in one of my first from NYC, he was adamant that I get immediate help with my cervical levels, after ones here dismissed me completely. He got my images on a Thursday and I had an appointment on the following Tuesday, across the US border and eight hours away.

Every international surgeon said I was urgent, but nothing was being done here at home. I trust the out of country ones much more...just my opinion of course. The fact that they were right does help cement my two cents though

Trust your gut and keep digging for an answer.

[spinches]

Katie, I have received an evaluation by Dr. Bertagnoli, and he thinks I need surgery at both levels C 5-7, and that I am a good candidate for ADR. I am very relieved and grateful to have received this response from him. His cost estimate is less than what I would have to pay for a one-level ADR in a local surgery center, from which I would be sent home after 2 hours, to be cared for by someone else. Unfortunately, the US dollar is so weak right now, it raises the fees of the European surgeons by more than forty percent. I have also contacted Mr. Boeree, but have not yet heard from him.

I have been afraid to use anyone outside of Europe, mostly because of my fears about language barriers at a time when I desperately need to be understood. Just this week I decided that I need to expand my options. If I can solve my current spine problems without adding so much to my financial stress, I think I can try to overcome some of my fears. I see that you worked with Dr. Pimenta. I am planning to ask him for an evaluation this week.