For the first time in years...

I have to say I am very happy with the results of the ablation procedure so far! It has been three weeks and the area that was ablated (vertebrae C-4 C-5 & C-6) is completely pain free. I am hopeful that the doc will go the extra mile for me next month and perform the same procedure on the two levels below (vertebrae C-7 & T-1) where he did last month. I am really excited at the prospect of finding joy in my extra curricular activities again. In the last several years I have pretty much given up on all my fun projects, sports and such, that is not to say that I have not tried to do them but it almost always ended up with my neck hurting so much that I would swear to myself that "I will never do that again". When I finally ended up selling my last motorcycle earlier this year I was very distraught. Riding was one of the things that has been a constant in my life, and along with the people that it has brought into my life, motorcycling has helped to form the person I am today.
Having given up on most of the things that made me who I am and loosing much of my natural fun seeking energy, I was introduced to the system of procedures known as "facet blocking and ablation". I was unsure at first but still desperate to regain my life so when my surgeon told me about it I was excited and very interested in giving it a go. I went right away to my physiatrist (his p.a. to be more specific) only to be told that it was not something he would recommend, and that insurance usually didn't cover it. I was very angry at the news but I didn't want to argue about it, I figured that was why I had never heard about it before. At the next visit with my surgeon, I explained what the p.a. had said and he seemed confused, he said it was a common procedure and he didn't know why they would say that. He assured me that he would call the other doc's office and talk to him about it. At my next appointment with the physiatrist I repeated the request for having the facet block and again the p.a. all but ignored me. I decided that the problem here was that I was not actually seeing the real doc so I made a point when scheduling my next appointment to tell the nurse that I needed to actually see the doctor at my next visit not the p.a., she scheduled it for me and off I went. About a week later I finally had my visit with doctor Danyo, I explained that my surgeon recommended the facet block and that his p.a. told me it was not an option for me. He was shocked, he said I was actually a good candidate for the procedure and he agreed that I should have it done. FINALLY! So, on to the long and somewhat painful road that would hopefully lead to a pain free neck!
The first treatment was the facet block, the doc explained that it was basically to be used as a diagnostic tool. The facet block is a series of injections of an anesthetic (such as lidocaine) into the nerve facet where it exits the vertebrae on one side or the other. Since my pain was mostly on the right side they decided to start with that. I came in to the office for my first treatment not sure what to expect but still I was sure it would not be as bad as living with constant pain so I was not too worried. I was brought back to the procedure room and put into a gown, they had me lay on my left side on the table which had a fluoroscope attached to it and a computer screen that showed the inside of my neck. As the doctor inserted the needle he could see his path through the muscle and down to the nerve roots without missing it or going too far. He made several injections and sometimes removed the needle half way and wiggled it around to get to another area. It was very uncomfortable but in the end after injecting all the affected levels I didn't feel anything in those areas. I was very happy, but it was short lived. The pain returned in about an hour (as the anesthetic wore off) and was worse due to all the poking and prodding doctor Danyo had done. Four weeks and a follow up appointment came and went and I was ready to return for the radio frequency ablation. The ablation was supposed to take place on Monday Oct. 13 but they had some sort of problem with the r.f. machine so they asked me to come in on Tuesday instead. I was pretty nervous so I was not to upset. Tuesday came quickly and we were off to the doc's office in the afternoon. When I arrived the nurse gave me a quick dissolving pill that was supposed to help me relax, then it was back to the procedure room but this time they gave me a local anesthetic to make it easier to deal with the pain. The ablation went quickly and I was sent home to relax and recuperate.
So here I am three weeks later and three weeks until my next appointment, and I am very happy with the results so far. Other then my having been sick for a week or so my pain has decreased by about half and may even get better over the next few weeks. So I have to wait to schedule the remaining portion of the ablation until my next visit but hopefully the doc can get it all done within the remaining days of this year (otherwise I will have to pay another deductible) but I know he is not worried about my pocketbook but I do think he has my neck's best interest in mind.
Anyway it looks like for the first time in many years I may have a pain free neck for the New Year!! And maybe you will find me back on two wheels some time soon!

-peace