I am scheduled for surgery on Friday 1/26/07, to fix a spur at c5-6. After listening to the Doctor's it sounded like it would be a fairly simple procedure that would eliminate the pain that runs from my neck down my right arm to the tips of my thumb and pointer finger. After reading some of these posts I am beginning to wonder how long recovery really takes and if the pain will really be gone.
My pain came on in 3 days time and has been aching now for almost 6 weeks. I would really like to hear some feedback on how you are feeling now after the twelve week period in which you are required to wear your brace and collar. The bone they are using to fuse in will come from my hip which they say is the better way to go than to use a cadabber bone. Feedback?
Not looking forward to trying to sleep comfortably with the collar or even using the restroom. How did you manage that? I am 6'6 and 300#'s and I detect a little difficulty. I will get some practice in once my collars are fitted on Tuesday before surgery. Any feedback is welcome.

Thanks,
Tripn

Tripn,

I'm sorry that I've only noticed your post just now. I'm hoping your surgery went well!

I know that reading some of our posts must be scaring you a bit, but please remember that most of the people who have this surgery feel tons of pain relief and then go on to live a normal pain-free life and are too busy . The minority of us who have continued pain or problems remain here looking for support and answers. There are even some who had successful surgeries but keep coming back to the forums to give support and advice to those who are still dealing with their spinal issues.

I had my C5/6/7 fusion with my own iliac crest bone back in June '06. Since then I have experienced problems with the nerves in my hip, but my PM believes it might be aggravated by the fact that I am quite thin and there is no padding to protect the nerves. I also had two hernia's repaired right next to the autograft site on my hip just 3 weeks after my ACDF surgery which just added to the scar tissue in the area and is contributing to the nerve irritation. As far as the pre-op and post-op pains, mine seem to have not changed and if anything, they've slightly progressed. I'm still going through the process of trying to finding out why, but have no answers yet. Everyone is different, so keep a positive outlook, the odds are with you!

I hope you're doing well and recover from your surgery quickly. Keep us posted on how you're doing.

Best wishes,

Kim

I had fusion at c5 /c6 back in Feb 2008 and to this day i am still having stinging pains in my upper arms (fills like being pinched) that change from right to left arm. What is the typical recovery for nerve issues? Docs are saying 12-18 months. Not sure I believe them.

Had acdf c5 c6 done on November 1, 2008 because MRI showed that discs had completely flattened against spinal cord. Felt better for about 2 weeks until symptoms came back worse than before surgery. Both arms and hands are now totally numb and have lost approx. 80% of motor skills in left hand making it difficult to pick up anything. NS said it could be because nerve path is now opened up and could take months to heal or it could be permanent spinal cord damage due to length of impingement. New MRI done yesterday to find out what is going on. Will see NS next week to see what he says.

Hi
Did you get any other options other than fusing the bones together please, as I have problems with these discs and I really dont want them fused, as I am a driver.
thanks
John Chadwick