Hi,

I am Daryl 48 from Georgia. I am having Posterior Cervical Laminectomy and Fusion on this upcoming Thursday June 12th, 2014. I had an MRI in April 2014 which found 3 protruding discs in my neck two of which pressing on my spinal cord. Referred to neurosurgeon who had a CT scan done that showed lots of bone spurs in neck and thoracic spine. Plan is to do C2 to T2 PCLF. I have a narrower than normal spinal canal from birth discovered on MRI results. I have aggravating lower neck upper back pain and occasional right arm pain and burning tingling in arm and shoulder. I am very nervous about the surgery but I was told by the neurosurgeon without surgery I would be paralyzed if I fell again. I would like to hear from other people who have had this same procedure. I know I will be in hospital for 4 days after surgery per neurosurgeon. He said that they are going to do Laminectomy to open c3-c7 to give spinal cord some space. I will have rods and screws. Dr. Said he could not guarantee me this would resolve all my pain but said it would definitely help the arm pain and upper neck pain. My case was reviewed by the 5 doctors in the practice and they agreed this was the best plan for me. They can't do the ACDF surgery due to the bone spurs. My Dr is head of Neurosurgeons at the Hospital and has great reputation in his field graduated from Harvard and Baylor Medical School. Any help you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated!

Daryl,

I had C2-T1 last year in Sept 2013. I had to have the surgery due to the severity of the impingement on the spinal cord - flattened spinal cord at C4-5 and C5-6 , severe congenital spinal stenosis (not enough room for the spinal cord in the first place), bone spurs, severe kyphosis in the neck and rest of the spine is munched also (9 major spinal surgeries not including the neck) etc, etc.

I was in the hospital 4 days. It would have been two days but my doctor died unexpectedly one week before surgery. My surgery was considered an emergency due to degree of cord compression and my symptoms so I was appointed (sort of) another doctor who did not know me or know about all my other problems below the neck so I ran into some complications after surgery.

I am still recovering from this surgery. The post surgical pain was not bad at all - very tolerable with the correct pain meds and make sure you walk as much as possible as soon as they allow it. I was in a hard collar when I woke up from surgery and that took a bit of adjusting but was not bad.

In the hospital I made sure that I asked for Miralax every evening (stool softner) and made sure to drink Boost or Ensure ASAP so I could start building up my body even when I didn't feel like eating. I had to ask for this stuff so be sure to be proactive especially with the Miralax because the pain meds are constipating and that can become a problem in and of itself.

I also did a lot of meditating when the pain was bad right after surgery - I concentrating on slowing down my breathing and taking deep breaths and trying to be calm - especially through severe pain or when waiting for the next dose of pain meds. I had one of those pain pumps they give you after surgery. Make sure to use it and don't be a hero.

I kept trying not to use the pain pump and the nurses kept telling me to use it as much as possible (they set it up so you can't overdose) - but use it even if you don't feel like you need it - it helps to keep the pain at bay.

When I got home I slept a lot. Allow yourself the time to heal. Also, so many very weird symptoms came and went that were alarming to me - and I would call my doctor and they would say it was "part of the healing process" - give it time. Most of the issues resolved themselves but they scared me - so be prepared to have lots of weird pains like in your shoulders or arms or hands or legs - stuff you didn't have prior to surgery - it goes away.

I sometimes wish they would have given me a list of things that might happen following surgery - like a symptom list of what to expect following the posterior cervical fusion with laminectomies - so I wouldn't have been so paranoid - I always thought the worst - like the surgery didn't take etc and every time something would happen within a week or two it would subside and I would feel foolish for being so frightened.

Exercise, exercise, exercise. Learn to mediate or do deep breathing exercises daily and take the physical therapy seriously. If you want to recover as fully as possible - exercise, control of stress, good nutrition and a positive attitude go a long, long way.

I have started to drink a protein smoothie every morning - one of those includes the anti-inflammatory stuff like Kale and spinach and avocado (yuck), then I mix in a scoop of protein powder and a banana, pineapple or whatever is in the fridge add juice or water or almond milk (yuck) and once you mix it up you can't taste the Kale or spinach or any of the yuckie stuff.

This helps a lot in recovery.

I am back to exercising one hour a day or so (I love to exercise), work part time (have my own business) and lots of volunteer stuff through church. If you are into prayer, that helps a lot. There is nothing that God cannot do so that is a good mind set to be in before surgery, during and after.

Ask for prayers from your family and friends - all of us here on the forum will keep you in our prayers, especially me. I will go to church tomorrow morning and ask my parishioners to pray for you also.

Keep us posted on your recovery.

Kelli from Wisconsin

Hi Kelli,

I was tohavemy surgery this morning but the Dr. Had food poisoning and the surgery was postponed until Wednesday June 18th. I never had any neck or back surgeries before this came on after I fell in April of this year. Thank you for answering my post and for praying for me. God Bless You

Hi Darryl
I had a five level laminectomy with fusion and instrumentation on December 3, 2013. Laminectomy and fusion was C2,3,4,5 and 6. Instrumentation down to T3. I was in the hospital for 5 days and then re admitted a few days later due to uncontrolled pain. I was in surgery about 5 hours and all went well. I woke up in intensive care with a hard collar and remained there for about 3 days. While in the hospital, my pain was pretty well controlled with IV pain pump and oral meds for break thru pain.

The best advice I can give you is to make sure you have a recliner to sleep in when you get home because sleeping in bed will be difficult, at least for me it was. Take your pain medication as directed even if you are not having severe pain cause it can get out of control quickly. Have someone to help you at home for the first week or two as you will find your strength will be diminished. Take stool softeners and even a laxative if needed because those pain meds will cause severe constipation. Walking, even if its just a few feet or so is important and make sure you eat even though you may not have much of an appetite.

It's been six months since my surgery and I'm still recovering.

Hope all goes well for you. If you have any questions, please, don't hesitate to ask.

I have 2 bulging discs in my neck from a rear end whiplash. I have a lot of pressure in my neck and hands. It feels like a compression issue.
I saw an orthopedic surgeon who wants to do a 2-3 level fusion.

I am going to see a doc in Boston for another opinion...
I have a stenosis going on, but I have it in the lumbar from herniated & bulging discs (from accident too) but I don't have this pressure in the lumbar.

Any thought would be welcome! Thank you

Darryl,

Just a few words to let you know that you are still in my prayers and my church is praying for you also.

I have had such great relief following surgery - but I must say that I expected to recover much quicker. When you are dealing with the spinal cord and nerves it can take up to two years or longer for them to heal depending on how long and how hard the nerves and cord have been compressed (and other factors) - I am still seeing progress 10 months following surgery.

I am 50 years old so you should recover much faster than I did. I didn't worry about pain following surgery because hospitals make sure you have good pain relief - no matter what and I have had severely chronic pain since 1998 so pain doesn't scare me. For me it is about being able to move and work and walk around. I would like to stay mobile and active as long as possible.

As soon as you can post following your surgery please let us know how you are doing.

God has many angels watching over you!

Kelli and the gangLOL

I had lumbar laminectomy with fusion, stayed in hospital overnight. Went home had excruciating pain when getting up and down from sitting or getting up from bed.

Three days later I couldn't take it any longer as I could not stand without screaming. So Thanksgiving was cut short, off I go. They told me I had fluid build up and that I had a leak and needed a blood patch and a drain pouch to drain the excess fluid out of my back.

All in all I am doing ok but was wondering why I can't poop. i had to do an enema of molasass and milk. It cleaned me out. Now i am worried that I may need another one as it has been six days without a bowel movement.

Any suggestions?
Thanks

Darryl,

Yes, we are here for you and prayers for you to. My heart goes out to you because through this you have to be strong. Have someone who can take good care of you too. Never thought going to the bathroom would be such an ordeal. I have a Big one so that will be my second goal after getting well from surgery.

Best advice I can give you is listen to your doctor's, recliner is great for a decent nights sleep, and most of all take your meds ,stay ahead of the pain. No fun catching up to the pain. And if you're alright with your faith, pray for God to heal you. He will. Know that we are here for you!