Anterior Cervical Discectomy - Recovery Time?

Hi all. I am a 35 year old mom and wife and had discectomy with fusion on c6-c7 on 06/09/09. I know I am still in recovery but I have the worst headaches everytime I get up from sleeping or sitting. I also have upperback pain which the surgeon told me I would have. I have a perscription for Vicadin which I am allowed to take 2 every 4-6 hrs. I had two rounds of physical therapy first, 2 MRI's and a nerve test before surgery. Upon my release I didn't have to wear a neck brace at all. Just a little nervous about returning to my former self. :O

I read alot of bad stories on this website, so I wanted to share my GOOD EXPERIENCE with everyone! I am 38 years old and have worked in an office answering phones, etc. for almost 20 years. I had anterior cervical discectomy with fusion (acdf) on Wednesday, Oct 21. I have had neck pains, and various kinks for over 15 years. Going to the chiropractor always fixed it until August. Going to the chiropractor did nothing. Then the index finger on my right hand went numb, then my whole arm started tingle, with waves of pain and burning sensations coming and going all day & night long. I took tylenol, ibuprofen, aleve, & Doans all day long with no relief. I couldn't take it anymore, so I went to a Spinal Dr who ordered an MRI immediately. The MRI was done Monday morning Oct. 19, he reviewed it that afternoon at 1 pm & immediately sent me to a Spinal surgeon at 3 pm that same day, and scheduled the acdf surgery for Wednesday. I woke up from surgery with no arm & neck pain. I feel like a totally new person. I wear the neck brace (Miami F) all day long, even when I'm sleeping sometimes. I hope to be back to work only 2 weeks after the surgery, just waiting for the dr to approve it! There is hope!

I am 30 and had ACDF surgery on my C5 and C6 discs in February 2009. Dr. Todd Albert did the surgey at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. I had been dealing with pain in my neck, arm, and hand area for about four years, but it was especially severe right around Christmas 2008. The pain became more intense and constant and like one of the people who wrote on here before, I started to drop things with my left hand. The pain got to the point where I was taking pain meds and such and was unable to sleep well at night. It was horrible. Someone had told me about The Rothman Institute, which is out of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. I had an MRI done and was supposed to see the spinal specialist, but as soon as they saw the severity of the disc protrusion, they scheduled me to see Dr. Albert. Once I seen Dr. Albert he explained the seriousness of the disc protrusions and why I have been experiencing all the pain I was having. He DID NOT force surgery and recommended me have it sooner rather than later. My surgery was done February 18, 2009. I spent the night in the hospital. In the weeks following surgery, I had the normal stuff you hear during recovery, trouble swallowing, extreme neck discomfort, immobility, and had to wear a soft collar neck brace for three weeks. As far as pain meds go, I forget the name of the medicine prescribed, but it didn't matter because five days after surgery I was taking Tylenol. They told me Tylenol only and no Motrin, Aleve, or any other anti inflammatory basically for ten weeks after surgery due to bleeding or something like that? I noticed the times were increasin between my doses of Tylenol and I was up and moving, probably more than I should have, within a week after surgery. The only thing that hurt the most was swallowing, that was horrible, but lasted a few weeks and got better. The only thing that I still suffer from to this day is a stiff and sore neck (in the back between the shoulders). I assume this will continue until the muscles fully strengthen. I will admit, I did not do any of the exercises they gave me to do on my neck and thankfully I did not need physical therapy.
In closing I would recommend this surgery anytime to anyone that is dealing with nerve pain TO THIS EXTREME. Unless you have had to deal with nerve pain, then you will not understand what it is like and you can easily pass judgement on someone who is taking pain meds for comfort. If you do opt for this surgery, remember it is a MAJOR surgery so there is risks and complications that can occur, but read into the doctor who will be performing the surgery and don't just settle on a doctor who thinks he knows what is best. I checked out many, many things on Dr. Albert and found that he is nationally recongnized for what he has done and I also read many testimonials from people who have had surgery done from him. Good luck to everyone who has had the surgery and may have to have it in the future.

For anyone with an open mind suffering from chronic back /neck pain, I would urge you to check out the books/ work of Dr. John Sarno M.D. and his history of helping chronic pain.

I am in similar situation 3/24/10- have to wear the torture device of aspen collar for 6 more weeks. would like any info from you or anybody else about use of collars and recoveries. I had c4-5 discectomy w/ plate and screws and am 50. I am going insane from not being able to do anything. I had a friend about 5 years younger who had same surgery, probably more progressive area (D.C.) and didn't have to wear collar at all. She said she's fine and was moving around great w/ 3 little kids because of no colllar and not much restriction on what she could do. I'm a pharmacist and would love to know what the difference is, and hear from some one w/ recent experience. have been disabled because of this for 10 years, but couldn't imagine some one having to take 8 weeks off of work!

I had cervical fusion of C5-C6-C7 on Feb. 15th of this year. I had been suffering from back and arm pain for 2 years. The last MRI I had mid 2008 showed that it was not bad enough for surgury. At the end of January of this year I had a disc completely blow out. The pain was unbearable, even taking two oxycodone's every 4 hours. A new MRI showed the disc was bulging over 3/4 of it's diameter, blocking 3/4 of the spinal cord and pinching two nerves as well. I was scheduled for surgery just three days later.

After waking from surgery, all neck pain was gone, all arm pain as well. Hip and throat pain were gone in less than a week. The toughest part was quitting smoking! I lasted two weeks, then relapsed for 2 weeks, and have now made it a month.

I returned to work after 5 weeks, and some neck pain returned. This worried me at first, but after 3.5 weeks back on the job, that pain seems to have gone away as well. Probably just caused by returning to normal activities. I also walk between 2 and three miles a day, as instructed. I started walking half a mile per day the day after returning home from the hospital.

I post this so that some will know that it is possible to have a good outcome. Now I just have to wait and see if it successfully fuses, but that could take 6 to 9 months.

I am 6 days out of ACDF C3-C4 (one level). My only major complaint is the feeling of a frog in my throat. The pain in my arm and neck have pretty much subsided and I only take a Percocet as needed. I called my doctor a couple days ago because I felt like my throat was closing up on me but he reassured me that this is normal after having your vocal cords moved to the side and a tube shoved down your throat! For anyone out there feeling alone in this process let me tell you, it does get better, I am about 65% better from day one and it can only improve. Just keep a positive outlook and try to stay busy. My job/Boss was super cool and gave me 6 months off total which included 1 month before the surgery and the remaining time. I am due to go back to work in April 2011 but I think I will be headed back much sooner, hopefully the end of January 2011. God bless everyone!

Jay In Cali

I was in a car accident 2 1/2 yrs ago, which exacerbated issues from an accident 18 yrs ago. Anyways, I have had neck problems through the years but nothing like the past 2 yrs. I have problems on every level in my neck, mostly c4 - c7. Each year after the accident, my c6 c7 got progressively worse. They put me through rhizotomies, Botox, steroid injections and many pills!!! The rhizotomies helped a little, but wouldn't last too long. Finally on Oct. 1st I woke up with the worse pain ever in my chest, shoulder and right arm. I saw my pain doctor immediately and they set me up a MRI. They got the results and set me up for an epidural, which did NOTHING, gave me other pain meds and muscle relaxers, which did NOTHING! It took 2 wks to see another pain doc. He took 1 look at my MRI pics and said," did the other doctor look at the mri?" he said that they must not have because he said YOU HAVE A SEVERE HERNIATION INTO YOUR SPINAL CORD! He also said that sometimes the report doesn't really tell how bad it is! So, make sure that your doctor actually looks at the MRI pics! He said that I should have seen a specialist right away! I was on 5 different meds too with no relief!!
I finally had surgery (anterior cervical microdiscectomy with fusion- c6 c7) on Dec 1, 2010 and I feel wonderful!!!!! I had the worse arm/chest pain for 2 months and the pain went away right after the surgery. I am ready to go back to work, I just have to watch what I do! I would recommend it to anyone in the same situation! I would do your research on the neurosurgeon though! If anyone needs one in the Pittsburgh, Pa area.... I recommend the neurosurgeons at AGH!!!!

I just posted the 12/17/10 post and I wanted to ask if anyone has gone to the chiropractor after having this surgery? Not to adjust my neck...I am having shoulderblade pain, which the doctor said I would have. No biggie, just feel like I need to be adjusted!
Ronda in Pa

I've had the procedure discribed here 6 days ago, I was a delivery driver for the last 4 years with "I won't name them but they aren't UPS" uninsured, & paid by the stop. I've been active most of my life,but the pace required was a definite up-tick. I'd become accustomed to banging myself, throughout the course of the day, and soreness upon conclusion of frequently long days. I've been active in martial arts most of my life and had years of experience waiting tables, which trains you to navigate a room ful of people swiftly,deftly, & safely often while balancing trays etc. I'd managed to work from Nov through to Feb with the nerve damage pain mostly to Left hand, which had climbed my arm to my tricep area. It wasn't until I fell at home on way to work;but without the "automatic" bracing of my fall into a push-up position(i basically fell like a tree directly onto my ribcage.). in fact It wasn't until the lack of coordination/balance did I begin to believe there was something more to the pain I was experiencing. First I pre-paid for a 9 wk course of treatment with a chiropractor @ week 11 she suggested the MRI. after seeing my spinal cord compressed from standard pencil thickness to standard pencil lead thickness @ c4-5 herniation did I seek out NS. The NS highly recomended performed disectomy,bone grafting,titanium plating in a 2 hr/next day outpatient procedure. my question is do you or n e 1 else here have an idea how a delay of 7 months from burning/tingling/numbness/hypersensitivity from fingers to tricep-from toes to belly all presneting left greater then right (fortunately as I'm rght handed)affects prognosis? also i'm extremely tolerant to pain so it may have been earlier than Nov when 1st symptoms flared. lastly did n e 1 report a lasting metallic smell/taste?

Hey. I have a friend who is about to undergo a certain similar and is have some second thoughts. She is most worried about the scar tissue from the anterior approach. A year out,mod you still have difficulty swallowing or moving your neck or chest? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Iwould like to know how you are now. I am having this surgery next Tuesday the 17th July 2012.

Had c-4-7 done a year may 2011 with fusion out work for 7 week. I feel like am back to normal with very little discomfort. It was the best thing for me.

I know it has been a while, but wondering what happended to the throat problem. I'm having the same issues after 4 months. Can't swallow without discomfort..

i am 6 weeks post c4-c6 discectomy, throat is ok but still having neck pain. feels like a bad neck sprain