BEFORE
AFTER
Well the Radiofrequency procedure was quite successful. I'm not 100% pain free as the procedure was on the lower cervical vertebrae and I'm still experiencing pain and headaches associated with the upper cervical vertebrae. However, the pain relief is enough that I've been able to get back on the bike and start doing other activities like weight lifting at the gym! Yay! Of course I'm still quite depressed about all the weight I gained while doing nothing for the past year and a half and it will be a while before I can whittle that away, but getting active again is a great first step.
The doctor wants to do the same procedure on my upper cervical vertebrae to relieve all of my pain. Unfortunately, my stupid insurance denied the procedure! I submitted an appeal and I'm waiting to hear back about that - my fingers are crossed!
Unfortunately, these procedures really are just bandaids to mask the pain. But if they allow me to be active again, hopefully I can rehabilitate my neck to the point that the pain never returns. Of course, that means I need to be diligent with my traction, which I haven't been (naughty!). But at least I've been lifting weights... that's important too.
