Initial MRI results

After several phone calls and chasing down someone at my doctors office, I finally received some information today from my MRI on Wednesday.

Apparently there is an abnormal bone spur on vertebrae C7 that is possibly pinching a nerve root and causing the continuous pain down my right arm. I'm going in to see my doctors assistant on Monday to discuss options. What I do know is that I will be referred to either a physical therapist or a neck surgeon. I just need to learn more info before I make that decision. Thankfully I have contact information for both in the cycling world community. C7 seems kind of high compared to where I have been feeling the pain over the last couple months. It is more like T4 or T5, but what do I know.

I will be off the bike for some time.

So, maybe now I can make some progress on some of my projects, like my website Southern Appalachian Road Climbs and maybe do some hiking in the area. So, it is nice that I have planned life such that I have back up activities in the case that physical impediments persist in an attempt to derail me. It has been a good run up til now, I've been extremely fortunate that I have been able to be as active as I have been over the last 5 years or so. I will feel much better once I have the ability to resume my bike riding. Maybe in general, this "slow-down" will ultimately be good for me. It is probably long overdue.

I am taking some time to educate myself, and C7 does make some sense as the brachial plexus is an arrangement of nerve fibers that run into the arm. And by the looks of the diagrams, affects the number of places where I have been feelign sysmptoms, twitchnig, pain in forearm and upper arm and numbness in hand and fingers.

All for now....more later.

-Frank