7 months after Anterior Cervical Discectomy surgery

Are you having issues with your muscles too?
Do you feel like something is grabbing on to them and twisting them in your shoulders, neck and arms?
I had this same surgery in Sept 2005. I have never recovered from this issue.
I have underwent test after test and the doctors can't seem to diagnose what the problem is. One says Myofascial Syndrome, another Fibromyalgia. Now we are testing for RSD or reflex sympathetic dystrophy. I am having yet another EMG test tomorrow.
As with everytime a new treatment is offered I regain hope that the doctor will find a solution and a cure to my misery.
The really sad part is that after all of this time...after injections, physical therapy 2 times, MRI's, EMG's...I think I need to face the fact that there is no cure and this is now my life and I need to just deal with it.
At 47 yrs old this has been a major set back for me. I was a single mother, worked long hard days finally felt that it was time to enjoy life and this hit me.
I'll keep you updated if I find any answers. Good luck.


~Want to make God laugh? Tell him your plans~

HI,

I have kinda have had the same problems. I had major nerve pain down my right arm from my upper back through my shoulder to my elbow and forearm to my index finger which is very numb. I had C5 - C6 disectomy performed on 9/08. I still feel the same if not worse and now my neck is as stiff as a 2 by 4. I never had neck stiffness or really any neck pain for that matter. Now I feel like I am stuck with this for the rest of my life. My neurosurgeon has told me he doesn't know what else to do for me. He is now fired and I'm waiting to see another neuro guy soon to get a second opinion. I feel for you folks out there with no promise in sight. What did I do in life to deserve this?

Hi,
I am a 40 year old female and i had a cervical disectomy of C4-5 and C5-6 done in March of 2010. I was ok for the first 2 months until I started to experience migraine headaches and dizziness. I've been to several doctors and either they can"t or don"t want to find out what the problem is now. I get a lot of fluid build up around my neck that makes me so dizzy that I sometimes fall. At this point I dont know what to do. I"ve taken so many different meds for pain that it is ridiculous. I have to take Motrin 800 in order to have any relief otherwise I will be in constant pain.

Hi. I'm 77. I had anterior cervical surgery with 2 fusions on 12/30/10. Now (in February of 2011) I'm waking up every morning with a severely dry mouth. During the night I sometimes get up more than once to rinse my mouth with water just to get some moisture but it doesn't last long. I have no problem in the daytime when I'm up and about. The pain I had been having in my left arm since 2002 has calmed down significantly since surgery and the numbness in my left thumb and index finger seems to be subsiding but I'm now having a problem with my right arm! I'm going for physical therapy twice a week and hopefully will get the right arm free of nerve pain and restriction of movement, HOWEVER the right side muscle spasms seem to be causing constant ache across my upper back on the right side and up into my scull on the right side. I'm wondering if the DRY MOUTH is caused by a remaining result of the way the instruments were used to move everything out of the way for the anterior surgery to be accomplished - if so, will this finally be corrected on its own (as I expect the muscle spasms causing nerve pain in the right arm to be corrected by the physical therapy)?

Hi, and I just had an anterior cervical discectomy in March. I feel like dying and I wish I never had this surgery. I do not recommend it for anyone! My doctor is trying to make it seem like I am addicted to pain killers which I know I am not after being off of any narcotics for a week. This is the doctors mistake because there is nerve damage that was not present before the surgery. I have two young children and I can not even pick up a bowl. I feel like my life is over. I have never felt pain like this in my life. I can not get my children ready in the morning. I am ready for a war with the hospital and the doctors who did this surgery cause I can't live like this anymore. I have numbness and tingling in my left arm all the time. These ignorant doctors and nurse practitioners do not understand this type of pain. They just can not see the reality of being in agony all day long! And I am a registered nurse knowledgable of the surgery, and the complications caused by the doctor. I asked him if this was normal and he said no and it was just me not anyone else with this problem. What a joke! My muscles, my neck, my left arm feel like someone is tearing them from my body with the numbness and tingling just accompanying all of this severe pain. If I did not have children I would just kill myself with the whole bottle of pills because I really feel useless. I can only pray to God and hope he hears me.

I had cervical fusion surgery on Dec. 23rd 2010 and was ok for about 3-4 months, but for the last 8 months the pain is getting worse and worse. Just had a Cat scan and find out the results on Friday. I do not want more surgery, I just want my life back. Is it normal to feel pain and tinglings and numbness in my arm and fingers? Don't want to live on pain killers forever, but can't function without them. Rethinking the surgery.

 

Newfie 22... I am SO GLAD I found your post! I am a 38 yo mom of 3 boys: 4, 9, & 14. I had my cervical discectomy in Dec. 2011 (6 mos ago). I have had CONSTANT headaches... very severe at times! I too have been made to feel like I am addicted to pain medication. The nurses & doctors have made me feel like I am a hypochondriac! They talk down to me and constantly tell me how I feel. I had an unusual episode about a month ago that landed me in the ER. I had vomited and suddenly had excruciating pain in my head & neck!! It was the worst pain I had ever felt in my life! I seriously thought I had an aneurysm. I was treated in the ER with a steroid shot & morphin... neither of which seemed to help very much... and told to follow up with my doctor. When I saw him, he did the typical tests ( touch your nose, push & pull, stand with arms out... kinda like a cop giving a field sobriety test), I'm sure you know what I mean. Then proceeded to tell me that he wanted xrays & an MRI but he didn't foresee any problems. "You are just fine and healing nicely." UGH!!
What do you do? I cant live like this! I absolutely HATE the idea, but I guess I am going to seek a second opinion. :((

I had my operation in nov.2008 it releived the original pain and numbness right away but when the heavy duty pain medicine wore off, I have had constant pain in my neck, between shoulder blades and muscle spasms and knots for over 3 years. Seen many docters and was told that sometimes these things just end up this way.Went to pain clinics,ice and heat therapy at home and constant chiropractic visits and a steady supply of tramadol is the only things that make it better. Played football when I was young and worked in construction for 25 years! Thank god for a disability pension at work or I would have been thrown to the wolves! Hate not being in good shape anymore and used too make decent money and had a fulfilling life,if you don't have a pension program or a decent accident and sickness insurance like (Aflac) get it because the laws are stacked against you and your employer will most likely throw you under the bus when you are not able to perform anymore!

Hi, I too have just had a cervical disectomy due to C4 and 5 and spinal stenosis, three months later, I am still in pain and I am having severe headaches, they gave me a muscle relaxer which did give me dry mouth. there is a mouth rinse called Biotene you can buy at the pharmacy specifically made for dry mouth, it works for a while. I found sucking on lemon drops during the day has helped tremenously! I like Brachs Lemon drops!!! Hope your feeling better soon!

I'm 24 and had numbness and tingles in arms and legs had c3 c4 discsectomy fusion and seven months on I am starting to get tingles in thumb and finger on left hand also my leg feels weak almost hollow feeling particularly in my thigh and calf Muscle do not understand it almost always is around the time of neck cramping when ever I turn my head too far and also coincides with a very dull ache pressure feeling on left side of forehead hollow feeling particularly in my thigh and calf Muscle do not understand it almost always is around the time of neck cramping when ever I turn my head too far and also coincides with a very dull ache pressure feeling on left side of forehead

Are you still around in this site? I feel exactly like you say here and wonder if a year later there has been any improvement

Yep nearly twenty five close to 18 months later and feel no improvement unless I'm taking my lyrica and cymbalta and occasionally norgesic problem is those meds just make you dizzy, tired and put on weight

I had ACDF on 06/06/06. C5-C6 was my issue. I had herniation of disc after a car accident on 09/19/89. It got so bad I couldn't turn my head, my left arm, hand and fingers were numb, hence the reason I finally consented to surgery. My dr never  had me do PT, never had a follow up cat scan and only had one post op visit. Life was great for me after the surgery! 

On to this past summer. My right shoulder would feel like someone was poking me with an electric current. Not all the time, but enough that it bothered the mess out of me. The twinges of pain in the shoulders started coming back again. Now, there is a noticeable lump at the base of my neck that is extremely painful to touch. It has a burning pain that spreads into my shoulders. 

Unfortunately, I cannot return to my former doctor as I live 500 miles away now. I can't go to a new doctor because I have no insurance. I dread the ER, because I don't want them to think I'm pill hunting. I'm really not, so I suffer in silence. 

Could this even be connected to the surgery I had 7 YEARS ago??

I am 51 and had the C-5/C-6 with fusion in September; everything was great until last Friday. First let me start off by saying that I never had neck pain, just a horrible constant pain in my left arm with some nerve tingling down into my fingers. Now though, if I look down, or turn my head/neck a certain way, I feel nerve tingling/sensation shooting down through my legs. Scary.....I have my 2nd post op appointment with the PA next week, wondering what they will tell me?!