HI Cathie, you sure looked like you need a break,!!!! my neck was horrible for 6 months with numbness everynight in my arms and hands. sleeping on my back was sore and sleeping on my side too !!! I believe that all was due to very tight muscle pinching the nerves. as all is mostly gone today. I am still working on my leg and calves pain, I think the trigger point therapy only works if you do it yourself many times during the day ( it kind of made my pain a little more the first two days or so, but it felt great to get the area more relaxed. ( so go with the flow) you can put a tennis ball in a sock, ( so the ball does not fall on the floor) and rub against a wall standing up, you can probably start now, just find the sore spot, and go for it.. 6 to 8 times per day, 10 rubbing motion on each spots. sometimes you will find spot that are not hurting till you get the ball over it... it basically breaks down the muscles knot which are full of toxins.. drink lots of water,
( I can't use any meds as my stomach is very delicate and I usually have bad side effect with all the muscle relaxants...ect..) so I am using magnesium mineral oil ( works great) after the last session at night. and take 250 of magnesium, and melatonin for the sleeping at night.
the trapezius are always sore with my neck especially now , iam resuming a lot of activity.. but it feels great at night to get release.
kind regards virginie.

Haven't been on for a bit. Life gets in the way. Work, family house ... I am going back to PT 2x a week and the time there really helps. I also use ice when I get home from work and spend much time on the recliner watching television. I do take flexeril and once in a while hydrocodone, but try to limit both meds. I find that driving and working on the computer give me most of my discomfort. But they are both necessary evils of the job. I may have found a massage therapist who does the trigger point and is part of my insurance plan. Time will tell. I will try the tennis ball in the sock. Sounds interesting and hopefully very helpful. Hope everyone has a pain-free and enjoyable day. I have a class trip on Friday to a light house. I am concerned walking up the 180 stairs with the kids. Hopefully I won't be in too much discomfort. It is a wonderful trip.

This week I rec'd my Tens Unit in the mail. The PT recommended a unit, but stated that I needed a script from my OSS. My OSS worked with me and my insurance company. Both the PT and OSS have a relationship with the durable medical aspect of my insurance company and recommended the same unit by the same company. I was 100% covered by insurance. No copay or out of packet expense. I can use AA batteries, but I called the company to request a battery charger with rechargeable batteries similar to the cervical stim that i wear 4 h ours a day. I brought the unit to PT and they set it up and had me use it in the office to make sure I was comfortable with it. They also said that if I ever have any concerns to bring it back whether or not I have an appointment and they would help me out. They were very helpful.
My PT also told me about using a racquetball and placing it on a wall and rolling it around my shoulders, and back to relieve the uncomfortable feeling of spasms and knots. It seems helpful for the short term.

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12/9/2010 ACDF C5-6 C6-7 with plate, screws,
BMP & bone fragment filled cages
2/14/2011 trying to go back to work as a teacher
2/17/2011 starting PT
wearing bone stimulator 4 hours a day
DDD, arthritis, herniated disks, pinched nerves
3 months saw a little bit of bone growth (YEAH)
4/15/2011 Home Tens Unit

Hi there,
Glad to see you're feeling better... I'm still just plugging along with my neck brace and weaning back off the last of my meds. I don't see my neurosurgeon until the 26th, but I did run into him at dinner last night at a restaurant and we talked (and he was excited to check my incision right then and there.. LOL) He said he doesn't believe much in PT, which I was disappointed to hear, but we'll talk more on the 26th. He also told me that with the amount of work that he did in my neck that I may be wearing the brace for 12 weeks post up. Ugh!!!!! Hoping the xrays will show otherwise and I can get it off for a little while at the 8-10 week point.

I'm going to try to insist on physio, I think it's important, not sure why he doesn't like it post op. He was all for it before I had the surgery.

Oh well, wait and see. How did your field trip go with your students and all those stairs? Did you suffer for it a lot?
Cathie

Glad to hear that you are able to get out and go to dinner. Very funny that your NS wanted to look at your incision. I am very pleased with the way mine looks. I still rub vitamin e on it 1 to 2 times a day. Now I am adding sunscreen. How long was your surgery and if I am correct you had 2 levels fused. Glad my OSS didn't have the same view. Soft collar for a few weeks, and I insisted on a hard collar and only wore it for a few days and when I showered in the beginning. Sorry you have to wear it for so long.

Definitely insist on physio, I think it's important and it has helped quite a bit. Especially since he had you rather has you in a hard collar for so long. You will need strengthening and ROM exercises. My ROM has gotten better, but my strength on the left side is still much weaker than the right.

The field trip went better than expected. I wore the soft collar for the 45 minute bus ride each way and the walk up to th top of the lighthouse. Also took extra strength Tylenol as a precautionary measure. I definitely did better than I expected. Tired on the way up, no problem on the way down.

Have a great weekend and a happy holiday season.

************************************************** **
12/9/2010 ACDF C5-6 C6-7 with plate, screws,
BMP & bone fragment filled cages
2/14/2011 trying to go back to work as a teacher
2/17/2011 starting PT
wearing bone stimulator 4 hours a day
DDD, arthritis, herniated disks, pinched nerves
3 months saw a little bit of bone growth (YEAH)
4/15/2011 Home Tens Unit

That's awesome you did so well with you field trip. That's a big adventure at this point, you remind me of myself, just always pushing a little bit to see how far we can get back to normal.... Missing my active life, can't wait for summer hikes and camping ( maybe ..lol.. Hubby says too soon, but I'd like to give it a try around august.) I have a soft collar that a friend gave to me, I will take your example and wear that a bit once I'm allowed out of the hard one. When I saw the neuro last weekend he said he had to do a lot of cleaning up with bone spurs and just wants it on for as long as possible, I'm praying he'll let me take it off when I see him next Tuesday at my followup. Even just a few hours a day would be so wonderful! My xrays were taken on Wednesday and there is no bone growth at all yet, boo.

I want physio, I'll push for it, we have a pretty friendly relationship, so I'm sure I can talk him into it.

Have a Happy Easter (assuming you are Christian, if not then happy long weekend!) I love long weekends, get my family home all together!
Cathie

Ps... I had the same levels fused as you, C5, C6,C7, but I didn't have a cage, only titanium plate, six screws and cadaver bone. Maybe the cage allowed youbto be out of the collar sooner?

Not uncommon to not see bone growth at this early stage. Only a little bit was seen at my 3 month mark. Hoping for more when I go to my 5 month appointment at the end of May. Good luck when you go to your follow up appointment. I know you said that a friend gave you a soft collar, just make sure it is the proper height. I know prior to the surgery I had one that was quite narrow and the one post surgery was very deep.

The cage was to hold the BMP and bone fragments, just different than cadaver bone. My OSS is just very liberal. One of the other OSS that I went to for a second opinion had said hard collar for 6-12 weeks then the same for the soft collar and out of work for 6 months. I asked my OSS why there is such a difference and explained it to me, but I don't recall. Each NS or OSS has their own way of dealing with the recovery. As mine said the titanium plate and screws will hold everything in place.

Hopefully both of us can be active in August. I look forward to hikes in the mountains and canoeing or rafting on the river. We will have to bring my son to college in August just 1/2 hour from Canadian border by NY and Vermont, there are great locations there for outdoor activities. I'M thinking positively.

Enjoy your Easter. ( I enjoyed my Passover Sedars with family earlier this week. Looking forward to the end of Passover so that I can have my bread products again)

************************************************** **
12/9/2010 ACDF C5-6 C6-7 with plate, screws,
BMP & bone fragment filled cages
2/14/2011 trying to go back to work as a teacher
2/17/2011 starting PT
wearing bone stimulator 4 hours a day
DDD, arthritis, herniated disks, pinched nerves
3 months saw a little bit of bone growth (YEAH)
4/15/2011 Home Tens Unit

Hi All,

I am 53 years old and I am 8 weeks post op ACDF C5-7.

I stopped wearing the Miami J hard collar after 3 weeks and have not worn the soft collar for 2 weeks now.

I was advised by a family member to start taking magnesium and calcium in tablet form within 10 days of the op to stop the spasms and assist in the bone growth.

I now take 2000mg of magnesium and 1000mg of calcium each day.

I DON'T HAVE MUSCLE SPASMS UNLESS I SIT IN FRONT OF THE COMPUTER FOR TOO LONG!

I take nothing else except for Melatonin which helps me sleep at night.

I am seeing a spinal rehab specialist who works hand-in-hand with a biokineticist and a physiotherapist. I hope to play golf again in 4-6 weeks.

I am infinitely better off for having had the op and can only recommend highly that you take magnesium to stop the spasms.

It works!