What should I do for my suspected compressed neck nerve?
Posted by
llnwonderland
For the last week and a half I have had problems with my right arm, which started when I woke up one morning with it completely asleep, though I was sleeping on my left side. When I tried to wake it up it went through the initial extremely uncomfortable "pins and needles" sensation, which is normal enough, but instead of quickly recovering, it just started throbbing more painfully, no matter what I did to get my circulation going. The throbbing eventually went away but ever since that morning my arm has been going to sleep off and on throughout the night, and feels slightly numb and tingly off and on throughout the day.
I suspect that while rearranging two different rooms in my house, which entailed moving heavy furniture up and down a staircase, and hauling heavy books around, I might have pushed myself too far and damaged a nerve in my neck, shoulder or arm. From doing some online and A&P textbook research, I've gathered that the compression of one of my nerves is limiting the blood flow and cutting off the electrochemical supply that the nerve needs to communicate with the brain.
4 nights ago, I came down with a fever, and threw up twice, before falling asleep. I don't know if this is at all related to the nerve problem but the next morning my arm felt worse then ever before, and throbbed and ached and prickled for at least 2 hours. I'm wondering if the loss of nutrients from my vomiting exasserbated the problem, since it would make since.
My question is, because I have been recently laid off, have no health insurance, and am completely broke, what can I, myself, do to promote healing? Should I let my arm rest altogether or can I do light lifting? Is there a certain food I can eat that might contain nutrients that will help the process? A relative who had the same issue told me to alternate between heating pads and ice packs every 20 minutes to reduce swelling and promote healing. Is that good advice?
Also, since the problem began, I've noticed a very visible blue blood vessel running downward from my neck, then turning horizontally across my chest, then making a kind of 'S' shape on into my shoulder. Could this be related? I do have pale, thin skin and am prone to visible blood vessels but I've never noticed this one before.
Thanks for your time.
Posted by llnwonderland
For the last week and a half I have had problems with my right arm, which started when I woke up one morning with it completely asleep, though I was sleeping on my left side. When I tried to wake it up it went through the initial extremely uncomfortable "pins and needles" sensation, which is normal enough, but instead of quickly recovering, it just started throbbing more painfully, no matter what I did to get my circulation going. The throbbing eventually went away but ever since that morning my arm has been going to sleep off and on throughout the night, and feels slightly numb and tingly off and on throughout the day.
I suspect that while rearranging two different rooms in my house, which entailed moving heavy furniture up and down a staircase, and hauling heavy books around, I might have pushed myself too far and damaged a nerve in my neck, shoulder or arm. From doing some online and A&P textbook research, I've gathered that the compression of one of my nerves is limiting the blood flow and cutting off the electrochemical supply that the nerve needs to communicate with the brain.
4 nights ago, I came down with a fever, and threw up twice, before falling asleep. I don't know if this is at all related to the nerve problem but the next morning my arm felt worse then ever before, and throbbed and ached and prickled for at least 2 hours. I'm wondering if the loss of nutrients from my vomiting exasserbated the problem, since it would make since.
My question is, because I have been recently laid off, have no health insurance, and am completely broke, what can I, myself, do to promote healing? Should I let my arm rest altogether or can I do light lifting? Is there a certain food I can eat that might contain nutrients that will help the process? A relative who had the same issue told me to alternate between heating pads and ice packs every 20 minutes to reduce swelling and promote healing. Is that good advice?
Also, since the problem began, I've noticed a very visible blue blood vessel running downward from my neck, then turning horizontally across my chest, then making a kind of 'S' shape on into my shoulder. Could this be related? I do have pale, thin skin and am prone to visible blood vessels but I've never noticed this one before.
Thanks for your time.