Former President Arroyo to undergo neck surgery

MANILA, Philippines—Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo needs surgery to realign a portion of her spine at the neck and free up nerves that transmit signals to her upper limbs, her main attending physician said Tuesday morning.

Dr. Juliet Gopez-Cervantes said a team of doctors had diagnosed Arroyo, now a representative of the second district of Pampanga, as afflicted with “a damaged cervical spine with multilevel cervical spondylosis.” If not addressed immediately, the condition may lead to paralysis that is likely “irreversible,” according to Cervantes.

“We suspect that this attack was probably induced by her continuing to work countless hours despite her stresses,” said the doctor, reading a four-paragraph medical bulletin.

“We also suspect that this was probably the same cause of the similar acute pain attack which also hospitalized her at St. Luke‘s last month,” she added. “When she was admitted we advised her to rest completely and not receive visitors.”

Since Monday afternoon when she was admitted to St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City, Arroyo went through a series of diagnostic tests to determine her condition. On Tuesday, she was undergoing preliminary work-up to prepare her for surgery which may be done in the coming days, Cervantes said.

Arroyo, 64, was rushed to the hospital on Monday afternoon from Porac, Pampanga, where she spent a couple of hours with her constituents, skipping President Aquino’s second State of the Nation Address. Earlier in the day, she attended to the opening session of the 15th Congress.

The Mayo Clinic website defined cervical spondylosis as a “general term for age-related wear and tear affecting the discs in your neck. These changes later contribute to the development of cervical osteoarthritis in the joints that link your neck bones (facet joints)”

The condition is common among people aged 55 and above, the Mayo clinic said.

Generally, nonsurgical treatments were often “effective,” according to the clinic, but surgery remain an option “if conservative treatment fails or if your neurological signs and symptoms, such as weakness in your arms or legs, are getting worse.”

In Arroyo’s case, Cervantes said the medical team took note of “progressive weakness” in the patient’s upper extremities, particularly her arms.

The weakness could be easily overlooked, since Arroyo could still move her arms without any problem, the doctor said. Physical examination and evaluation on the patient proved otherwise, Cervantes continued.

Until her admission on Monday, doctors managed Arroyo’s neck pain through medicines and rehabilitation, which the former president responded to very well, according to Cervantes.

“[Arroyo] has a high threshold to pain that’s why she can still afford to work despite our advice that she really has to limit physical activities. This time, I think we really have to consider the definitive management,” which was surgery, the attending doctor pointed out.

Last month, Arroyo was also diagnosed with a neck ailment called cervical radiculopathy after being admitted to the hospital‘s Quezon City facility. A day later, she left the hospital wearing a neck brace, and was advised to do physical therapy and take medicines.

On a scale of 1 to 10 with the latter being the highest, Arroyo told her doctors the pain in her nape was between 9 and 10 “when the attacks occurred,” Cervantes recalled.

Asked about the nature of the surgery, Cervantes said it was risky “because it involves a very sensitive area in the spinal cord.”

The nerves that are involved, which are being compressed right now, are nerves that supply [signals] in the upper extremities or the arms, hands,” she said, as well as “some nerves responsible for the movement of respiratory muscles as well.”

Other risks the Mayo Clinic listed involving the surgical option “include infection, a tear in the membrane that covers the spinal cord at the site of the surgery, bleeding, a blood clot in a leg vein and neurological deterioration.”

“In addition, the surgery may not eliminate all the problems associated with your condition,” the website said.

The former president’s husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, was at her side, according to Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo, among the representative’s staunchest allies. Earlier in the day, Camarines Sur Rep. Dato Arroyo was also seen entering the hospital.

Pelayo called for prayers for Arroyo, and virtually appealed for a ceasefire from her detractors.

“It‘s our right to sue her. But for the time being, I hope she could have a break from this,” Pelayo told reporters in Filipino. “After she gets better, again, it is our right. I myself want to know the truth.”

Pelayo did not specify who he was pertaining to, although he mentioned plunder charges, among others, filed against the former president.

The administration has been on the offensive against Arroyo, tagging the representative and her allies in a series of anomalous transactions in different government agencies.

“In general, based on our assessment, all the stresses that are happening can contribute to the problem,” Cervantes replied to a question whether the onslaught against Arroyo had anything to do with her present condition.