Hi All,

I am sorry I have not posted in regards to my husbands surgery. He had a posterior fusion of the C7-T1. His symtoms presented as no pain at all just a terrible clawed and unusable hand which just started literally out of the blue. He as had 2 prior back surgeries in the lumbar area. The 1st a disaster the
2nd a revision of the first was a complete success, no rx meds it was truly amazing. He has spinal stenoisis inherited from his Dad. And a care accident didn't help.

Anyway he had the surgery on Feb 25, 2011. What I'm about to post please don't take as something that happens all the time. My husband who was suppose to be there for 3 day was there for 14. What happen? Well he was doing fine discharged papers where completed for March 2 release and on March 1 at about 2:30PM,I was with him when it happened if not I would not have believed it. He stared to get a slight headache which lead to a fever,vomiting which lead to extreme pain and 10 minutes prior he was up walking,eating, talking etc. After 8 days of test, I can't even tell you all that went on. He was moved to ICU put under a temporary sedation so testing like MRI's,CT's etc could be done easily and quickly without making him more uncomfortable. What they used was Ketamine you can use it for long term sedation and then it comes out of the body quickly, well he had a reaction to that. Things got very scary. The end result was all the test came back normal except for a slightly high white blood count but he has bad allergies and does take anti-hisamines so that can elavate the WBC, but we are following up with a hemotologist and a urinary track infection which they treated. The answer I got for the set back was a reaction to the anesthia or medication given to him after surgery or a combination of the both, and then the reaction to the ketamine made it all so much worse. The surgery it self went perfect his hand came back immediately put will still have to do OT which he starts Tuesday. He can drive again and slowly get back to normal, no lifting yet or any type of work that will strain the neck and shoulder muscles. He saw his surgeon on Wedneday and had an x-ray and the surgeon said it looks great. His pain level is also doing well, he's on very little medication at this point.

So after all said and done it was very scary but now that he's getting back to normal and I'm calmer I have to give credit to the doctor and nurses that cared for my husband. They really moved quickly when things happened the first doctor who got there was his neurologist then the surgeon came, who looked like a mad scientist he came right from the OR and looked like I had never seen him and then the pain/anesthiologist spec. I am 70 miles from the hospital he was in so it was tough being so far away. But the nurses kept me up to date when I was not there and I went every day. I think of it now and I don't know how I did it I think I was on auto-pilot.

Well that's my story. Again his surgery to fix the problem worked and had a great team who worked so hard to get him back. I quess that's why we drive 70 miles to go to a hospital.


Gabbycakes

I am glad your husband is out of danger. He had to go through alot. Katamine when I looked it up can and does cause some people reactions. Sorry that happened. I am also glad you got good treatment from your hospital and staff. That makes all the difference in a good outcome. take care, and tell you husband to get well quick. I had C3-7 done. ginnie

Thank you. How long since you had your surgery and how are you feeling now?

gabbycakes

I am now almost 8 months post. Really I am doing better than I thought I would be considering how hard those first weeks were. I did have help for the first couple of weeks. I had PT and did great. Pain is so much diminished that meds are next to nothing. I hope your husband heals as good as i did. I did a bit too much today, I only have C1-2 and T-1-2 for upper mobility. So if i look down too much on art for example my neck will ache a bit. So then I quit for the day. I do garden just bit too and try to keep my weight down. All in all very grateful for the surgery, Really I had no choice about it. Keep his spirits up, he will get better. ginnie

Thanks Ginnie for getting back to me. Sounds like your doing great. He's actually doing fine it was 4 weeks yesterday and he really is doing well even with all the complications. I quess we assumed, which was stupid, that the cervial surgery would be easier. He has had two lumbar surgeries with great success. We just where so shocked and unprepared for the post op.

Thanks again,
Gabbycakes

Hi gabby, even with so many good surgerys, I guess unexpected things can and do happen. My friend up in Missouri had a cage put inside for lumbar. Ruff Stuff and he had complications too with marsa a some point. He is OK also. Say hi to your husband. When does he start PT?. I did PT starting at four weeks and just loved it. They were gentle and firm, and it ended with a good 10 minute massage to all of the neck area. Ache, but like after excersise. I think I did better because I started so early. just a thought. ginnie

He starts OT for the hand on Tuesday,he wants him to wait 6-8 weeks for PT on the neck if he needs it at all. His neck ROM is really very good. He is starting to really perk up the last view days.

Thanks again for all the support.


Gabbycakes