Anterior Cervical Discectomy Pre-Post Surgery

bradalaska · Newbie Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 5

To answer your question and concerns for your dad I offer the following frank, candid, personal, non-medical opinions. It’s all based on my own observations and experiences during my recovery and of my wife’s recovery from the same exact surgery 3 years ago.

My last entry was October 2007, just after I had surgery. There's no question that the older you are the longer it takes to recover. I just had my 9-month follow-up June 9th, 2008 and the fusion is working, but I'm still limited to working half days only and very limited upper body activity. I start physical Therapy next week.

If the doctor is promising that your dad will be a 100% and able to return to the full activity he had before and not be in pain, then I'd get another doctor. The fact is it hurts for a long time afterwards. My wife is 3 years out and still hurts when she over does it at what used to be normal activity.

However it does get better. If he's at the point of needing surgery and feels he should it's probably a sure bet that the pain or numbness is getting to be too much to handle.

Even though my life isn't what it was before, it is getting better every day. I've come to accept that some things I need to have others do for me, that is until I can do it myself some day. There are physical limitations during recovery that the doctor puts on you for a good reason. For example avoid lifting, pulling anything over 15 lbs. I've depended on my nephews for help and hiring others to do what I used to do myself, someday I hope I won't have to. But I'll never be able to lift weights and work at body building again, but that's a small loss.

I'd make sure that he's ready, willing, and will be dedicated to following his doctor’s orders. He needs to accept that someone else will have to carry out the garbage. That he carries the grocery bags with bread in them and someone else carries the milk and other heavy groceries.

What I've learned is that people respond differently and heal in different ways. But for sure, if he doesn't accept the limitations that the doctor places on him for at least the next year, he will complicate and prolong his recovery, possibly even damaging the repair.

He also needs to be prepared for boredom, TV gets old. Plus you end up sleeping a lot, the body need the sleep to heal. He'll also have to accept the need to take orders from a loving caring daughter like you. My daughter doesn't let me get away with anything; neither does my wife, son or friends, or workmates. It helps to have a good support group that is firm when they need to be.

I think the recovery period I is harder on a man, because we make it that way, we complicate things because of what we've come to expect of our selves. After all we're supposed to be the macho bread winners. We're supposed to do everything and be the one everyone depends on. It's hard at first to accept that everybody else is capabled too and can learn to get along without you just fine. It's an ego buster. Because of this male thinking the recovery can be tough on a guy because it can be emasculating for us to ask for help and depend on others. He needs to mentally be prepared in advance that this will be the way it is for up to a year if he wants to heal properly.

But with the help and loving, often stern, reminders of others, like from yourself he'll probably get through this okay. It's not like any other bone that breaks and heals in a couple of weeks. The head is heavy, and vertebrae take a long time to heal. I'd recommend using his own hipbone, less chance of rejection. Sure it hurts for a while, but I was walking 2 days later with help and then on my own after that. There is still days it hurts, but nothing that's intolerable. I just didn't want to take the chance of rejection. You could also ask the doctor to do it without a transfusion if he's willing. It removes a lot of post-operative risks. The form for accepting blood is about 4 pages long because of all the risks involved. The form for bloodless surgery is about half a page long and studies have shown people often heal faster without a blood transfusion.

So to wrap this up, it's not going to be easy, or painless. He'll have a long recovery ahead of him, and he may never be as he was before. Painkillers are a way of life for a while and mentally, emotionally it's tough to depend on others. So as long as he's making a knowledgeable decision and has the fortitude to stick to the doctor’s orders (no sneaking out the garbage at night) and doesn't let this get him down mentally he should do okay in the long haul.
Sincerely wishing your father and you the best, because it's also hard on those that live with and support the patient during the recovery stage.

bradalaska · Newbie Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 5

I'd like to confirm what freddyb45 said about the memory foam mattress, he's right.

I have to travel from Alaska to California to see my doctor. On this last visit we stayed at a place that had memory foam mattresses. I have not slept better than I did that week. My wife had the same feeling and good nights sleep too.

It's been 15 months since the car accident, and 10 months since the surgery. And that was my best week of sleep I can remember.

Even though I earlier said you sleep a lot, it doesn't mean you sleep well.

The memory foam matress let me sleep even better than the painkillers and sleeping pills I often have to take before bed. If he can afford it, he might want to get one ASAP.

Yours once again.
Brad in Alaska

Guest · Guest

I am a 34 yr old female and I had my c5 c6 c7 levels done in Feb. The neurosurgeon used cadaver bones w/o any plates or screws. Immediately after the surgery I felt relief. Its been 6 mths and I still have to wear my soft collar. And for the past few weeks the pain and numbness has returned to my left arm and its starting on my right arm. I pray I don't have to have this done again, or have permenant nerve damage. I will have a MRI next week and another EMG to check for nerve damage. I am still sleeping in my hospital bed cause I can't lay my head down in my own w/o waking up in pain. Not to mention the scar on my neck. If I have to have it done again I'm going to use my hip bone

Guest · Guest

Hello Bradalaska!!

I had the exact same surgery as you but only fusion of C7. I am now 6 weeks post op. I only wore a soft collar for three weeks and am now starting physical therapy. The only restrictions I have been given is not to do anything stupid (waterskiing or riding rollar coasters). Which is not a problem for this Grandma.

I am still having the pins and needles off an on down the right arm and pain in my neck and shoulders at night. The doctors office keeps telling me this is normal and it may take up to 6 months to go away. They will not do any films for another 6 weeks. I am scheduled to go back to work in 3 weeks full time no restrictions.

It amazes me how different everyones instruction are. I am also worried about permanent nerve damage. The doc also told me I have two more bulging discs that can go at any time. He did not fuse them so that I would have range of motion in my neck since they are so high up. If I end up having them done he states I will not be able to turn my head at all.

I understand completely about not being able to lay your head down. That is when the pain hits in the neck and shoulders. I am praying this will go away with time. I will be praying for you as well. My doctor made no promises about anything. Since I work at a desk and type all day, this could be a real problem. Just tying this my entire right arm is tingling and in pain.

dolphinblu · Newbie Joined: 06 Jun 2008 Posts: 7 Location: Australia

hi all its me deb,well went to my surgern 12/08/08,i have to start deep tissue massage on my thorasic with my physio and hydro pool not looking forward to anyone touching my back and shoulders at all,have to keep taking my pills,surgon says theres nothing more he can do for me i have another check up with him in november to make sure the fusion is going good,still getting all the pain neck shoulders very server at times still tired no engery cant reverse park my car cant get my neck to turn around,so i gess i just have to wait and see what happens next 2months and anyone out there that needs a acdf eventhow you read our suffering still ,it is still best to have surgrey to unpinch your nerve an replace your disc if you dont you wont be able to get on with any kind of life at all,trust your surgon,talk again soon, Wink

Anterior Cervical Discectomy Pre-Post Surgery

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