CERVICAL DISC DISORDER

(in Tagalog and English)

Sa nakalipas na halos tatlong taon ay dinaradamdam ko ang pamamanhid ng kaliwang braso ko tuwing nagigising ako sa umaga, pero kapag bumangon na ako ay nawawala na hanggang sa bnuong maghapon.  Wala akong nararamdamang permanenteng pananakit o iyung pananakit na laging nariyan pero sa loob ng halos tatlong taon ay mayroong paminsan-minsan at madalang na sakit akong nararamdaman sa may batok ko. Iyung parang kapag binanat mo ang isang laste at itinama mo sa iyong balat – ganun ang klase ng sakit na nararamdaman ko: mabilis, maiksi, kayang tiisin, at talagang pasumpong-sumpong lamang kung sumakit.

Tumagal ito ng tatlong taon na hindi ko inintindi dahil sa pandemniya na ang magpunta sa ospital ay mabusisi at delikado nuong ng COVID-19.  Hanggang bumuti ng bahagya ang sitwasyon ay nagkaroon na ako ng pagkakataon na ipatingin ito sa duktor.  Nu’ng una ay Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ang suspetsa.  Operasyon ang lunas dito pero kailangan munang imbestigahan at daanin sa gamutan kung makakayang mawala.  Sa loob ng isang linggo ay may mga gamot na ininom at may tatlong sessions ng injection ang ibinigay sa akin pero hindi nawala ang pamamanhid ng aking braso.  Sinubukan kong magpatingin sa ibang doctor. Triggered finger ang suspetsa pero muli ay kailangan akong dumaan sa X-ray at gamutan bago operahan.  Hindi rin nagamot sa loob ng isang linggo kaya kinailangang sumalang ako sa mas-masusing MRI.

Sa resulta ng MRI ay may nakitang mga tumigas na tissue na kumakapal at sumisiksik sa cervical cord ng aking leeg.  Ang sabi ng duktor ay mahalagang alisin ito agad ito dahil delikado na ang ating spinal cord ay may gumambala.  Nakukuha daw ito sa hindi magandang postura tulad ng palagian at matagalang pagsusulat, paggamit ng cellphone, at uri ng trabaho, minsan nabugbog ang spinal, at ang pagkaka-edad.  Siguro ay dahil na rin sa tatlong taon ang nakalipas ay hindi na kayang alisin sa gamot ang kumapal na tissue at dahil matagal na naabuso ang aking spinal cord sa leeg ay kailangan na itong lagyan ng disc.

Naalaala ko na may panahon na may tatlong taon na ako ay naka-upo nang pasalampak sa sahig at ilang oras na gumagawa sa aking computer ng aking mga isinusulat, palagay ko ay duon nagsimula ang maling postura ko.  Idagdag pa na ang aking hanap-buhay ay maghapong nagsusulat sa computer kung kaya malamang ay naabuso sa pagkakatungo ang aking cervical cord sa leeg.

Maayos na naisagawa ang operasyon. Nagpapasalamat ako at nangyari ang operasyon nang walang masasakripisyo sa aking mga kakayahan.  Maraming kabigan ang nangumusta at sa aking pakikipag-usap, ilan sa mga kaibigang nasa ibang bansa ang nagpatanto sa akin ng kahalagahan ng tulong medikal ng gobyerno.   Mapalad sila dahil sa bansa na kinaroroonan nila ay wala silang iintindihin kapag nangangailangan sila ng pagpapaospital hanggang sa pagtanda nila kaya wala na silang plano na magbalik sa Pilipinas.  Mabuti na ngayon ito nangyari sa akin nang wala akong iintindihin sa mga bayarin, pero paano kung kapag namalagi na ako sa sariling bansa na ang magkasakit ay napakamahal, sino ang sasagot ng aking pangangailangang-medikal?

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For three years, I have been enduring the numbness on my left arm whenever I wake up every morning, but disappears when I get up from bed until the rest of the day.  During the years, I don’t feel permanent and prolonged pain but there were occasional, short, fast and bearable pains.  The pain is like when you stretched a rubber bond and hit your skin – that is the kind of pain.  They are just short and fast.

It lasted three years because of the pandemic, times that going to hospital is meticulous and freighting during the height of COVID-19 cases.  Until the pandemic situation became better, I had the chance to go to hospital and see the Internist.  My main complaint was the numbness on my left arm.  First, it was suspected Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.  Surgery may require but I had to undergo first one week medication and three sessions of injection for my bones.  Nothing changed.  I need to go to another hospital.  Triggered Fingers was the initial suspect but then again I have to undergo medical tests like x-ray, complete blood chem., and a one-week medication.  Again, it was not cured, and so I was referred to a neurologist.  I was scheduled to undergo to the more advance MRI Scan.  And the result showed that there are hard and thickening tissues that are compressing to my cervical cord of my neck.  This is the result of bad posture, nature of work such as longer computer work, writing and long use of cell phones, trauma on shoulder and neck, and the inevitable aging.

The symptoms in our hands and arms are connected to our shoulder and these hard tissues cause the numbness of the arms.  In three years of no medical treatment, this made the tissues thickened that cannot remove thru medication, and this abused the spinal cord of my neck and it will need discs to support it.  The tissues should not touch the spinal cord and an urgent surgery is needed.

So I have to take the pre-operation procedure.  ECG, CBC, x-ray, and all vital signs are good so there is no reason not to perform the surgery.  I was slept.  The last thing I remember, they were putting breathing apparatus on my nose and mouth for me to inhale and the next thing knew, I heard there were voices calling my name to wake me up and informed me that the surgery was success.

My take away here, I am still fortunate to have undergone this surgery without losing any of my capacities, and have this while I am in a place where I don’t have to worry for the medical assistance.  My realization now is what if in the near future when I settled for good in my home, who will assist me in my medical needs in a place where getting sick is very expensive thing.