This is how the spine surgeon described it: Staph Infection Resulting in Nontraumatic Spinal Cord Injury Secondary to Discitis and Osteomyelitis
I woke up on December 10, 2018 with a horrible burning pain in both of my arms. My husband took me to the emergency room. I was held in the local hospital overnight, because no one could find the cause of the pain.
They knew I had a staph infection, but they couldn't find it. 17 days later the Osteomyelitis was finally discovered in Cervical Discs 4 and 5. The infection had become encapsulated and was hiding in plain sight, until finally being revealed by a third MRI.
By that time I was unable to walk or control my bowels, etc.
I was rushed to the main hospital by ambulance. It happened so fast that my husband had to go back to the hospital room to retrieve my personal belongings.
It took one day in surgery to remove the diseased discs and the infection; and another day in surgery to replace the discs and create a Titanium cage to support my cervical spine.
On February 6, our Wedding Anniversary, I was able to return home from the hospital.
We had a hospital bed set up in the living room. My husband, who is a pharmacist, took care of me 24/7 for four months.
I started out in a wheel chair, graduated to a walker and then to a rollator.
I was able to return to work on June 10, 2019; exactly six months from the date of the injury.
If I hadn’t returned to work that week I would have been put on long term disability and would have lost all of my seniority and would have been considered a new-hire if I returned.
I still have numbness in my ring and pinky fingers on both hands and I still don’t walk fluidly, but I have a lot to be thankful for.
###
Neck stenosis diagnosis
Neck /shoulder pain, tingling fingers, strange headache!