2 Level ADCF, C5 and C6 My Account no stories or fabrications

I think that you're pretty brave fofr sticking it out but are you really going to be waiting up to ten years before you get the surgery? Or am I misunderstanding the situation?

You are missing the point. I am saying this: It is a published medical statistical fact, taken over the 50 yrs this surgery has been done, on thousands and thousands of patients, that of those, 2.9% of them need additional surgery on level above or below each year. SO, after 10 years, roughly 30% will need additional surgery. You don't stick it out 10 yrs or 10 minutes. When you need the surgery, you get it. When do you need it? When you start having progressive neurological deficit. IE weakness. Pain is not a reason. Bulging disks are not a reason. Only if you are getting symptoms of weakness in arms or legs that is getting worse. Thats when you do spine surgery. Here is a paragraph of of the JOURNAL OF NEUROSURGERY: SPINE VOLUME 1, September 2004. Authors of article, P. V. Mummaneni and R. W. Haid. THIS IS NOT MY OPINION:

During the past decade, ACDF has been found to be
associated with symptomatic adjacent-segment disease.
Hilibrand, et al.,10,11 reported that surgical intervention was
necessary for 2.9% of patients annually because of symptomatic
adjacent-segment disease following ACDF.
Furthermore, they found that 10 years after ACDF, 25% of
patients reported symptoms due to adjacent-segment disease.
In addition, Goffin, et al.,9 reported that in 92% of
fusion-treated patients radiographic evidence of adjacentsegment
degenerative disc disease was demonstrated 5
years postoperatively. The cause of this adjacent-segment
disease appears to be the abnormal kinematics (higher
shear strains) that occur at levels adjacent to anterior cervical
fusions.1


THIS IS COPIED OUT OF THE BOOK "NECK PAIN" 2nd edition, by WIESEL, BODEN, BORENSTEIN, FEFFER.

Page 61, table 3, MEAN RANGE OF CERVICAL MOTION OF THE SPINE (DEGREES)

(This is the range of motion of each level. If you have any of these levels fused, you will lose this much on chart. It doesn't matter again what someones dr says, these are the facts, medical facts.

LEVEL FLEXION/EXTENSION LATERAL FLEXION ROTATION
0-c1 13 8 0
c1-c2 10 0 47
c2-c3 8 10 9
c3-c4 13 11 11
c4-c5 12 11 12
c5-c6 17 8 10
c6-c7 16 7 9
c7-t1 9 4 8

flexion extension of course is forwards and backwards, lateral flexion is like ear to shoulder left and right, rotation is turning as far right and far left as possible. With c1 and c2 intact, you have 23% forward and backwards, and 47% rotation which is what I was trying to explain to someone that you could live with that if you had to. Ideally, you want to keep all of them, but you can see that each level with the exception of c1-2 is about 10%, so c1-2 is about 40% of the range of motion, and the other 6 levels are the other 60%. I hope this helps.

Healthfitnessguy; your answer is no! I wouldn't wait around for 10yrs, just making sure each step or surgery is the best course of action.

Unlike some people with their articles of truth, I can only move my neck so far. While driving I have to actually move my shoulders in order to get my view to expand. Whether the NE Journal of Medicine thinks that is wrong goes without saying. The priceless part, after 22yrs of my occupation - I am no longer able to support my family. My surgeon said only 2-5% of people need surgery, and I had it. I couldn't be, 2-5% of people win the IL Lottery for $20m or more - noooooo! It had to be the surgery part that I win XD

I personally like when people disagree because everyone gets better information and can ask all the different types of questions for their own doctors and situations.

Pain is relative, and for what I am going through now versus a year ago, I am in tip top shape. Does it piss me off that I can't do things that others take for granted - absolutely. No more rollercoasters, driving trucks, lifting weights, doing curls (right headed). Can't write along time with my right hand, typing (thank God for spell check) goes crazy because of the numbness, and picking up things like a pencil and more recently a little pumpkin seed off of the floor. After several attempts I finally used my left hand.

I am in a good place, I have a different job (much less pay) - and as far as I am concerned, it could have been much worse. Most heart attacks, strokes and things that 75% of truck drivers are facing everyday are game enders. Even though I was actually one of the more fit drivers out there (training for the Chicago Marathon 2008), I will take my situtaiton now and smile everyday! Besides, my 9 yrs likes her dad being home everyday, she couldn't say that 14mos ago. See little things, pretty amazing how life throws curve balls.

Thanks for your comments, everyone.

gloveman and I agree! I didn't say I didn't agree with you, I was only pointing out what the "medical facts" are, the "information found in medical journals etc". I have a 5 lb lifting limit. My little tibetan spaniel dog weighs 9lbs. So technically I cannot pick her up. Can I turn my head? Yes, not far and very very slowly. I have to have a helper lookout when driving to check lanes, I can do it but do it very slowly.

We agree, I wasn't trying to call you out, I was only pointing out what the dr's say and why they say it, (because they read the magazine). Surgery on 11/4/09 to fuse c3, wish me luck.