DISCOVERING RICKY'S HEALTH ISSUE

In 2011 Ricky visited the doctor for a shoulder problem and also asked for his neck to be xray'd.  He had been experiencing "popping" of the neck most of his life and it was increasing when he began driving.

After several xrays, and MRI and scans, test results clearly showed Ricky's cervical spine never finished forming at C1 (that's the area right beneath the skull).  Consequently, his spine had shifted putting his spinal cord in grave danger from collapsing.  2 of 3 specialists thought he would be ok to wait for radical surgery and modify his lifestyle in the meantime. 

That all changed this year when the annual evaluation showed a dramatic change.  Ricky must have an occipital cervical fusion (basically securing his skull to his upper back with hardware) or face the risk of sudden death or paralysis from the neck down.

Ricky's surgery is scheduled for this Tuesday, May 7.  He is currently working toward a degree in sports medicine and thought it would be useful to chronicle his medical journey, and also keep family and friends posted along the way.

Thus, the blog on Ricky's Journey is born...