The results are in!!!

Got the result of my neck MRI scan today...and they weren't at all what I was expecting. I do have all seven veterbrae in my cervical spine so that was something. However, and this is where the unhappy face appears :-( it seems that I have three joints showing early signs of arthritis and one showing moderate signs. Shit. I am too young for this. It totally threw me cos I was expecting (hoping) that it would be something silly that could be cured or would go away over time.....or, even better, nothing just whiplash taking it's time to disappear. Unfortunately arthritis is more degenerative so I'm not really sure what happens now. This could be hereditary (likely as my mother has a number of eroded discs) or environmental (chemicals.....can't think of any unless it's this silly Buffalo environment screwing me up) or something else. Probably what upset me most was the thought that this could well be what they find in my lumbar spine where it really hurts....I'm trying not to think about it and am going for an MRI down there tomorrow evening....but if he tells me it's there as well I now won't be surprised......

Oh and I have three minor bulges in my discs (probably caused from studying/working/looking down too much) plus one disc where the hole through which the nerve travelled is shrinking...which explains, perhaps, why my hands go tingly...too much pressure on the nerve.

Doctor's advice: exercise, good diet, Celebrex. The first I do although maybe I ought to do more neck exercises..usually wimp out on those cos there are a couple that make me really want to pass out! Diet....I eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables, as little junk food as I can although sometimes I get a craving, low carbs....absolutely no cake, cookies and few candies (cos they just don't excite me)....so not sure what more I can do there although I did just go to the store to get even more veggies (cos i was upset!). Celebrex....got some from him last time but he said I need to take it for months for it to have any real effect....gee thanks! Looked it up on WebMD as well...and yeah, same advice given there.

Other than that, he'll recommend me to a specialist (of which there are very few in this area).

On the positive side, my blood pressure is again perfect. No herniated discs to be seen. My glands and everything else looked great on the scan so it seems that I am a healthy person but just wearing away internally. Sob :-(