Hi everyone,
I just discovered this forum and have spent the past couple hours reading the various threads. I am a 45 y/o male that had a cervical fusion surgery 18 months ago on c4-c7. The surgery, in my opinion, was not a great success. I originally went to the neurosurgeon complaining of neck pain along with pain and numbness radiating down my right arm, which got much worse at night, making sleep a misery. An MRI found compression of the nerves and the discs in the above mentioned vertebrae sufficiently deteriorated to warrant the surgery.
Post surgery, I still have all the symptoms of pain and numbness. I have been going to a pain management doctor for the past year. Having been taking Darvocet and hydrocodone for nearly 2 years on a daily basis, I know I am addicted to the medications, but cannot make it through the day (pain-wise) without the meds. I have tried steroid injections, which did nothing. Now the doctor is going to be doing a facet rhizotomy on the c3-t1 vertebrae on Nov 1. He did a single diagnostic injection on the c7 facet joint and I did notice some short-term relief.
I was scared enough thinking about this upcoming procedure and have been browsing the net looking for any input on rhizotomy. Reading the other threads on this forum has enhanced my nervousness, for I certainly do not want to go through this ordeal to have no effect, or worse yet...to comeo ut of this with more pain than I have now.
But I am at my wits end dealing with the severe pain and desperately want to be off the narcotics.
If anyone has any input, I would greatly appreciate...

Thanks,
Lou