Anterior Cervical Discectomy Pre-Post Surgery

Hi Tami,

I started my posting here with a topic named "Full ACDF recovery?" , notice the question mark. It is the thing we all want to know when facing this surgery. I can tell you what you can hope on as far as most doctors expectations. For the most part you should have trouble swallowing for a week or so, you will have troubles just getting to you feet for a week, you should have troubles sleeping due to it hurting a lot turning over(so dont!, sleep on your back for a while), you should invest in a contoured pillow that will put more support under your neck, have a good recliner or rocker set up straight in front of the tv, have a towel rolled up for your neck support, eat soups and broth for a few days until you can swallow, things will settled down as the first week ends, follow your doctors instructions(they all have different approaches to speed your recovery and none of them are wrong),
As you feel better, get back to walking(it will be hard but not as hard if you do it early in the recovery),at the one month stage your doctor will see you again and hopefuly he will see you again at the 8 week point to let you get back to work, my doc expected me to go back to work at 4 weeks min and 8 weeks max, then for the next year you will still have many issues and you will learn how you can move your head with limited pain, driving is one thing you have to do a little differently.. turn your body more than your head.

This is kindof a guideline to expect but not exactly how you can plan things to go. I just know that as I entered this new chapter in my life that I wanted to know these things.

I want you to know somkething I posted in another spot, REMEMBER that you will for the most part only see the bad stories in here. If someone recovers with no problems then they do not come back here, they move on with thier life. And they do not come here in search of answers or support. All of which you will find here if you need it. Feel free to ask, we will all help if we can.

Good luck,
Rob

ACDF hi all,10months now since my surgery, not going well, fusion is great, doing what it supposed to do, but as for the rest, no change, im still on my meds, 400mg tramal , 720mg di-gesics, an 220mg dothep,think im losing my mind,damn rotten pain ,no matter what you do, or dont do anything ,still pain,my neck is throbbing everyday,an shoulders ,all the upper,an arms i tried to hang out washing today well didn't go how i wanted,wont be doing that again,so each day i try to do something different,but no luck,i tryed to do my shopping 2litre cordial and loaf bread,to much pain wanted to get to my car,an fell over an smash my knee on the ground,now im limping knee pretty bad doc says have to get mri on knee now..gezzzzzz,im in the wars,well not going to attempt anything by my self,ill wait for help,any way better go not good sitting here to long ,talk soon Deb

Deb,

Wow, you poor soul... I wanted to laugh when I read your post... in the same way you can laugh sometimes when you hurt yourself. Not in a bad way. I really feel for you. I have new orders to have both an mri and a ct scan in 6 months and wont be having them because no finances and nobody thinks I need help(medicade and such). I found out I was supposed to move out and live on the street when my wife left me instead of taking the spare room at my sisters place.

Please take it easy Deb! There are not many other joints in the body to hurt before it will be wheelchair time... and believe me I thought of that too. lol

Rob

Rob, its just not fair, isnt there any one or something out there, that can help you ,,my god ,i know what pain we all suffer you need your meds, im glad your with your sister, we all need someone, yeh i laughed when i had calmed down from crying,lol, how embarrassing, ive got to slow down, i know that my doc told me to,,but it so hard i push myself everyday to try to do things i used to do before, i no it not working an i dont want to hurt me again, so ill just take it easy, and thanks for listening, to you i hope you get the help you need, keep pushing for that help you need Rob, good luck talk soon,
Deb :O

ACDF hi to you all,we all have lots and different ?s an all answers are different,,alot of theses is me all over an with the exception of a couple, who have been lucky to healed very well,i am f/m 45yrs aussie, i to had 5/6 6/7 with titanium plate 6 screws,cage,so far fusion is going ok,but all the simptins i had b4 surgery are still with me,my work was hard a laboring job, so im guessing that may make a difference to recovery,i am on pain an anti depressant meds for the rest of my life,i am not who i use to be either an never will be an i hate this me,,,hate it to death, al i hear from other people who see me is god what happen to you,,im slow, no energy, always tired,cant do much of anything,but for you fellow pains in the neck out there lol,keep your chin up, you may be lucky ,sorry about the typo fingers dont want to work either,good luck, :'( :-( cant speel either i dont care lol

My mother underwent surgery in November 2008. She is partially recovered now in April 2009. Her c4-c5-c6 were grfted by hip bone. Prior to surgery her right arm was numb. Now after surgery her right hand is fine but doctor said that during surgery the nerves are touched for the left hand. She had no power in left hand after surgery but now has regained about 30% Now her right hand nd left leg are fine but left hand and right leg are weak so she is having problem in balancing. She is undergoing physiotherapy daily. Can someone suggest when she will gain her complete fitness at least to the level of getting complete indpendence?

Hi everyone. I just found this forum this morning while doing research on my upcoming surgery on May 4th. I wanted to say thank you for all of your personal experiences. I am having ACDF on my C6-7 due to a herniation on that particular area, coupled with degenerative disc disease in my C5-6, 6-7 area of the spine. I am a 37 year old female, in good health otherwise, and this has had me feeling completely in dismay since the onset on March 18th, 2009. I know that I am entering this phase of my treatment quicker than some on this site - as I can see that several have dealt with the pain and frustration for many years before having surgery to try and get back to a normal life.

For about a month prior to my onset, I would wake up in the morning with pain in my neck and right shoulder, just thinking that I had slept wrong. I would take a tylenol and go about my day, but after a couple of weeks, the pain would stay with me for most of the day. On the morning of 3/18/09, when I woke up, I noticed the pain was stronger than before. It woke me up about an hour earlier than I usually get up for work. I took another tylenol and struggled to get ready - just doing normal morning activities were harder than usual. By the time I was pulling up to my office that morning, I had severe pain shooting down my right arm, even under my armpit area. This scared me, and after about an hour at the office not able to concentrate on my work, I was told to see a doctor asap. i'm one of those stubborn types that feel that I can just be a supermom and superwoman and push through even if I am sick or in pain- not very smart. LOL! I was lucky to get to my doctor within an hour that morning, and I'm sure you all know how difficult that can be on a monday morning at a busy doctor's office.

They determined that I must have a pinched nerve, the strength in my right arm was gone - i couldn't push or do anything, and the pain was horrible. I do not even know how I managed to drive to the doctor, even with it being a 15 minute drive, it felt like hours to me. I couldn't stop crying, it felt like fire burning through my limb and neck!

After an injection of Toradol (sp?), a script for methylprednisolone, soma for muscle relaxers, and lortabs for pain, NOTHING could stop the pain I was feeling for a good week. I was set up for an MRI of the C-spine on 3/23, which I do realize is quicker than some docs may react.

The MRI showed that I have "degenerative disc disease @ c5-6, C6-7 and disc herniation C6-7 on right " doc's notes also state Spurling's maneuver bilat (not sure what that is), weakness on R triceps and dense numbness index, middle finger and thumb on right. That part of my hand constantly feels like it does when your hand falls "asleep" way before the feeling of tingling when it "wakes up".

My doctor referred me to a neurosurgeon immediately and I was able to see him within a few days. We discussed two options, surgery and physical therapy. I wanted to try PT first to see if it could help. We did two weeks of intense PT, three times per week, and my therapist also managed to get me a cervical traction device to use at home. This was all to no avail. The pain was still prevalent - although not as severe as the day of onset (or maybe it is and I just got used to it?). I'm taking 1000 mg per day of Naproxin, 250 tabs of Soma, and also taking occasionally Ambien to help me fall to sleep at night. I only take that on nights that I know are going to be hard to get to sleep.

As all of you know who have gone through this, your body tells you when something is just not working. I knew that although I did everything I could possibly do in PT, including my home therapy, nothing was changing. Driving to work is a chore, I recall someone here saying that you have to turn your body instead of your neck to drive and it made me chuckle because that is what I have to do, and it just drove it home to me reading that. Getting dressed, even fixing my hair is so hard to do - my arm gets so weak that i have to stop for a while and regain my strength, and being a woman, sometimes you just want to at least look presentable because it can make you feel a little better about things - i know, vain, but it's a little comfort as odd as it seems, at least to me.

After much consideration I decided along with my neurosurgeon to have this surgery as soon as possible, which will be two weeks from this coming monday. I am scared, nervous, apprehensive, and hopeful that this will work out. All I want is to be able to wake up and the numbness will be gone and the pain will cease from shooting down my arm 24/7.

How bad is the surgery pain when you wake from surgery? i've had three surgeries before in the past - two c-sections and knee arthroscopy. That pain I could handle, but I guess I'm nervous about my throat and neck and the fact that bone will be manipulated during surgery. I do not necessarily worry about the scarring, to me it will be a badge of honor especially if this surgery is successful.

Also, anyone else with degenerative disc disease who have had this surgery - has the surgery helped slow the progression over time? I'm normally an active person, and I cannot stand being stuck in pause right now - I have two teenagers (boys) and a loving husband, and we love to go and do many activities as a family - right now, going to a grocery store wears me out and i have to have help pushing the cart because I cannot do it. I just want my life back that I had prior to 3/18/9, and I'm sure that many of you here have felt the same as I do now.

Does anyone have any tips to share that I have not come across yet? Anything from your personal experiences will be most helpful - whether it be bad or good. I want to be fully prepared because I have faith that this procedure will help me in the end.

Thank you for putting up with my long post, and best wishes to everyone who are facing this, recovering from this, or even considering this procedure.

Hi Everyone: I have been told recently that I may have to have ACDF for my C5-6, 6-7 area and I am scared to death. Reading these notes have answered a lot of questions, but I am worried about the pain and the recovery after.
I didnt realize that there was a bone graff and im not sure of whether to use my own or a donar... how do you decide? If I say my own that is a second surgery does that mean more pain and recovery or is it all in the same?
Also the scar, does it look as bad as it does in the google photos? I have been told that it fades to almost nothing.
Any advise good or bad is welcome...
thanks
Kelly

I have had three Cervical Spinal Surgeries and when all was said and done I now have levels C3 to C7 fused together with cadaver bone grafts, screws, plates and rods holding my head on my shoulders. I had three surgeries every other year since the first one. It has been four years since my last surgery and I am having severe neck pain in my neck again on sides, cramping and a popping and cracking sound where it should not be popping and cracking. I am in pain 24/7 365 days a year and I take five different medications that I have been on since the very first surgery I had in 2002. I have to take the following medications 3 times a day; Instant Release Morphine, Percocet, 800 Mg of Ibuprofen, Soma and Valium for spasms. I am now faced with the possibility of having to have another surgery due to hardware failure again as I have a degenerative disease and it feels just like it did when I had the last surgery. I can't blame my Neurosurgeon or the hardware company that makes the hardware because it is my disease that is causing the hardware to fail and the screws loosen up and break the bone. Thank God I have one of the best Neurosurgeons in the country. If he decides in the next week or so that I need to have surgery again I would gladly welcome any relief I can get. If that makes anyone feel better I would let my Neurosurgeon cut on me anytime, he is the best. My fear is that a complete disability is in order for me now as I cannot even lift 25 pounds of weight up to waist high and definitely no more than 10 pounds over my head. It about kills me to even play with my great nephew for less than 10 to 20 minutes at a time before I have to sit and rest for awhile. I am barely able to type this letter. Thank God I can type fast. I have the tingling in the fingers on hands, my left thumb and forefinger goes numb and I have pain shooting down to my lower spine like a hot welding rod, along with cramping on my right side. I still wear my Miami J neck brace to bed to be on the safe side. I still do not feel comfortable without the neck brace on while I sleep in fear of breaking it worse than it may already be. I have complete faith in my neurosurgeon but I am waiting on him to let me know whether to get an MRI or CT scan. I definitely don't want another Myloegram which it would cost me too much money out of pocket anyway because of the lousy insurance I have. I can handle the CT scan or the MRI but not the Myloegrams. I have been so traumatized with all of the epidurals, trigger point injections and medications some days I would have to feel better to die, but I try to work through the pain mentally and tell myself that if I need another surgery at least I know I have the best Neurosurgeon in the country. So don't feel like the lone ranger here, many people have it worse than others. I have been poked with needles so many times I can’t even feel them any longer and that goes for the epidurals as well. If you have any questions just ask me I have been hrough it all.

Coolblue here again I forgot to add that I am 55 years old and it may be something else going on with my neck also along with the loosened hardware but I will find out.

I am a 58 male, a smoker and overweight. I am scheduled to have surgery tomorrow to have the c5-c6 removed and bone graft from a cadivor along with a plate and screws. I was in an auto accident that caused my problem. I would like to know how much pain you were in and for how long after the surgery. Also what pain medication does the surgeon usually prescribe for someone who has this type of surgery and does it control your pain?

Glen Justes

The following contains my opinions and not a small amount of research from doctors in person as well as the internet (vetted as much as anything on the internet can be). I hope this gives others yet another perspective on the issues.

I received morphine - in the two days in the hospital I had 10 or 15 ml which is not a lot. I took no pain meds at home.

I had ACDF with plate 2.4mm thick which is about a tenth of an inch. New plates are available at 1.6 and 1.8mm which may make a significant difference, at least in my case. Two discectomies at C5-C6 and C6-C7 were done. The pain for me was virtually nil. Of course the area from just under the chin line to the scar itself remains numb and it is estimated to last anywhere from one to nine months.

I was in the hospital for two nights. The insurance plan said it should be 0 nights. The doctor took care of this essentially transparently.

The problem I have exactly four weeks post surgery is the protrusion of the plate installed on the front of my spine into the esophagus. I cannot take any pills because they become lodged in my throat. I'm 59 yoa and will not even seriously consider crushing my medications and essentially emulsifying my food by "overechewing" it until I pass on. If you are at all claustrophobic think twice about the existing pain versus the claustrophobic effect of any plates and screws. The terms used to describe the feeling of the plate and screws are "fullness", "you can feel it", "you will be able to discern it", etc. etc. For me personally, it's driving me nuts. I'm about to start researching the impact detail of hardware removal. Do keep in mind that the use of the plate, especially for multi-level fusion, provides as near a certainty of fusion as exists today I think.

In general, it seems that the doctors assume that any issues I have will go away with time. I am personally skeptical about this. I had my ENT (Otolaryngologist) appointment, for a separate issue, yesterday (3 weeks, 6 days post surgery). He said that he could see and "feel" the protrusion using his scope. The message was clear.

Do not have this procedure done unless absolutely needed due to pain which interferes with your lifestyle. Use of ACDF as a preventive measure is debatable, even among physicians. One of my discs was calcified, i.e. solidified and displacing fluid in the spinal canal. The second disc was protruding likewise into the spinal canal but not solidified. The pain I had was diffuse ad in the arms and legs with a worsening prognosis.

I had this done since I needed (and this is painful) a full depth rotator cuff tear and labrum tear in the shoulder. The orthopaedist backed off on the surgery when he read the consulting neurosurgeons report regarding my spine. Now I'm trying to decide if I can stay sane if I delay the plate removal until after the shoulder surgery. I have to take lorazepam constantly to maintain any composure whatsoever.

I'm one of the success stories. My problem started Aug 09 in the weight room. I set the bar on my neck to do a squat and when I came back up I felt finger tip numbness on both hands last 2 fingers. I had rested the bar on my neck without a pad...bad decision. I never thought I had damaged anything seriously, just thought it was temporary numbness due to the hard workout. I continued working out for several months with fingertip numbness. I thought maybe the numbness was caused by the workout in general. I had read where some people experienced fingertip numbness after lifting. Then I noticed occasionally I would have numbness / hot feeling down th back of my left leg when bending down or leaning forward. I realized then that something was really wrong. I just ignored it because I didn't want to deal and take time off for a doctor visit. Then while sitting at my desk I sneezed very hard and instantly felt numbness streak through by arms and legs. It freaked me out so much I called my wife and told her to schedule an appt for me. An MRI revealed ruptured disk between C5-C6. It showed compression on the spine. I had surgery 4/27/10 Anterior Cervical Diskectomy with plate fixation. Stayed overnight for observation, released the next day with no collar. Slept in recliner for 1st week pain med about once a day sometimes before bed. General aching after being up for a while I guess trying to keep my head up. Difficulty swallowing usually feels like I have a lump in my throat. It seems to be getting better. I'm gradually getting more neck mobility about 70% now. The biggest challenge is sleeping. It is very painfull to turn over in bed. I have rolled up a towel and put it inside my pillow case for neck support. This really helped. Strangely, although it is painful to sleep I usually feel good in the morning with no neck pain after getting out of bed. I feel that I am experiencing less pain every day while it usually gets worse in the evening after I get tired. So, overall I believe my surgery was a success and I know the night time pain will get better.

Hi

Hi, I am 48 yr old Female and I had Cervical Surgery (removed 3 discs) replaced with Titanium plate and 8 sc**ws and I have been having problems too...Oh and I had my Surgery on June 30th (Exactly 8 wks ago today) and I was in more pain than before the surgery too...I am no longer in that excruciating type of pain anymore I had to sleep on a recliner chair for 6 wks with my Hard Plastic neck brace and I know that the suurgey went well and will help me...Now (at 8 wks mind you) it's just the healing or my muscles and all the tendons and nerves..that takes anywhere from 9 mos to a year..s.so Please be patient I felt that way too....that is ONLY 3 weeks from a Major Trauma on Your Body !!!! I know that I had gradually gone into a depression when i was injured and it took approx. 8mos. of that hellish pain prior to actually walking through the fear of surgery...6 days prior to my surgery my Mother suddenly passed away, I had quit smoking cigarettes (after 34 yrs a pack a day) I was at approx. 74 days of cigarettes when I had the surgery...I was told that I had stopped breathing in surgery twice and that my blood oxygen level was very low and a concern...I had never really had a "Surgery" to speak of and it was from Hell...very scary, thank Goodness for ICU they were great...the general hospital ward was terrible...and then since i was in bad shape and had some problems the Doctor (who has only sent 2 people in 15 yrs)sent me to Rehab. at a Nursing Home...They were great too !!! It took me 3-4 days to be able to use a walker to walk out of my room...I was a very active person (a little overweight and a smoker prior) and had gotten into a car accident (rear ended) and it all went downhill from there...so, it does make sense that you're depressed...you said something also that jumped out at me...the medications can definitely make you different...plus the pain...I had taken some pain medicine and was so tired of having to take the pain medicine in order to be able to function that I satarted taking less....and that was worse..sometimes if you have a combination of medicine that's wrong or a certain type that is wrong....it can totally mess you up like that...so, I would definitely tell the doctor...I have the titanium plate in the front of my neck and I was given a extremely tight hug the night before last and it really hurt me...that night I went to sleep and woke up and my right side of my Jaw and my Ear were very tender and sore...I finally thought it would be smart to tell somebody....so, I called my Chronic Pain Doctor....(he gives me my medicines) he told me to immediately call my Surgeon's office...and that was yesterday on a Sunday...I was scared but, I did..the surgeon told me he thought it was T.M.J. but, to keep an eye on it and let him know if it got worse...so, today I'm on here looking for answers too...so, Hang in there and never be afraid to talk to the doctors about what's going on...I also have a really good friend in Canada who is a Psychologist and after knowing her for 4 yrs I come to find out she is a Psychologist for People like "US" who are specifically Depressed from our New Found Physical Limitations.

So, p'raps talking to someone who has knowledge about this stuff and your docrors that have this specific experience would be helpfuil to you...My heart goes out to you and I relate to you...Hang in There and I hope I've given you some hope or info that might help you, Sincerely, BrAAty 1

Hi, I just went to my first visit with a surgeon after suffering for over 10 years from chronic back and neck pain, A CAT scan showed severe arthritis in my neck. My surgeon said I have scoliosis and spinalstenosis. He said it was not a small problem but a BIG problem and in all his career he has never seen a neck as severe as mine in someone my age (48). He is talking aboult spinal fusion using a donar and more surgiers and pullys and pins?? Also that right now about 50% of my spinal cord is being pressed. Iam waiting on more MRIs and also for an abscess tooth to get fixed before we do any surgery, I'm scared to death and have no idea what to exspect. I also have some serios lumbar back pain which worries me also. Can anyone tell me what is going on?