Second spinal fusion and ACDF Questions
 

Hello,

I will start with a little backstory. In September of 2011 I was involved in a serious car accident where I suffered a moderate traumatic brain injury. The responding neurosurgeon serendipitously discovered an anomaly in my C3 vertebrae, and, long story short, determined it to be a giant cell bone tumor. Subsequently, I went through spinal fusion surgery in January 2012 to remove the tumor, with C2-C4 being fused.

The recovery was awful. I was in a hard collar for over two months, followed by another two months in a soft collar. I was on a heavy dose of narcotics until May, with continued prescription muscle relaxants and milder pain medication throughout the summer. I had 35 rounds of radiation ending in early September. Needless to say, I am very lucky the tumor was not malignant and I made it through such major trauma. However, my pain has not alleviated more than moderately since September. I went through physical therapy for 6 weeks, but still am dealing with daily neck/back/upper arm pain.

I saw my neurosurgeon for the one year follow-up in January with new CT scans and xrays. The surgeon told me after looking at my scans that my cervical spine is now curving downward which indicates potential damaged disc(s) and clearly atrophied muscles. He recommended either ACDF surgery to alleviate the pain from the disc damage, or even a further fusion down my spine.

I went to another doctor (spinal surgeon) for a second opinion and just had the appointment today. He told me from viewing my images that the movement in my spine is very concerning and he would recommend ACDF surgery ASAP. He indicated to me a much less invasive way of doing the surgery and a comparatively short recovery time (2-4 weeks).

Considering the pain I am in daily, and his sense of urgency, I am inclined to go with the second doctor and schedule the ACDF surgery for next month. I am just concerned of being in the same position I was in last year, with a long recovery and more pain. I am also concerned that once I am recovered the same issue will happen again and I will be looking at further surgery in the future.

Has anyone been through more than one fusion or this combination of surgeries? Or, can anyone who has had ACDF describe to me their recovery time (I know it varies), and pain/activity level. Do you still suffer from pain today? Any input is greatly appreciated. I apologize for the long-winded question.

Thank you.

Additional Info
 

I should add I am a 27 year old female, non-smoker, in otherwise good health.

Hello crlynmarie
 

I am sorry you have been through so much with your neck. I too am a spine patient. I have had two fusions. My second was C3-7. Before you decide on surgery, go for the third opinion. I did indeed have what they call the domino effect. Thats why I needed more surgery. Sometimes the ones above or below the fusion fail, and that leads to more surgery. That is why I went for a third opinion as well. My own fusion turned out GREAT!. There is hope that things can get better. Just make very sure of your choice, and the physician doing the surgery. Ask him about the domino effect, risk, and further surgeries. Don't be afraid to confront him with all your worries. Keep a list of questions so you won't forget anything when you go in. My recovery was awful. Much like you went through. It hurt for quite awhile. My doctor did give me good pain control. Make sure you have a pain specialist in your corner for after the surgery if you have trouble. I am three years out, and doing fine. No other verterbre are failing, but I am very careful as well with my activities. I sure hope you get the best possible outcome. ginnie:hug:

Thank you so much for your reply. I will definitely take a third opinion into account. The idea of having a pain specialist is a good one too, as I know many Drs. just want to give you narcotics for a short time and then cut you off cold turkey, doing nothing to get to the root cause of the pain. Thanks again!