Back Pain Forum - Please Help (degenerative Disc's +? )

I am very concerned about my 58 year old mother for the past 2 years has been suffering from intolerable pain that runs from her upper back, to her left shoulder, upper and lower arm, to her hand, also numbness in her arm and hand. Stiffness in her neck. Cramping and spasms in arms and back. Senstivity and tenderness in arms to cold and light pressure. Weakness in arm, loosing strength and muscle mass. Fingers seem to be seperating as though muscles aren't holding them together and her sore arm is visible smaller then her other arm.

For a year her doctor diagnosed it as heart problems even prescribing her nitroglycerin(sp?)after pretty much begging her doctor to see a specialist she was told by the heart specialist to stop all heart meds, she had nothing wrong with her heart. After hearing about my great grandmother having the same symptoms possibly leading to her death I decided to company my mother on her next doctors appointment. Apparently before she passed away her arm got smaller and smaller and she lost the use of it and then her whole body, not too long after she passed away. Then seeing my mother go through cordisone treatment every two weeks for 6 weeks, causing the pain to worsen, I went to hers doctors appoint with my concerns. Because he hadn't found the problem I asked for my mother to be referred to someone who may be able to diagnose what she may be suffering from. Her doctor told me that two of the disc's in her upper back were deteriating.At that time I thought she should see a rhumatologist as I did for my diagnoses for fibromyalgia.Her doctor told me that he would first send her for tests to see if she had ostreoarthritis, ostreoprosis, and other rheumitory conditions. I was shocked to hear that he had not yet sent her for these tests. So I agreed to wait for these test which did come back neg.On the 9th I am going with her to another appointment with her family doctor and I am wondering what type of specialist to ask her to be referred to because I was thinking a neurologist? Could she possibly have chronic sympathetic nerve dystrophy?

I am sorry this post is so long, there is just so much to explain and i'm sure i'm not explaining enough. Please reply if you have any help or advice at all or if I haven't explained this situation properly or if you need more information.

One more thing I would like to add concerning my daughter and possibly this situation. She is only 5 years old and complains of neck pain regularly. Her pediatrician tells me it's nothing??

Thanks for your time
suzanne