Yes, keep a postive outlook on it. She will need alot of help after surgery. My husband done everything including fixing/dipping my meals. He done so much. Try to set up for someone to come and clean the house giving it the women touch. I know.....man know how to clean but not like a women. It was a big comfort to me during the several weeks after my surgery.
Hoping for a good outcome for your wife,
Stay postive and focused on healing.
Tracey R.
hi you will probably find that most people on this forum will post about there aches and pains but we dont seem to hear alot about success stories and there are many out there. I have had surgery 3 times but that doesnt mean everyone else will. I dont regret having any of these surgeries and tell you wife all will be ok, just look after her for the first 6-8weeks with plenty of fresh air and walks. After surgery just make sure she looks after her spine no more pushing pulling or lifting anything above 5kgs. My first surgery was so successful I was back on my feet after 7 weeks looking after 2 small children. If only back then in 1996 I wished someone could have warned me about looking after my neck then I wouldnt have damaged another level. I painted and shoveled and built a new home with my husband lifting bricks and furniture. so yes it takes alot of stress to damage another level. was I a dumb dumb.
good luck to your wife - we all know of her pain and wish her a speedy recoverey with surgery.
stay positive and take plenty of deep breathes.
Louise
I just had this same surgery don't two weeks ago today. I had two bulging discs removed an fused together as well as bone marrow and stem cells injected between. I couldn't eat for exactly a week and even now my throat seems swollen and I get a pain when I swallow like the food will get stuck. Arm pain was relieved immediately after surgery but I was in extreme pain for a few days while they tried to figure out the right meds to give me. My neck and shoulders are still very sore but I am hoping this goes away with time. I have 6 weeks in the neck brace and 6 weeks of PT.
Hello - What sort of surgery did you have? And which levels did you have fused. I had c6/7 fused posteriorly with 2 rods and 4 screws with my hip bone. I am 8 weeks post op and trying to wean out of hard collar. Some times I feel like my head weighs a tonne and still getting shoulder pain and pain across the back of the head. Have started PT and went for my first drive the other day(so far so good) Am hoping everything improves so I can return to work. After your Pt can you return to work?? My neuro told me this surgery is very painful and recovery takes a long time. (about 6 months he said)
Get plenty of fresh air and try to walk around as much as possible. Pain will get better.
take care
Louise
I'm having my op on Monday 02/25 and I'm SCARED! Let me know how she is doing, best of luck to her and you!
Hi I'm Kenny, I go in on Monday the 25th. I'm having my c5,c6,c7 removed, replaced, and fused. I'm SCARED, have read a lot of postings don't sound good. I need to read more positive stuff, and less negative! Hope things are going well for you!
My mom is 74 and just had this surgery on Wednesday. I talked to the hospital social worker on Thursday and he was going to refer her to 2 rehab hospitals. Well, she was denied and they were going to release her on Sunday! She lives alone! I called the hospital social worker late Friday afternoon (I guess no one was going to tell me) and told him that can't happen and that she needs to go to a facility of some sort. She can't even walk unassisted. He did get her to stay until Monday (tomorrow) so he could work on finding a facility for her on Monday. But I'm feeling really nervous that they are going to release her without the proper support. Has anyone else experienced this? Does anyone have any advice for me?
Yes, things are good for me.
I can relate to the being scared. I was so scared the morning of. I was crying so much the nurses had the dr asst come talk to me. She did a good job and help me come down. Just let the nurses know you are scared and they will give you something to relax you.
Anyway, thing will go better for you than you think. We are always scared and fearful of the unknown. Hang in there you will see/feel a lot different after you surgery. I did.
Try to stay busy til the 25th.
Please let me know how you are doing :).
hi Tracey
How are you?? I finally returned to work today only doing 4 hours and then gradually working my way up. Things looking great now am at my 9 week post op. sleeping well pain only gets bad when I start doing too much. Am currently limiting myself to only a couple of tasks a day ( do washing and cooking) nothing else. still doing plenty of walking and am having pt twice a week. so far so good
I think I might be one of those people where surgery is successful.
hope things going ok for you
regards Louise
Super That is awesome:) Still be careful about lifting or pushing/pulling on things. When I first returned to work my bosses and co-workers were great and still are. I'm very greatful for my job and my bosses. I think I may have returned to work to early but sometimes we are hard headed. My husband says I'm the president of the Hard Headed Club :). I work in a one girl office handling all bill, payroll, collection, etc. My doctor told me before surgery I could return after a week as long as I didnt drive. My bosses drove me back and forth to work. After surgery the PA didn't want me to return. I told her what the dr said before surgery. My dr told my husband immediately after surgery that things went better than he had expected. So....to me....I felt I could return as he orginally said. I hope you have help at work when needed? What kind of work do you do? OMG.......I'm so happy for you. I think I'm another success story also. It's great to hear success stories, there's some many negative comments. I have my doubts at times but it's mainly due to me having a lot of spasms or the nerves in the neck area that day. Other than that everything is good. Do you have the spasms and nerve issues? Hope you have a awesome day at work today!
Hi Tracey
yes have returned to work but only doing a few hours a day with alot of help from other co-workers. Doing ok otherwise went and did my bed the other morning and suffered for the rest of the day. I think the most frustrating thing about this surgery is just how long it takes to recover, anyway doc reckons Im in my early days and have a while to go before I start feeling like Im living. Have been lucky with the spasms dont get any but have on /off nerve pain right upper arm. Main problem I have is this pain at the base of the skull. got to keep doing my pt and not overdo things. suffer terribly when I do. please be careful that you arent overdoing things at work. I know only too well how we want life to return as normal but it will take time. sounds like we are both on the mend and will heal in time.
hope you have less pain each day, hang in there.
Louise
I have had 2 front neck surgeries due to C5 issues, first in 2000 with amasing results went on with my life as normal, then had to have a second in 2009 with the same results. In October 2012, returned from a relaxing vacation in Mexico and neck starting hurting in the worst way. Two weeks later found out my neck was broken. No car accident, no fall, I was dumb founded as to how this happened. Had a Cervical Laminectomy and fusion from C3 to C7 on December 4, 2012. I am 11 weeks post op and have so much pain and loss of strength in both my arms. I have returned to work part-time, but my job as a project manager requires being on the phone and using my keyboard all day long. My neurosurgeon here in Flordia has had new x-rays, new MRI and now is having me go through what I understand is an extremely painful Nerve Conduction Study (EMG) to determine where the promblem is. He has told me I will likely have to have surgery again to correct this issue. I have chosen to return to Atlant to see my previous neurosurgeon, with which I had amasing results. I want my life back!!!!!
I am fused from c3 to c7 as well. I had 6 surgeries starting in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006, and the last in 2008. I believe you will always have pain and discomfort. You get extra bone that grows around the fusions from arthitis and that causes a lot of problems. I havent been able to sleep in a regular bed since my 2001 surgery. I slept in lazy boy til this year when I finally got a hospital bed that is adjustable so I can can pressure off my low back which develped arthitis brought on by my neck tiltling the wrong direction for so long. You may just have to adjust your life. Sometimes you have to accept that you will never go back to what you were before. I only did with my first surgery since then its pain and spasms all the time for me. I am happy if I can get rid of the severe pain and just feel a little discomfort that is my new normal.
I understand "I want my life back". It's extremely hard with the long recovery.
Did you fly to Mexico for your vacation? Did you hit rough tubulence in the plane? Cruise with rough seas? Has the dr given you any possible answer as to why your neck is broken now?
It's good that you know at least you can be careful to you see your dr in Atlanta. Hope he can help.
Wishing you less pain and a better life.
Tracey R.