Although my only symptoms pre surgery were mild balance issues & some tricep discomfort, I knew these were symptoms of a larger issue that needed to be addressed. Without the surgery because of impingement & damage to my spinal cord due to degenerative arthritis, I risked para or quadriplegia. I used to kayak, golf, bowl, spend hours planting & tending my garden. Getting back to some of these - still a work in progress. I'm now 17 months post surgery. Keep your chin up.
Please advise.
Despaired
I fractured my neck (C1-C2) in a car wreck in 1983, was in a halo cast for months, and survived with the only lingering effects being degenerative cervical spine damage. I had some pain over the years, but nothing severe in my neck. What caused me to finally go for surgery was the loss of strength, control, and muscle mass in my right arm (i'm a righty). I had numbness in my entire right forearm and loss of sensation in the thumb and index finger.
Two days post op, the numbness was (and IS) gone. My fine motor control improves every day, i can button the small buttons on a button-down shirt which i could not do before. I had 2 UNBELIEVABLE surgeons; one to do "the approach", and one to do the fusion. I had minimal throat pain a couple of days after and was eating solids like crazy from day 4 forward. I take minimal pain meds- Tylenol, the occasional 2mg Valium, and rarely a Percocet- this after living on Oxy for quite some time after the accident. I know every one is different but i wanted to post a positive result.
When i was first told in 2010 to have the surgery (it took SIX years to build up courage), I was told "find a guy who loves to do it and go to a place where they do it every day. I was lucky enough to do both,
Good luck to all and may the Force be with you!
Similar story to mine! I am 10 years out asrer a ski fall, and I am very active, continued to work after rear approach 3-7 laminectomy with rods. Retired now training new horse. Bad days happen.
I agree - kinda. I am only 4 week post op. And feel I have something to say. Better then 4 days but not 4 months either. the good of a forum like this is that people can see who else is going through the same as they are ( why I am here) . My surgery to date was a success and I am already doing many things (no smart I know) that they say you probably wont be able to or shouldn't. But you know not a lot of people come on sites to say how great things are, they come on to tell the bad side - complain. It is our human nature to b***h when it is bad and ride the wave of happy when things are good. If you buy your next car based on a forum - you wouldn't buy it, no one take the time to look up a forum and then go on and say all good things : now if they have a issue they certainly will go on and voice it and let you know there was a issue. If you read every post here and have not had surgery yet you are going to walk away from you computer thinking there is no way im that stupid , I will live in my pain. Well the fact is there are many more success stories then horror stories they are just the untold. Doctors love money we all know that as we look at our bills, but they don't love it more than helping people get better. And there would not be these types of surgeries going on every day if they all ended with failure. So far I feel I was a success. I went pre-op in good shape , was in gym regular and even lost 10 lbs to lean out as I knew I would be laid up for a while. Im no kid at 52 so I took my pre-op very serious. I was also at a point where if I got 10% better it was a success. Not sure what I will have to say in 4 more weeks, months, a years. But I am glad I did it and think people reading this need to read this :) JMO
was degenerative but I know it was from working all those years. The pain is so bad at times I cannot concentrate on anything my arms still go numb. I don't take pain meds