Dolores Gómez Cubero. Scoliosis, Herniated cervical disc C5-C6-7 and dorsal D8-9.

Published by ICSEB at 17 February, 2001

Date of intervention: February 2001

Dorso-lumbar Scoliosis

My name is Dolores Gómez and I live in Barcelona. I have always had good health until the year 1992 I suffered a fall at my work place. This fall took me to be hospitalized ten days and six months on sick leave doing daily rehabilitation.

As a result of my work incorporation and the daily routine, I started to notice that my health was deteriorating and I started to have pain in the cervical zone as well as losing strength in my right leg and arm. These symptoms got worse everyday and my quality of life was limited more everyday. One day I noticed a total Paralysis in my right leg and this led me to a hospitalization in Bellvitge in June 1995 with a nonspecific acute Myelitis diagnosis. I was hospitalized during ten days with tests to be able to find the origin of the Myelitis. The diagnosis of the Cervico-dorsal MRI was a Herniated disc in C6-C7, enlargement and sign alteration of the cervical medullar cord since C3 to C6 and a discal protusion in D8-D9.

The treatment, once being discharged from the hospital, was anti-inflammatories and specific medication for the Myelitis with monthly revisions. I was going to daily rehabilitation for the leg and a period of eight months in on sick leave from work. I recovered a little sensitivity and strength in my leg but the pain in my neck were more intense every time, with period of sick leave where the doctors prescribed me anodynes and anti imflamatories with rest and the use of a cervical neck brace.

During this time Syncopes started to appear with fainting and in the monthly revision appeared some kind of stains in the brain that the doctors pointed out could be caused by the multiple Sclerosis. I noticed more as time went by that I was losing my quality of life, the Syncopes were repeated with no specific pattern and the pain was increasing.

Through a friend I got to meet doctor Miguel B. Royo Salvador, which visited me for the first time in the year 2001. He confirmed that I had a herniated disc at level C6-C7 but he, in that moment, considered there was no Multiple Sclerosis yet existing in the Myelopathy. He recommended me a surgery for the Cervical Hernia since I would gain quality of life afterwards and probably the spinal cord would deflate since it would not have any pressure in the cervical disc affected. This on one side supposed a solution to my problems that had started from the accident at work, but from the other, the doubts towards a new diagnosis that did not have anything to do with the previous ones.

I took the decision to be in hands of Dr. Royo because I really saw that my quality of life and my state of mind was seriously affected during these six years and my life was turning into agony.

The surgery was an achievement after having placed a titanium plate and a transplant in the zone. After six months I was able to reestablish at work. I felt like a new lady, with no pain, with no depression and being able to live a normal life.

After two the pain reappeared with the Syncopes, as well the loss of sensitivity and strength in the right extremities. A Myelopathy reappeared with a cervical herniated disc in C5-C6. I went back to Dr. Royo and he suggested me another surgery since the first one had given very good results. In this moment, he commented me he was studying the fact that in a parallel way the showing of the Discopathy there always had been a medullar inflammation.

I went through another surgery with Dr. Royo and his team and this time the surgery came out to be a success. The recovery was a little slower due to personal circumstances at that time made more difficult the fast recovery.

After a year he gave me the discharge and gave me an appointment for a revision after one year since he wanted to follow up on the existing herniated dorsal disc and that in certain moments started to cause some pain.

During this time the same symptoms before the pain came back again and constant pressure in my back, some occasional Syncope and complete loss of strength and sensitivity in my right leg. In the exploration Dr. Royo detected a new Myelopathy at dorsal level together with a dorsal- lumbar Scoliosis. He explained to me that since some years he is practicing pioneer interventions in this ambit, consistent in sectioning the filum terminale to liberate the spinal cord. These interventions are giving very good results and the patients who are operated gain quality of life. He considers that in my case and with my history I am a sure candidate for this type of surgery and proposes me a double surgical operation. On one hand the section of the filum terminale and on the other the one for the dorsal herniated disc. Once again I put myself in his hands and the double intervention is again a total success.

In this actual moment after two months from the intervention I notice a general physical recovery and my mental state. For the first time after 5 years of living with constant pain and discomfort and the effort I had to make to tray and live a normal life but always with limitations. Now I have no pain, I have recovered my strength and sensitivity in my right leg, in other words I have noticed a better quality of life, which is improving day by day.

All this has happened thanks to Dr. Royo who has made find the new me as I was before. I thank him personally for his professional treat, which has made me feel safe and secure about whichever intervention and for his human quality and to all his team because thanks to their dedication, they have helped me improve my life and by the same way, they can do it with other people who are in the same situation.