Brief Answer:
So nice for you to think of me

Detailed Answer:
Hi there....thank you so much for returning to the website and sending the question to my attention. My apologies for not getting to it sooner but things have been very very hectic in these last 2 days for some reason.....may be the weather changes that are going on??

At any rate, I am glad to hear that my recommendation of heat worked. I'm not surprised though since your injury is very similar to sports injuries we see here all the time. Several days of ice and switching to heat is pretty uniformly successful.

Now, to your issue. After a short run of a couple of blocks your neck once began hurting in the same exact area as before. You're not sure if there is swelling but there is pain similar to the pain you had before. Have you tried using the heat again? I guess my first reaction to the question of whether or not it could be fractured is probably not if the pain resolved readily with the heat. I would say that the jog you had may have been a lot of physical exertion for the injury. I always harp on our wrestlers that after an injury that keeps them out for any reason....the most critical and tricky time in treating the injury is when it FEELS LIKE IT'S ALL BACK TO NORMAL!

I go on to tell them, "When the injury FEELS as if it's back to normal that's when the clock of rehab starts ticking and that's when they have to start the comeback slowly and methodically before going right back to normal exertional activities.

I believe in a way that's what happened in your case. Although you're certainly not involved in the same amount of physical exertion that these guys at the collegiate wrestling level are doing but on a relative scale you suffered a powerful whack to the neck which just started getting back to normal when you decided (albeit unknowingly and unwittingly) to take a jog which was much more than your poor neck was able to withstand at that point in time.

There was just not enough time and not enough ramping up through rehab to bump your neck around the way you did. Since the pain is not as bad as before I think my guess that it's not fractured still holds true. And "NO" I would not go back to ice at this point. If anything, I'd keep using heat.

Did I ever throw out the name of the unit, "SOOTHEAWAY DEVICE?" You can see it at www.sootheaway.com. I have no financial interest, stock, or other connection to this company except the fact that I prescribe to hundreds of my patients who are veterans through the VA Hospital that distributes the machine to them for migraine headaches and other acute and chronic types of pain. Take a look at the machine and see what you think. I don't know if insurance covers such a device (probably DOES NOT) but it's something that if you had...you'd probably have it for life...and nobody else will have one...so you could probably RENT YOURS OUT..it works that well! LOL.

Now, having said all of the aforementioned....let me tell you this story of interest. Patient of mine last week (pediatric age) was injured in a tackle football game...just a pickup game of friends...but they were playing pretty hard. He went to the hospital and his collarbone (which had been fractured BEFORE) was where this injury occurred. X-rays which were reviewed by the pediatric radiologist (at a teaching hospital) were read as negative both by the radiologist as well as the ER physician. The boy came home thinking that his collarbone just hurt a lot...no bruising, no marks, no disfiguration. The next couple of days he complained to his mom that he didn't want to go to school because he was just hurting too much in his collarbone area. She told him to suck it up and not think he could get away with too much because he hadn't listened to his father (who told him not to play tackle football) and now thinking he can take advantage of things just because his mother felt sorry enough to take him to the ER. So he went to school.

This afternoon at about 3pm...I got a text from the mother letting me know that she received a phone call of some urgency and embarrassment from the hospital asking that she bring her son back because a review of the films by another radiologist who then, verified with another clearly shows a fracture. In other words, they missed it the first time around.

She was fit to be tied...and I guess in a way, so was I...but these sorts of things can and do happen.

So what I'm saying to you (because I am very appreciative of the yes, GLOWING remarks you gave me, and don't want to risk losing your confidence) that if YOU THINK this thing is hurting more than it should and that you feel surprised that it came back on you...then, we need to (this time around) "listen to your body...." and think about this problem before giving full credibility to the last X-ray.

So here's what I would do....get the heat on that shoulder, take a little Tylenol or maybe Motrin to calm down the pain. I would call the hospital/ER or work through your primary doctor to get them to have the X-rays REREAD by another qualified radiologist (different from the first) because you really feel it needs to be seen by a 2nd person....and then, use the word, "PLEASE." OK? I say do this instead of getting a repeat scan just to save your body from more radiation than it really needs. In other words, if we can get a 2nd radiologist to review this film (preferably the head of the dept?) and they do see a fracture then, we do not need to do more except whatever the plan would be to get you seen and treated then, for a fracture, right?

If they do not see anything particularly impressive then, we can take a "wait and see" attitude, keep the heat going, and then, get you into a rehab and training program that will slowly ramp you back up little by little until your neck is ready to get back to "business as usual." Sound reasonable?

I want to get this response to you as quickly as possible and then, we can kibitz about other stuff later....

You don't want me to get up on my soapbox and BLAST all this stupid ebola hype that is going on....I promise not to start on this....but honestly, should I tell you that we all have at least 200 different viruses on our bodies that can be just as lethal as ebola under proper circumstances...but somehow they're not nor do I hear any CNN helicopters hovering overhead with CDC suited up alien looking beings ready to rappel into my house ready to whisk me away and isolate me for these potentially dangerous viruses.....so, why ebola?

More people are going to die over the next 20 years from the influenza virus around the world than will die from ebola....and we've even supposedly got this great vaccine for influenza, right? Yet, where's the publicity in that? And so the paranoia is funneled an focused on ebola....really? Why? Is there nothing in the world happening of any greater value? Obviously not....

So, in a nutshell, that's what I think about ebola.

Your turn--- LOL!

I'll let you GUESS the answers to your questions as to whether or not our family is willing to get on airplanes if we have to....or somehow trying to "avoid" the Big, Bad, Virus who has just as much right to be on this planet as we do...that's nature's rule and in our family....we just try to live as best we can according to our efforts toward good health, good hygiene, happiness, and productivity as human beings..and every now and again we try to help people out....I believe we are successful at this particular approach and to the extent we can intermingle with all the crazy deer in our neighborhood who eat all our bushes, the viruses that our kids pass to each other and to us, and all of the people's hands we touch daily who either haven't washed after going to the bathroom, or been handling dollar bills that have been contaminated with every disease known to man I think our happiness as a family is dictated!

I'll let you guess how we're handling things.....

Crazy story about my friend who suddenly took off, huh? I haven't really had the time to sit down and track him and try and find out what happened....maybe one day...but for now...let's get your neck "straightened out!"....no pun intended.

Be well young lady and write back soon.

This query required 112 minutes of physician specific time to review, process, and document the final draft for envoy.

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Brief Answer:
Yeah...still alive and kicking even though busy

Detailed Answer:
So I want to make sure I don't miss answering THIS return question.....right now I've got another person online that I'm going to be working with in just a minute....but know this....you have every right to ask that a 2nd read on your x-ray be done if you're not satisfied. It is best to work through your primary doctor for that sort of thing...but if they don't give you satisfaction, simply call the hospital and tell them that you would like your x-ray reread because you are still in pain and having problems....you can reserve the threats....unless they are idiots about it....but don't be afraid to throw a few fast balls in there and let them know that if they don't satisfy you with a 2nd read from a different doctor who is a qualified RADIOLOGIST and you don't a report that proves that you will go to another hospital and if you find that they misread anything, your lawyer will be contacting them again....Then, you'll get the read.

Write back and we'll talk about more stuff...and check out www.sootheaway.com.....

Too bad you guys are located ALL THE WAY OVER THERE!!! I'm in XXXXXXX OH...ever been here? Go Browns! You may not remember a guy by the name of Art Modell who used to be the owner of the Browns...he passed away a number of years ago....well, he'd be a great example of how my friend disappeared. Art Modell, moved the Browns out of XXXXXXX a number of years ago....AT NIGHT.....secretly. They are now the XXXXXXX Ravens....and we love it when they KICK THEIR behinds....which unfortunately we don't do often.....but there you have it....stealthily slipping away!

Thanks for all your kind words of support....you're too kind....honestly, I just want to be sure people are educated about what's going on and have a chance to ask questions....too bad there's not much money in that type of practice of medicine....it's like a great High School Teacher you might say who likes to grade and teach everything by hand and make sure the kids really LEARN important things before leaving their class..instead of just following what the State says is important..which most of the time it's not! Well, maybe that's not a great example.....

But well, shucks....I appreciate the thoughts...really. If you guys do decide to take a trip...then, come this way....and I'll give you the 50 cent tour of our Rock 'n Roll of fame...it aint no Golden Gate....but XXXXXXX McCartney is in there 24/7! HAHA!

Take care...and write back...no need to close out just yet if you don't want...I think they give up to 3 questions right? I'll tell you a couple of other things about the Ebola crapola...how's that for what I think of that topic?

Got to get to another patient asking questions! Never a dull moment! Cheers!

60 minute query on this response of physician specific review, research, and response in final draft form for envoy.

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Brief Answer:
Ebola Crapola

Detailed Answer:
Hey there-- thanks for writing back. Essentially, the Ebola stuff that doesn't seem to want to take a backseat to anything right now, in my opinion, is nothing more and nothing less than the cyclical takeover of the public psyche by the news networks and politicians who need every now and again to instill a little public panic just to demonstrate to them how much WE really need these people in our society. After all, don't you think the ratings on all the news networks dedicating 2/3 of their programming to this SINGLE virus that has the same capability of killing its hosts as every other virus that kills human beings around the world which nobody talks about, hears about, nor is fearful of....herpes, influenza, rotavirus (deadly to newborns-- every hear about that one?).

Oh, BTW, that airplane that carried that XXXXXXX nurse to visit her family is parked in XXXXXXX XXXXXXX Airport. I think I've gone past the airport at least a few times so far since that plane was grounded....you sure you want to be talking to me right now? LOL!

See what I mean? I told you last night that there are more pathogenic viruses sitting on your eyelashes and lips than Ebola can shake its RNA at....you think about that when you kiss your husband in the morning off to work or when you put your mascara on and you're in direct contact with your lashes...etc. etc. I seriously doubt it.....so please don't get all worked up about this stuff...whoever gets it is on the one hand unlucky...perhaps on the other, not observing entirely perfect hygiene (I'm sorry, I'm a little lax every once in a while...there, I said it...AND???).

Please turn down your anxiety levels on that subject....What if I told you that the likelihood of you having come in direct contact with HIV viruses in your lifetime so far is pretty darn good....and that within the next 10 years there's at least an 80% you'll land either in the path or walk through a vapor trail of Ebola's being dispersed by some infected individual who probably doesn't even know it....does that change how you're going to behave or where you're going to go in the next 10 years?.....sooooo???

Conclusion: Say it with me my dear....."EBOLA C-R-A-P-O-L-A; Let Viruses Come O-V-A-H).

Yes, I've got a private neurology practice...most of my patients are home visitation ones...I don't see many in the office...a few..otherwise, everyone else is at their home, apartment, assisted living, etc. I am an assistant wrestling coach at XXXXXXX XXXXXXX University, a small Div. III school in University Heights, OH. Our claim to fame is Don Shula who was a hero at the school and is a huge philanthropist to the university. Just about 1 out of every 6 college graduates in the U.S. are connected directly with somebody who themselves has a direct connection to JCU. Our MBA program puts out comparatively speaking many more graduates who end up in high ranking managerial and even ownership positions in Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies than any other UNIVERSITY in the U.S.A. We're small but mighty! HAHA.

So, yeah I coach there....and I still compete in wrestling as well, Free Style, Greco XXXXXXX and Collegiate...I train 4 days a week and starting next month that will go up to about 5-6x/week.

I highly recommend the Sootheaway....if you come to visit XXXXXXX I'll take you right to their offices which are about 5 minutes from where we live! That machine was invented by a neurosurgeon from XXXXXXX It is a phenomenal piece of equipment. YES to the heat....keep it going....

I'm happy to help in any way I can with your back...but please keep in mind...I just hate turning a challenge in medicine down because I just feel we should know basic medical issues and questions for just about any disease....but, having said that....you know I'm not an orthopedist...I don't want to give you wrong information.

If you come out to visit in XXXXXXX I'll give you guys the tour of the place....maybe you won't wanna go back to SF! LOL.....

How's the neck and shoulder today? Still feeling or looking swollen or is that kind of resolved?

Keep in mind that if you want me to answer the questions directly then, you have to send them to my attention, specifically. And again, my sincere thanks for your compliments....you're being way too nice I think....I need to find a way of boring my patients less and try and hone it down like some of these other guys do so well.....but not just right now...! HAHA!

This query required 16 minutes physician specific attention to review, archive, and process final envoy for final processing.

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Brief Answer:
Safe to get flu shot

Detailed Answer:
Hi there. I say all of the following tongue-in-cheek as you can imagine but I would really love to find a way to get your anxiety levels and your stress levels down at least 15 maybe 16 notches. What do you say? I think you are libel to work yourself up into a tizzy over nothing at this point with so much guessing, second-guessing, and triple guessing yourself as to what this could mean or that could mean simply based on the ongoing presence of pain in your neck.

I think the only reasonable and rational thing to do is what we had planned and to simply not think about it any further than that. I think you said it best yourself by saying that the odds that a teaching institution where you had the films done would miss something like a fracture was insignificant.

Nonetheless, because your pain came back and felt more localized perhaps that it would be a good idea to simply work with your primary doctor and try to get the x-rays reread and then we'll see what things are like after that. I would still go ahead and use the heat at this point but I am not going to hazard any type of a guess on any of the possible things that you mentioned simply because I am not an orthopedic surgeon and more importantly I don't have any results of the test yet. So we're going to leave things as they are until more information is known.

On the issue of the ebola and the vapor cloud. Of course, I was simply saying that in jest but maybe I shouldn't've said that knowing how sensitive you might be to such things. However, the truth of the matter is one day down the road and perhaps not too far down the road the presence of the Ebola will be as prevalent and pervasive within our society as HIV and I'm sure you're not that concerned anymore about the HIV virus in terms of catching it or getting it just because somebody you know even has it or somebody in a crowd has it in which you're close to them. Am I right? But naturally, at the outset when HIV was first described and discovered in the late 1970s it was as if the sky was falling. Do you remember that time? I don't know. I remember and people literally could not sleep thinking that this virus was going to attack them at night.

As always, I appreciate your wonderful comments and I do wish you were closer to XXXXXXX or I were closer to San Francisco but on the other hand, if you have enough money to buy Sootheaway devices for your friends for Christmas then wouldn't it be nice to be able to tell your friends that you have a personal neurologist in XXXXXXX Ohio that you come and see every now and again for something or other! HAHA!

I would even open the office for you on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday if it were cheaper for your plane tickets just to attract you out here. LOL.

So I do think that covers just about everything you had in your note and I'm looking forward to your response and hope you're not mad or angry at some of the things I said. But try to help me out a little and see if we can't work not only on your spine after we get over the neck but how can we help you become calmer and more relaxed overall?

Talk to you soon.

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Brief Answer:
Thanks

Detailed Answer:
Hi,


I shall wait for your xays.

P.S. Do you have a picture of yourself? We've got pictures of your back and shoulders....how about something of a full view so we can put a face to a name?

I thought there was another question, how's the pain progressing at this point? Sounds like it's getting better....I think you'll be fine...but we'll soon see....

Ok...now, you take good care and shoot me a line when you know about results.

regards,

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Brief Answer:
From the top with your 2 messages after mine

Detailed Answer:
Trying to get these X-rays re-read is quite an aggravating process! I am on hold for the umpteenth time today trying to get it done.

>>>>>> Not surprising that they are giving you the runaround. They are attempting to frustrate you to the point where you will simply give up.<<<<<<<


I asked my (new) primary doc this morning via email to help me get these x-rays reread. She said that a CT scan would be more specific for a hairline or subtle fracture and offered to order it for me. Do you think I need a CT scan? I'd like to avoid the radiation if possible (I've already had 3 CT scans in my lifetime).

>>>>>I agree with your doctor. CT scan would be more sensitive than x-ray for hairline fractures. And actually, Gallium bone scans would be most sensitive but that's nuclear. Your husband may not be able to get near you for 5000 years or so if you drink the stuff for that test! HAHA! Oops....There I go again saying things in fun that I know I shouldn't say to YOU! LOL! I can just imagine your eyes bugging about now.....she's sayin'.....WHAT??? Now, now....just kidding....you know that I was quite happy with the original x-rays you got that said everything was fine....I was only going along with this cuz it made you feel better.....but you're right the amount of radiation from a CT scan is much more than an X-ray....besides what if you do have a HAIRLINE fracture (or even if slightly bigger than that)....given where it's located I would not think there would be any surgery or anything really to do about it.....you might wanna give up doing the Cheerleader Pyramids or the continuous running somersault handstands across the length of the football field....so none of that stuff for a few months, OK???? ROFLMAO! So honestly, if it were me or even if it were my kids and given the fact that you're improving I say, NO MORE TESTS....let the neck heal up....you'll be fine...that's my ultimate prediction. But if the x-ray/CT scan will make you more solid in knowing there's really nothing broken....then, I support your decision to do it....<<<<<<<<

The pain is definitely less than it was yesterday. It still hurts, but is probably around a 3-4 out of 10 so I'm now questioning whether I should hang up the phone and not bother. :)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> You haven't been on hold this WHOLE TIME waiting for me to answer this question, have YOU??? HAHA! Miss XXXXXXX Van Winkle coming to you live from the 23rd century as she continues to hold to get her x-rays re-read from over 216 years ago!!---- and her neurologist still waiting for results to be sent to his office! Hang up the Phone! Hang Up the Phone!--- You've got my blessing<<<<<<<<<<<<

I will work on finding a photo. This is a new computer, so I haven't transferred any photos onto it yet besides my neck pics.

>>>>>>Send the Photo! Send the Photo! Send the Photo!<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Hope you are having a good day.
>>>>>>> Thank you my dear....I'm hoping the same for you...honestly, things have been rough the past week or so here at home...I pissed off my wife...BIG TIME...and I've been in the doghouse so far....our anniversary is coming up Friday and she's barely willing to let me hold her hand for 30 seconds at a time before she says, "That's enough...I'm mad at you...get away from me....!" Well, just because you've been together with someone for 23 years doesn't mean you have to like them all 23 years in a row, right?? I guess that the way it works! You just have to like them enough to want them for the majority of the time....you are allowed to periods in there where you'd rather be friends with a pit bull or a viper...right?....Our anniversary is Friday...is there a way I can just make her MELT into me and forget about being mad completely???? If I get her expensive jewelry, it'll go back to the store....same thing with the new computer she's been asking for....I'm forever getting gigantic floral arrangements which she loves but then, I get the 3rd degree for having wasted all that money as well on useless stuff, she says.....I could serenade her (I play violin) but again I think she just really wants to be mad for a good long time and make me climb the walls...and that's already happening...I mean, come on...how much longer can this go on?<<<<<<<<<<<<

Since I am not getting any luck on getting my X-rays re-read here, I just uploaded them here to get an opinion from a radiologist on here. A good idea - perhaps brilliant? :)

>>>>>>> I do think you're a very brilliant individual.....that's why you are as paranoid as you are.....so I guess, that would mean that if we were to fix your paranoia--- you might get Less intelligent? Well, that wouldn't be good.......

I am on an unlimited monthly plan - but how does that affect you so you can keep getting paid? I get 3 questions which I have used, so should I close out this inquiry and open a new one with you? Last time I tried that, I don't think it made it directly to you even though I went through your page. Let me know, as I'm happy to oblige.

>>>>>>I very much appreciate your thinking about me and how your payment plans are set up. If you could just keep track of the groups of 3 questions and then, simply close down the question after every 3 responses? Is that OK? That is very sweet that you're thinking of me....but you just keep asking your questions as they come....I don't know why a question DIDN'T go to me if you sent it to my website page to ask the question. Let me give you the URL again and see what you get:

http://doctor.healthcaremagic.com/Funnel?page=askDoctorDirectly&docId=68474


So as I mentioned, I asked a radiologist on here to review my X-rays which I uploaded. Here was his response:

"I have gone through your query and images in detail. There is no visible fracture in cervical and thoracic X-rays. There is only straightening of cervical spine, it may be due to muscular spasm. You can take analgesics for 5-7 days."
>>>>>>>>>>>>> I'm not going to say anything....oh hell, of course, I am.....Guess what Missy???? I TOLD YOU SO!! LOL LOL LOL!

Still no word from my new primary doc or from the hospital where I asked them to re-read.

>>>>>>>>>>>> You really THOUGHT you'd hear from whom? To do What?<<<

So what did we accomplish?

1. We've established that no hospital wants to RE-read films just because THE PATIENT WANTS IT DONE!"

2. In all likelihood you do not have anything wrong with you....except your paranoia


Write back soon!

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