Glad to hear you're recovering well. I was supposed to have ACDF w/hardware 5 yrs ago but still holding off.

One thing I hear repeatedly is people feel really good soon after surgery and start getting back to ordinary tasks way before their doctors tell them that is okay. Please try not to do that, give yourself plenty of time to heal so you do not need another surgery.

Good luck with everything!

Brain
Honestly, the worst part of the surgery is the darn collar, and trying to sleep comfortably. The incisional pain is minimal, Since surgery my hand and arm are 'working' again. It is so nice to have two hands working!! Not to worry about me doing too much too soon, my DH is amazing and my DD , who is my **** Annie is backing her Dad up.
Thanks for the good wishes

i'm glad you're doing so well.
here's more get well wishes.

Hi from a new member (who's glad to have found this virtual community).

I hope you're continuing to heal and feeling better with every passing day.

I'm scheduled for an ACDF (C6-C7) on 4/22 and, given my MS-related challenges, I'm a little anxious about the post-op recovery period. No -- make that *really* anxious.

I first saw a neurosurgeon who suggested doing C5-C6 as well as C6-C7 and said I'd need a hard collar for at least a couple of weeks. A doc friend suggested a second opinion from an orthopaedic surgeon. He thought I'd only need to do C6-C7 since the bone spur there was really pressing on the spinal cord and C5-C6 was arthritic enough that "adjacent disc disorder" might not be a problem down the road. Doing just the one, he thought I might be able to get away with a soft collar. He also said that this approach would make things a bit easier given my mobility-related challenges.

I wear an AFO on my weak right leg just about all the time. (I wasn't wearing it very much but then discovered that I've been stressing the knee by hyperextending it. So my PT strongly suggested I wear it whenever I'm on my feet.) I can put it on by myself now but my wife's going to have to help so I need to find some easier-to-don shoes.

I understand it's important to walk around a lot while in recovery. Do you have difficulties walking and, if so, how did you cope?

Did you sleep in a chair or in bed?

Sorry to ramble on with so many questions but any/all tips you'd like to pass along would be *most* appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Jim

Welcome, Jim...

Hi Risby

I am seeing the neurosurgeon on Tuesday to discuss C3/C4 fusion. What did you have?

I don't know if you have followed or even read about my problems but I was dx'd with CRPS and now have frozen shoulder. In addition, the C3/C4 pinched nerve is now the #1 culprit for the excruciating pain I am having which is also masking the other pain. I cannot differentiate between the 3 types of pain but the docs have decided that we need to get rid of one in order to treat the other two.

So....long story short. C3/C4 is the most intense.

Thanks for your reply and I am glad you are doing well. That's very encouraging.

Welcome to the Board. I am still wearing the hard collar until the 20th but I can take it off for short periods while watching TV etc. I get a soft collar on the 20th and can drive again!!

I also wear a MAFO on my left leg and I didn't have any problems walking post op. My surgery was C6-7. I had a horrible sore throat post op,but I did have some breathing issues in recovery room.
The muscles in the neck are fairly sore from being manipulated out of the way during surgery.

About 2 days post op I noticed that I was regaining some small motor control in my left hand.....my strength and motor skill are improving...I can now type with my left hand again!!

I also noticed my left leg weakness is improving. DH & the Dr. think it from having the extreme pressure released on the C-spine which has kind of trickled down and allowed the thorasic & lumbar spine to open up and relieve pressure on the lumbar nerve which was contributing to the left leg weakness .

I have been sleeping on the couch with pillows propped under my neck and shoulders to be comfortable. I only needed the pain meds for the first 2 or 3 days post op and I usually only took them at night. I take an occasional Motrin now for pain.

Eating with the hard collar is interesting, forget pastas & sauces and anything that makes lots of crumbs!!!
Stock up on bendable straws for drinking!!

I honestly feel the worst part of the surgery is having to wear the hard collar for so long. It pushed my hair up in the back [even though my hair is very short] and my scalp actually "hurt".
When I would get warm, which increases the MS symptoms I wanted to rip the collar off and throw it out the window!!

Best of Luck to you, keep us posted on your progress.
If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

Risby

Cheryl
I had a anterior fusion of C6-6 on the 17th, the incision is the the front of my neck and not at all painful. I debated long and hard on whether or not to have the surgery, in hindsight I'm glad I did. I have noticed a big improvement in the use of my left hand, i.e. it works again!!!
Good Luck to You , Keep us posted .

Mine would be C3/C4, so a bit higher up.

Thanks for the two posts, one addressed to Jim and to me. They are very helpful.

Cheryl,

I've had 3 cervical fusions, and they can/have caused problems down the road due to scar tissue build up and addtional pressure on the discs above and below.

If you need it though, you need it. I remember that excruciating pain and sometimes you don't have much choice. YOU, however, may have a choice that I didn't for my priors, but if/when it comes to another (they may need to open up the spinal cord area due to slippage and scaring) I will definitely go this new way.

There are more and more clinics and hospitals doing the surgery microscopically now.
You can do a search on microscopic spine surgery and find out where, how, etc.

There are many advantages. It's a outpatient surgery, basically, with a tiny incision that doesn't damage the muscles and nerves. They don't even have to give general anesthesia which is a big plus for me!

I found out about this procedure years ago, but timing has always been a problem in my cases. For the 1st one I didn't now about; the 2nd surgery they didn't have it perfected for the cervical spine if you had a prior fusion; the 3rd was 1 month after a thymectomy for myasthenia gravis and I was in no shape to research, etc. then.

My old boss rented a condo in FLA to patients of a clinic there that did this type surgery at that time on just lombar spine area, but he was so amazed because these people arrived in a wheel chair and left walking!

Worth checking on for you I think!

Good luck!