Post cervical spine surgery pain

Hi.
I'm right there with you. I had ACDF in Sept 05. I returned to work for about 7 mos then had to quit.
This really bites.
I've posted to several of these blogs...no one seems to have an answer or suggestion of what could possibly be wrong. Unfornately, like you, the doctors don't know either.
I wish I would have known all the post surgery possibilities before I had surgery....

Hello people,

I have just found out that I am going to have to have a THIRD neck surgery! I had my last one 3 months ago and one in March 2005. I have been in pain the whole time. The reason I'm having surgery this next time is because a couple of my screws are backing out of one of my neck plates! I had bone spurs and pinched nerves the first time, 3 broken neck bones the second time, and now this with the screws. I stopped taking narcotics after 2-1/2 to 3 years and I had tapered down so I really didn't have any withdrawal symptoms. But after two weeks without taking any, I have had bad pain most days but have just taken Aleve or ibuprofen. Now I've gotten canker sores in my mouth and 3-4 zits on my face (which I RARELY get, even when I was a teenager... I'm 38 now) and I don't know if it's from the pain or stress or both. Anyway, I'm not too happy about this next surgery and I might have to drop my summer class at school. I lost my last job at the same hospital because I couldn't work full time anymore. Now I'm on disability. There are some other reasons but this is definitely one of the most prominent reasons I got it. I don't know what else to do besides keep taking pain pills. I guess mine is not a good case.

I feel for all of you who are having problems after neck surgery. I work for neurosurgeons and had a C5-6, C6-7 diskectomy, interbody fusion and plating 2 weeks ago. The cervical discs were bulging with an associated bone spur pressing on the spinal cord. After surgery my arm weakness was immediately gone. I went back to work as a medical transcriptionist 6 days after surgery. I take a Lortab before I go to work, 1/2-1 Lortab in the afternoon and a Percocet and Flexeril at bedtime. I am in a hard collar and using a bone stimulator. The pain in my neck and shoulders can be excruciating at the end of the day. I see a lot of patients in our practice that have long term pain after surgery. Depending on how long your neck had been bothering you before surgery can partly determine how long it will take you to heal. It takes nerves 6 months to 2 years to heal. If you wait a long time before having surgery there can be permanent nerve damage and you will always have pain regardless of the surgery. I see a lot of our patient's with shoulder pain and frankly, this is more of what I am dealing with at this time. Heat packs help tremendously. I buy the ThermCare heat wraps at WalMart for my neck. I can take 1/2 Lortab and put the heat to my neck and the relief is tremendous though I certainly am not at a 0/10. If any of you continue to have shoulder problems, any shoulder pathology should be ruled out with a MRI. For those of you that have no shoulder pathology and still have pain, seeing a pain management physician may be for you. There are a number of things that can be done to relieve your pain. Of course, all is temporary except morphine pump placement. Any patient that is not completely fused will have problems longterm. It is important to have a CT Scan to determine this every 2 months after surgery until you have a solid fusion. I have seen patient's come into our office after having a lumbar or cervical fusion and were told by their neurosurgeon that they were fused according to x-ray. CT Scan showed a pseudofusion (looks fused, but is not). Also, if you still have pain, numbness or weakness of the arms, you may have cervical radiculopathy and this is determined with an EMG (nerve conduction study)

Whenever you have spine surgery you can bet you are going to have the "domino affect" When levels of the spine are fused, it puts more pressure on the other vertebra and most likely, at some time are other, you will have problems with other levels.

Spine surgery has a very long post-operative healing time, so prepare yourself. Do what your physician tells you to do, limit your activities, wear your brace and take your pain medication and muscle relaxants as prescribed. Wear your bone stimulator at 1-2 hour intervals until you get your four hours a day in. Wearing it longer will cause you to have more pain. You know when you have done too much. Listen to your body and stop when it tells you to, otherwise you can have a pretty miserable healing process. I certainly made a mistake going back to work so soon but I am able to leave when I need to without any hassle. I just can't lay around all of the time.

Also, if you are not fused yet, avoid taking Ibuprofen, Aleve and things of that nature. It will slow down the fusing process. Of course, so will smoking. I'm sure all of your physicians have told you this. I hope that this information helps someone to do better postoperatively.



Deb

[I have recently had acdf c5c6 on 6/7. I felt fine for a few days and then pain set in at the base of my neck with pain across my shoulder down my left arm with numbness in my last three fingers. I went back to the drs yesterday and they told me that the nerves are just coming alive. That there is inflamation from the nerves waking up. He put me on an antibiotic because I had a fever 100.4 just in case. Also put me on predisone, a muscle relaxer and xanax. I hate to be drugged. It has dulled the pain. I truly have my doubts that this will go away. I am terrified. Is there anyone out there that has had these symptoms with good results in the end or am I in for a life of H--l. I am 52 and have degenerative disease in my back and neck. I dont' think I can deal with a life long pain. Please advise! dowquote="gardendeb"]I feel for all of you who are having problems after neck surgery. I work for neurosurgeons and had a C5-6, C6-7 diskectomy, interbody fusion and plating 2 weeks ago. The cervical discs were bulging with an associated bone spur pressing on the spinal cord. After surgery my arm weakness was immediately gone. I went back to work as a medical transcriptionist 6 days after surgery. I take a Lortab before I go to work, 1/2-1 Lortab in the afternoon and a Percocet and Flexeril at bedtime. I am in a hard collar and using a bone stimulator. The pain in my neck and shoulders can be excruciating at the end of the day. I see a lot of patients in our practice that have long term pain after surgery. Depending on how long your neck had been bothering you before surgery can partly determine how long it will take you to heal. It takes nerves 6 months to 2 years to heal. If you wait a long time before having surgery there can be permanent nerve damage and you will always have pain regardless of the surgery. I see a lot of our patient's with shoulder pain and frankly, this is more of what I am dealing with at this time. Heat packs help tremendously. I buy the ThermCare heat wraps at WalMart for my neck. I can take 1/2 Lortab and put the heat to my neck and the relief is tremendous though I certainly am not at a 0/10. If any of you continue to have shoulder problems, any shoulder pathology should be ruled out with a MRI. For those of you that have no shoulder pathology and still have pain, seeing a pain management physician may be for you. There are a number of things that can be done to relieve your pain. Of course, all is temporary except morphine pump placement. Any patient that is not completely fused will have problems longterm. It is important to have a CT Scan to determine this every 2 months after surgery until you have a solid fusion. I have seen patient's come into our office after having a lumbar or cervical fusion and were told by their neurosurgeon that they were fused according to x-ray. CT Scan showed a pseudofusion (looks fused, but is not). Also, if you still have pain, numbness or weakness of the arms, you may have cervical radiculopathy and this is determined with an EMG (nerve conduction study)

Whenever you have spine surgery you can bet you are going to have the "domino affect" When levels of the spine are fused, it puts more pressure on the other vertebra and most likely, at some time are other, you will have problems with other levels.

Spine surgery has a very long post-operative healing time, so prepare yourself. Do what your physician tells you to do, limit your activities, wear your brace and take your pain medication and muscle relaxants as prescribed. Wear your bone stimulator at 1-2 hour intervals until you get your four hours a day in. Wearing it longer will cause you to have more pain. You know when you have done too much. Listen to your body and stop when it tells you to, otherwise you can have a pretty miserable healing process. I certainly made a mistake going back to work so soon but I am able to leave when I need to without any hassle. I just can't lay around all of the time.

Also, if you are not fused yet, avoid taking Ibuprofen, Aleve and things of that nature. It will slow down the fusing process. Of course, so will smoking. I'm sure all of your physicians have told you this. I hope that this information helps someone to do better postoperatively.



Deb

I read your post op symptoms and mine are very similar. I was wondering if you were stilling having diffficulties or if they have subsided. If you are doing better now could you please tell me what to expect and how long they last. I had surgery c5/c6 on 6/7 and am having pain at the base of my neck across my left shoulder down the arm with weakness and numbness in my last three fingers. The dr has put me on an antibiotic for a fever 100.4 just in case he said. Also prescribed predisone, muscle relaxer and xanax. I can not deal with being drugged all the time or the mear thought of dealing with this for the rest of my life. I am 52 and don't want to live in pain for years. Is there any hope for me? The dr also said he felt is was the nerves coming alive and it was probably inflamation from it. I would appreciate any advice from anyone experiencing the same. God bless all! Deb

I am still not better and next month it will be two years since surgery.
Are you feeling better?

It has been 10 wks today since my surgery and I am still experiencing pain at the base of my neck with muscle spasms around the shoulder blade. Physical therapy does help but subsides within an hr or two after the session. I do apply heat and ice as much as possible. It has been aggrevated quite a bit more since I was rear ended at a traffic light 4 wks post op. Now I fear the worse. I'm not sure if it will ever get better. I do muscle stretches and try and work back into my daily routine so that hopefully I will be able to return to my job. I do repetitive and physical work. I'm not sure how that will work out once I return to work. I pray everyday for relief. This is the second fusion that I have had. The first was about 20 yrs ago. I'm trying to stay positive and patient and that in time it will get better. God bless. Deb

Hello all/ I just had surgery 6/4/07 they diagnosed me with cervical radiculopathy. I had my spine from C3-C6 fused. Like mist of you the first week I was feeling great except the pain from surgery. I lost the pain in my hands and legs. After the second week I started having problems getting up my legs and arms just feel so weak and hurt. I wear a neck brace collar 24/7 and sleep on the recliner. I thought the pain was due to a lack of sleep. Now here it is almost 3 months and I started feeling numbness and burning sensation in my right hand. I am in constant pain. My doctor says i have developed arthritis prescribed celebrex so I am seeing another doctor this week. I know it is not arthritis because there have been a few times that out of the blue for a few seconds I feel better. I am so depressed and now am getting emails from my boss when I am coming back t work. How can one go to work and be in constant pain?????

There has to be an end to this painful situation. I hope someone finds out the trye remedy and [asses it on to the rest of us.

Take Care and God Bless all of us!!!!!! :-(

I am 6 days post op. I had two herniated cervical disks that were severely pressing on the nerve root and spinal cord. The test came up with some possible nerve damage so the surgeon told me I really have no choice. I was game because for the past three months the pain was excruciating. I am wearing a Miami collar which has to be worn 24/7 for six weeks. Was able to wash my hair today with my husband's help and it was really refreshing. The pain is lessening. I am walking around the house and doing light leg lifts and arm lifts, per my physical therapy guy. The collar is a hardship as it puts the neck and muscles in the back in an unnatural position, thereby causing spasms. I find if I gently shrug my shoulders throughout the day when I think about it and remember not to raise them up it really helps with the spasms. The heating pad helps, it's a comfort. I just tell myself that when the six weeks is over and I can get this collar off I will be feeling so much better than before the surgery.

Hi all,
I just found this site and am so pleased. it seems like a great resource. i had c5-c6 anterior fusion 7 days ago, i am still eating pain killers and mucle relaxers to get through the day and not sleeping at night . i sustained my injury two years ago and my surgeon said that i should have had this operation a year ago. I am still in a great deal of pain and discomfort, is this normal? please let me know if any of you have had this done and if i am on a normal track of recovery. The arm pain has abated slightly but the neck pain has gotten worse. I am a male and 44 yrs old, i sustained this injury in a bulldozer accident. Please help me out with information, i am giving myself anxiety attacks about this becasue the surgeo told me brfore the operation that the necl pain issue is only 50/50 chance of improving.

At least your surgeon was honest with you of the possible outcome of your surgery! Mine was not. Telling me recovery success was 85%! Therefore when I never fully recovered I was angry to say the least.
I have read alot of responses on this sight. Some people seem to do great others, like me, not so well.
To answer your question...yes I was in horrific pain for 3 or 4 weeks after my C-5,C-6. I couldn't lie in bed to sleep. I'd have to prop myself in a chair. I couldn't pull on my neck at all (ie: lifting, bending, raising self up, opening cans, etc). In fact sometimes, even now over 2 years later I can not do these things... I can't even lift a 2qt pitcher of tea in the fridge without pain! but the pain has lessoned some compared to after right after surgery.
Your surgery is still fresh. Give yourself some more time.
Hope this helps.

Thanks so much for your responce. I am probably being paranoid and woorying too much. I have seen some decrease in psot oerative pain but to be honest MUCH less than i thought i would see. I guess time will tell.

Thanks
Kev :-)

Hi! all you fellow neck pain suffers. I too have had surgery, I had to have c3-c4-c5-c6 disks removed to do one bulging and two rupturing. The pain before surgery was not of this world. I had my surgery June 29, 07. Now since I have had the surgery the pain I once had is no more. As for pain now yes I still have pain, and yes it bothers me. My surgeon says this in normal. Well this maybe I just wonder how much longer I will have this new pain that just seems to build threw out my day. I myself am beginning to believe that their is some releaf, but total releaf is nothing more than wishful thinking. Are our surgens totally honest with us I can say for all of you, but I am beginning to wonder about mine. On Dec 1, 07 I am to be released back to full duty at work regardless of the pain I still have.
Now I should tell you all right now I dont regret having my surgery in no way. Although I do regret promising my wife that I will be good and keep my mouth shut. Because normally I would have pinned this doctor down hard about what the end result is for me. I will say this if you are thinking about having a surgery this major. Make sure to get all the facts before hand, and don't promise anyone that you will be good. I can get a little foul and rude when questioning someone.

i had cervical fusion in 2004 on c5-7 . i am also experiecing numbness tingling on top of my head now i have severe pain an numbness in shoulder an arms very weak in my legs also.had another mri recently and it show i have kyphotic curvature at c4-5 with prominent broadbased disc bulge. also have a syrinx at level c6-7 0.9 cm length 0.3 cm in diameterits in spinal cord really has me worried.



any suggestions or opinions would be greatly appreciated. thanks and good luck.

hello



my 1st and 2nd vertebra are fused together, the 2-3 discs 3 and 4 , and the 5th and the 6th vertebra show loss of height of disc with spurs and degeneration too.

my right hand sensitivity has gone especially the first 3 fingers. at certain angles, i feel that there is a cord which is dead and i feel it from my shoulder to my elbow of right hand.

And most importantly, if i do some sort of work, i get exhausted, and this exhaustion does not go away even for a week.. i have not have any surgery done because it is very expensive, and difficult here in pakistan.



i have used calcium injections, cobalmin injection and neurobion injections and i inject myself these injections. i suffered a heart attack in august 2003 and i thought i was going to die. but the pain passed away and i was diagnosed as having cervical spondylosis. the only medicine the doctors give me is to relax me as there is no other medicine.my back pains a lot and for maybe six months , my sight was like as if some one had put some gauze on my eyes. once my whole body froze up and after blood test showed that my blood calcium level was below normal minimum level too.

calcium injections help, so does methecobol or cobalmin, and neurobion injections in blood help to remove the exhaustion a bit. i don't know anybody in pakistan who has had an operation for spinal decompression,as doctors here are very reluctant to touch this spot.

bye for now



sethi

i