longterm pain after anterior cervical fusion

I too have continued pain since my surgery in March 2011. I am 38 years old and also feel 80. It gets so depressing knowing I went through my surgery and have no relief, just more pain. I have had 4 migraines this week alone. I am also seeing a pain management doctor. He is so compassionate. The burning, pain from left to right shoulder, that buldging pain behind my eyes, migraines, also losinf the feeling in my right arm and when I try to move it, it causes more pain. I was given to more meds this week to try with no relief. I was told by two different pain doctors that my pain was caused by a nerve being pinched in my neck. I read somewhere that during fusion surgry that the canal for the nerve was supposed to be made larger for the nerve to have room to move. Mine was not and every time I turn my neck it pinches the nerve and its inoperatable. That made me cry. I am at a loss. I pray one day it will get better.

CBrooks--I can relate 100% to this dilema. You should seek out 2 or 3 consults before going thru surgery. I had a two level fusion 7-2010 c-5thru c7. I had no choice all the herination were extremly large and pressing spinal cord. Most spinal surgeons only will do this surgery if your spinal cord is compressed its not done for pain. From what I understand the jury is still out about artifial disc....fusion seems to be the gold standard. I did very well for 18 month I do have shoulder pain from a c5 nerve ---but im working. Without surgery I would have become paralyzed in time. Good and honest spinal surgeon will tell you this surgery does not guarntee pain relief but for most people it does reduce siginficantly if not 100% most symptoms.Most people who do well after surgery do not return to post stats show 90%. How is your quality of life now regards to pain? I dont regret having my surgery after was painfree for 18 months back at work. I still have shoulder issues but Im working and pain I was in prior to surgery was so bad I couldnt even put into words(hell on earth). I got to point I couldnt wait to have surgery. I wish you the best and keep me informed if I can help in anyway.

I had the c6 op last May, I also want the thank my surgeon, because the pain in my arm and hand was unbearable before the op, I am one who always suffered migrains, and tensions too, I now have to do physio and sit straight, and do the exercises like sort of pushing your shoulders back, sort of i do not care and find it helps a lot, the tingling between shoulder blades subside, ok am getting headaches, but do not really know the truth if it is coming from sinus problems, but i am so depressed cuz some time during the day , every day I get a headache and sometimes it is bad , really bad, But for pain I manage to control it with Syndol tabs, muscle relaxant and tension relief, before op i was on 2 lyricas daily plus 8 syndols taken 6 hourly, or before if pain is very very bad, now I take syndols and if you can find and try them you might find it helps and , you might be like me they will not put you in la la land

 

Hope this helped

I know somewhat of your experince. I had c3 thru c6 done 4 years ago and i still have similar pains/headaches and some limited movement as well. I was told i would be great after 8 weeks of recuperation. I did not feel better until recently but as i said i still experienc a great deal of discomfort. I am not the person i was and my activities are drasticaly diminished. That in itself is is saddening let alone the pain. Grnted i can now breath, take care of daily activities of life i. Dont do much else for fear of increasing the intensity of the constant pain. Dont feel like you are exaggerating or being weak. I dont think the doctors know or understand the pain or know how to fix our necks perfectly. Im not sure if we will ever be without pain and that is depressing. We just have to take one day at a time. I just wish my doctor told te truth about the after affects of the surgery

I am in a similar situation myself. I know how you feel. I did have the surgery , levels c4-5,c5-6. The surgery did help but I still have pain on a daily basis. Spasms in shoulder blade area on both sides, scapula areas on both sides and upper neck that shoots around giving me dibilitating head aches behind my eyes. numbness and tingling in arms and hands both sides. I take hydrocodone 4xs daily and use an interferential muscle stimulator to help with pain and the spasms 3xs daily for around an hour. I seriously recomend the stimulator for those still left with spasms and pain it helps ALOT. Talk to your pain management doc about one. I am also in the work comp delima. I know the frustration involved. All I can say is get a lawyer and leave your medical open and settle for no less the 85 thousand. I know its hard to be broke all the time and not be able to provide the extras but at least your children still have you in their lives and your wife is a great support. My girlfriens has been a god send. I thank god for her everyday as I wouldnt be able to live day to day with out her. As for the mood, try seeing a therapist I know its expensive but there are places you can go that have sliding scale pay systems usually thorugh the county you live in. I have recently decided to do that myself as I am always depressed as well or just plain frustrated with it all. Hand in there. I hope one day there is a better way for us all.

Forgot to mention my surgery date... its been 1 year and 5 months. And 2 years and 8 months since my injury.

Hey CBrooks, I have never responded on any posts, but I feel your pain. I am a 49 year old women who last year and my c4/c5/c6 andc/7 fused. I lost the use of both arms before my surgery and was in so much pain I would cry (and I never cry). After my surgery most of my pain lifted and within a couple of months I was doing much better. By six months I was jogging and lifting weights at the gym. (I used to run marathons so even running 4 miles again was fantastic.) Butttttttt... then it started again, by month 9 post op, the pain kicked in again. And now I am in terrible pain, every day. Pain meds help, but then I am like a drunken sailor. I think my nerves are starting to grow back and therefore here comes the pain again. I will say that the pain is less than before surgery and I can use my arms and lift again. I am hoping that with time my nerves will settle down and life can be somewhat happy again. I read that vitamin B-1 in benfotiamine form and B-12 in Methyl form help with nerve pain and regrowth of the nerves after surgery. I am going to get me some and see if this helps. Will keep you posted on what I feel. Take care and if you need the surgery do it. I know people don't understand who haven't had to deal with pain, but I do have an understanding husband who know I'm not a whimp and if I complain, I must be hurting. My daughter every night gets me an ice bag, she knows the routine and knows if mommy isn't happy, nobody is!
Hang in there. Life is what we make it, I count my blessing and realize it could be worse!

Can you please email me. I so need to talk with anyone who is still having longterm problems after cervical fusion. My surgery was in 2010 I just want to talk with someone who is going through the same thing as me. 

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I am responding to this post four months after it was posted and hope that you are still checking it. I am in a similar situation. I was in a devestating car accident five years ago and broke just about everything form head to toe. The worst of my injuries by far was a shattered c5 c7 and t1 vertibrae. I was not supposed to live and certainly not walk ever again. I have made a "full" recovery and returned to work. I say "full" because even though I look normal no one can see the amount of pain I am in on a daily bassis. I had fusion at c5 and c7 using bone graphs. Since the neck surgery I have had 24 other surgeries to repair everything else that was broken. This has certainly taken a toll on my family. When the pain is at its worst I am not very pleasant to be around. I have recently started talking with a pain management doctor and am hopeful that this will help me. I want my life back. It would be nice to spend sometime not thinking about the amount of pain I am in. You will also find that only other people in chronic pain will understand what you are going through. You have not already had the surgery I would encourage you to go through with it. It the end what else could you do? I also deal with depression. In my situation it was totally my fault. I did this to myself. I know that I should be grateful to be alive but sometimes I honestly whish I were not. I have not taken anti-deppresants I simply force myself to sit down and make a list of the things that I do have. My Kids, My wife (who is way to good for me. I definately over achieved there) and another day to try to figure this out. I know I probably didn't help very much but the only advice I can offer is to keep fighting. At the end of the day that is all there is.

I had just a 2 level fusion C4-5 and C5-6 and still have pain 3 years later. I do have a suggestion of trying the Flector patch which has the active ingredient diclofenac in it. It is an anti-inflammatory and really helps my pain. I get shoulder pain and it hurts to look up and down. It may be worth a try. Take Care

Are you still in pain and feeling like you are at least 80? I so hope not, if you are I have something that will help your body to heal. Something the body already produces.........
If you would like to know more please email me and I will get you the information.

I had a fusion to replace c4/5 and c6 in September having 2 disc replaced and have 2 plates with screws to hold them in place. I HAD been doing quiet well with it. The doc. had put me on restrictions but because I was beginning to feel alot better, being 3 months since my surgery and hoping to be able to return back to work in Jan. when I see the  doctor; I have begun to do some strenous activity to prepare my body to be ready. I work a job that requires alot of heavy lifting, pushing, pulling and alot of walking. I've noticed that I am having pain radiating from the back of my head thru the neck into the shoulder blades. I am also experiencing alot of tension that I can't seem to relax from. I want to believe some of the pain is due to tension because like many folks I am stressed about getting my bills paid and not being able to even buy gifts for family for Christmas. If the pain is due from some work I have done then I know I am not ready to return to work in Jan. because I have not even begun to put my body through what it will go through when I return to work. The pain meds just ease the pain temporaily and I WAS working toward coming off them all together. I'm not allowed to take any inflammatory meds until I have been checked to see if my grafts have fused together. I am terrified  of returning to work and making it worse but I am just as terrified of not returning to work because I have already went through my savings because I was out for a month and half before I had the surgery and it took til Oct. to get my short term disability started. I'm willing to live with pain because I did for 11 years before it got so bad that I had to have the surgery, but I'm still young to and want to enjoy outdoor activities again wiithout the constant nagging pain. I wish all of you God Speed on finding relief ! I know I am trusting the Lord to see me through my pain and financial situation. Here's praying for all of you as well as for myself in full recovery ! Thanks for reading my post !!!!

 

I am 52 and surprised to see so many people with the same problem. I had a cervical Myelopathy on C3/C4 early 2011. I continue to have strong burning pain on my neck and down my arm to my hand on a daily basis. I was so concerned about the amount of meds taken for a long time to relieve the pain, i thought i should stop for awhile and just put up. Not long after i stopped taking the meds, i had a heart attack. Fortunately it was a small one. I'am back on the meds and now at a loss as what to do. The meds don't really help that much anyway.

Hello, I had the same surgery as you had 2 years ago. I was sold on the same bill of goods about how good I was going to feel, yet the pain has been getting progressively worse. Have you researched your surgery report to see if your surgeon used the Medtronics Infuse Bone Graft device? If so this may be what is causing you all of your pain. I am currently waiting on my surgery report as I would like some answers to this continued pain. I had a John Hopkins trained surgeon and believe this particluar procedure has little success. We are the victims of a procedure with less than positive results. We should stay in contact. You can look up the Medtronics Infuse Graft online.

I had surgery 4 months ago and was having some minor irritating pain but in the wee hours of the morning I woke up with a jerk that made my neck pop. I went to the bathroom then went back to bed, but when I went to get up this morning I had major pain lifting my head from the pillow. I have not been able to turn my head or lean without using my hands to steady my head to eliminate the pain.... I to would like to have someone to talk to so maybe we can talk through fb or something !!!