MESSAGE to those preparing for ACDF surgery

I wish I had seen your post before my surgery, and not all the negative ones! I too had ACDF surgery, C-6, C-7. I am 27, single mother of a 1 year old, very active, have been running and skiing my whole life. I don't know what caused my herniated discs or when, but something shifted them into my nerves in November of 2012, but it's likely the discs were herniated a long time ago. The first doc I saw said it was most likely muscle tightness...I begged him for an MRI because it was the worst pain in my entire life. I continued to run for an hour at a time every other day, and pushed through the "muscle pain". I knew it was bad when I tried to do a push up and fell flat on my face. I finally got my MRI in January 2013 and the next thing I knew I was being scheduled for surgery because the nerve damage was progressing very rapidly. Spinal cord compression was very bad and doc said if I slipped on the ice and fell I could severely damage the cord even more than it already was. I can't believe the first doc just gave me muscle relaxers and sent me on my way, and told me I should still be ok to run...

 

I too read horror stories about this surgery. I kept asking my doc what my recovery would be like, and he said it really always depends on the situation and he wouldn't know until it was over and done. Also, I'm a non-smoker, chose to do the bone donor, and traditional hard wear, not the new stuff b/c it would have taken a few months for my insurance to OK it because it's so new, and my doc said I didn't have a few months to wait. 

Here are notes on my recovery:

-Woke up with NO more arm pain. Still numbness in hands, but he said that would be the final part to come come back. I didn't realize how bad the pain had gotten until I didn't have it anymore...

-I ate solids and a sandwich as my first meal - throat was sore for sure, but more just annoying. 

-I was only instructed to wear a soft collar when sleeping - I asked why I had seen so many different instructions on this, and  he said it really depends on the quality of your bone and how successful the screws secure the plate. I have very healthy bones & my hardwear wasn't going anywhere..

-For the 2nd day out, first day home from hospital, I slept in almost every chair in my house. I slept a full 8 hours that night on a couch. 3 days on the couch, then slept in my own bed propped up with pillows. No issues sleeping!

-See I'm an active person and get antsy doing nothing, so I went for a 2 mile walk on day 6 and 7. No problems. I did the dishes and housework on day 2. I listened to my body and slowed down if I felt I needed to. The hardest thing was not picking my daughter up.

-I went back to work at week after 1 week & stopped taking pk's. I mean, I guess if you feel like you can't work, and it depends on your job, but I see things where people are out of work for 6 weeks....I don't get it! Maybe some people enjoy spending their paid vacation hopped up on pk's and sleeping, but not me. I'd rather actually be on vacation.

-2 week check up showed everything was great. I got the ok to drive! I also got the ok to lift my daughter, as long as I held her close to my body and not with arms stretched out, but again, being smart with it. Also got the ok to exercise, just no upper body lifting of course and no running/skiing/impact activities. 

 

I'm 4 weeks out and have gone back to my regular life, just minus the pain. I still have numbness in my fingers, but I'm hopeful it will come back with time. I'm anxious for this thing to fuse so I can get back into running, but I'm not stupid enough to push anything and mess this up! Everything I have done has been on doctor's orders, also. My doc was AMAZING, explained everything so throughly, and I was also very positive about coming back from this surgery in the best shape possible. 

 

I'm so glad to see other positive posts on this!!!!I kept reading these terrible posts and then having my doctor reassure me that everything was going to be ok, and it was exhausting.  almost didn't have it because I didn't want the terrible recovery, complications, etc I read...

 

Thanks for posting your thoughts and experience! It is so important to share! 

i am nursing and i cannot work awaiting acdf i feel really guilty but the numbness and pain i couldnt anyway anyone else same

how did your surgery go??

My surgery is scheduled for May 7, 2013. I have moderate to severe foraminal stenosis and bone spurs with 5, 6 & 7. C4/5 was apparently fused at birth. I have bad headaches. Not so much arm numbness, it is still located in shoulder area and hasnt made it to my arm yet. I have seen 3 Dr's. 2 neurosurgeons and one orthopeadic surgeon. I feel comfortable with the 3rd Dr. Now I flucuate daily between being excited about the surgery and crying because of the pain. Crying also because someone has finally found a cause for my headaches. Yet, they tell me this may not cure my headaches so I am so confused. Compounded by family stress, family issues can be so stressful. I just want this over. Thank you for letting me vent and for your suggestions. TJS

I had 2 level ACDF in 2010. It was completely successful. I was back at work in two weeks, and driving at that time, too. The recovery was pretty easy, the procedure wasn't that painful, and the pain was gone. You'll be fine. It's nothing you can't handle. 

Hi everyone!  Like so many before me have said, I am totally thrilled that after all my extensive scouring of the internet on this subject, I have finally found my inner peace.

 

I am a very active 55 year old grandmother who works a full time job as a paralegal.  I unfortunately had two car accidents this year, one in January and one in March.  The March accident actually tore my left rotator cuff for which I had to have surgery to repair it and some hardware put in.  After living through two days of agonizing pain, I am now 12 weeks out and my repair was a success and I have 85% of my range of motion and absolutely no pain.  My point is that I am a very quick healer, always have been.

 

Anyway, while I was doing PT for my shoulder, my right upper back in the scapula region was in constant pain.  The kind of pain that after two Advil wear off is back again.  So over the past three months the pain is becoming worse and worse and is going down my arm.  When I get up in the morning the electricity that goes down my arm is like I am getting electrocuted it is that intense.  I have had two incidents that the pain was so excruciating and intense that I cried and thought I should go to the ER.  At those times, I took Percocet and it calmed down.  However, I am in pain 24/7.  I am now seeing a pain doctor and had an epidural which did nothing.

 

My MRI shows DDD at every level, which doesn't surprise me.  My C5-C6 is severely herniated and compressing the C6 nerve root.  It is so narrow that the pain doctor could not get the needle in at that level.  I am scheduled for ACDF on September 26th and am very confident in my surgeon and am looking forward to getting back to my active life.  I too am grateful this can be fixed and is so successful in the hands of skilled surgeon!

 

Mom2Cavies

I'm 58 years old and in process of getting insurance authorization for a one-level ACDF at C5-C6. I have bone spurs and "moderately severe" spinal cord compression. My neuro says he will use my own crushed bone from the disc he removes during surgery to help enhance the fusion. Has anyone heard of this method? I had two other opinions and they both used different materials. One used only the cadaver bone and the other would use cadaver bone plus a small amount of my own bone marrow cells that he would get from a needle biopsy of my hip. The crushed mixture of my removed disc bone sounds the easiest, but I'm wondering how successful it is? My neuro says it's state-of-the-art but I can't seem to find anything about it on the internet. Has anyone heard of this method?

DeeCee

I had altogether 2 ACDF surgeries - 2 level fusion at C5-C7, and a year later (2011) at C4/C5. The first surgeon used cadaver bone only, the second used cadaver bone and a tiny amount of bone marrow from the hip. I have not heard of the method you are describing but that does not mean it isn't legit. I would also try to find information on your surgeon. I did this via the website for the board of medical examiners for my state (TX). They list troubles he might have had. In general I would say to go with a spine specialist rather than a neurosurgeon. My first surgeon was a neurosurgeon, my second a spine surgeon. I felt that the latter was much more familiar with techniques etc. Whereas for the neurosurgeon, this is just one surgery of many he performs. Hop this helps a little and good luck!

I had c5/6 acdf nearly 3 weeks ago after delaying the op for 6 years. Recovery so far has been ahead if schedule according to my surgeon who saw me after two weeks. I recommend using a recliner in bed for the first couple of weeks. I've been given the ok to drive which has been great as you feel so trapped stuck in the house. I am due to fly back home to my family which is a 7 hour flight. Again the surgeon has given me the go ahead due to my progress. I've been advised to move around regularly to avoid DVT and clotting. Has anyone flown so soon after this surgery ? For those still putting off the surgery so far things seem better for me. I used to be able to handle arm pain but the neck pain and headaches were the worst and I've not had these since the op.

Jezza, I've flown 4 weeks after the surgery, two consecutive flights, 11 hour flight time total, had no issues at all BUT you might want to get a supportive neck pillow. I got the Luxe Travel Support Pillow and was glad I did. You do not want to fall asleep and end up with your neck/head in a weird position... Hope this helps.

 ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** web addresses not allowed*** Please read our Terms of Use

hi all

i am having surgery on 4th feb

i have pains over back/neck/head & shoulder & numbness down right arm. Cannot wait for the surgery!

Lisa

Thank you for your description Jezza, and for sharing that your headaches went away! My doctor said the headaches are not typically reduced as much as the peripheral symptoms like arm tingling/numbness (arm symptoms have now reduced for me, but headaches & etc have increased).

I am 44 and had 2 minor head injuries 10 years ago that resulted in a bulging c5/6. I received non-invasive treatments and they eventually told me I was all better--well as good as it would get anyway.

This year, I was 4 weeks into recovery from an urgent abdominal surgery, when I awoke with a knot between my left scapula & spine. I thought I'd slept wrong, and did a lot to try to deal with it over several days but then pain increased and pulsed down my arm and tingling went to my fingers. The pain also radiated up my shoulder and neck with that old familiar pattern. An MRI showed problems from C3/4 down to C7/L1. The first and last levels were now bulging, and C5/6 & C6/7 were severely herniated with spinal cord compression (worse at the C7/8 level).

The problem is, my surgeon says the headaches and my other head-related symptoms may not be due to my spinal problems and that surgery is not as successful at reducing headaches as it is in reducing peripheral limb symptoms (arm, leg, etc).

Has anyone else had severe headaches, or any of these: mild dizziness, mild unsteady walk, tinnitus, and foggy-head/concentration problems, that seem unrelated to medication? Did surgery help?

I've now been to several docs (neuro, ENT, etc) who have ruled out other reasons why these symptoms could be occurring. They all say to get the surgery--but I don't want to put my family through another major surgery/recovery time if it won't help.

Thank you for your posts! As many others have said, they are so helpful and encouraging.

I have to completely agree. I am currently 1 week post surgery and I was surprised how easy this procedure was. I'm 33 and had C5-C6 microdisketomy with fusion using an allograft bone (cadaver bone) to replace the bad disk. I have almost no pain at all. Nerve pain completely vanished. Still some slight numbness in my left had but even that seems to be getting better. Only needed pain meds for first five days too. If you take them longer than 1-2 weeks you risk addiction that is compared to heroin since oxycodone and hydrocodone are basically synthetic heroin. Days two and three are the worst but after that I've been fine. I want to go to work but hesitant to drive until I start to fuse so will waiting ill doctor releases me. Also I wore no cervical collar after the surgery, but I did where a hard and soft collar 2 weeks before to prevent and further damage. It amazes me how many people do not put their age, weight, health status, habits, etc in their posts and then talk like they know everything. My experience so far has been completely positive and sometimes you just have to suck it up and quit whining, that said, I know some people and I repeat some people really do have pain that disrupts their lives and I feel for them. Now that said, the mass majority of people who get this done tend to be fine. Even Payton Manning the quarterback for the Denver Broncos had this procedure done and less than two years later he's going to the 2014 Super Bowl so hang in there if you've had this or are going to get this done and realize the success stories by far outweigh the negative people who come on these boards. Good luck and god bless!

I just got word that I need the C56- ACDF surgery as well and I'm freaking out!!! Did you try PT at all before hand. I'm only 27yrs and hurt myself on my job. I feel way too young to get the surgery,but I'm afraid I'll still be in pain if I only do PT. I'm really worried about regretting the surgery especially if there are problems. Just wondering if you could give me some advice.
-SL

Thank you so much for your post,it's just what i needed to hear.I have the same c-spine issues c5-c7.I have been suffering with neck pain for years but kept it at bay while i got addicted to narcotics&muscle relaxers:(My pain?numbness progressed to my shoulders,arms,fingers.i was recommended the surgery about 18 mo's ago but i was not confident in my surgeon,though well qualified i'm sure,he didn't have the compassion/bedside manner that i was searching for.So,after being off work for over 2 !/2 yrs,i found a surgeon who said"you've been in pain for a long time and i think i can help you"(i suffered a severe whiplash in a car accident in 1990),those were Godsent to my ears!Now i'm committed to quitting smoking after starting up again 15 mos ago,and hoping to schedule the A.C.D.F the 1st week of the New Year:)I'm scared but my desire for pain relief overrides my fear.I have faith God will carry me through this difficult time.I am 53,a Mom of 6 and Gramma to 3 Gorgeous Grandkids and 2 new granddaughters arriving in Dec&March.These blogs are awesome,i am so grateful.