still in pain after anterior cervical disectomy

I completely agree!! I had the same acdf c4-c7 that a lot of you are talking about. I too have had nothing but severe pain after surgery and only 1/2 the pain before surgery. My doctor would keep telling me that the muscles are just sore, and that'll go away. Well, it's been 2 years and it's worse. My chiro and pain mgmt doctors say it's myofascial pain, so I've done some research on both Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain Syndrome. You may want to research and perhaps mention it to your doctors as well. I too have the headaches, chronic pain in my shoulders, middle top back, jaw pain, and I feel it in most of my upper body muscles. Massage MOST definitely helps. But, it's the only thing that's worked for me so far, and it's only temporary, but it's the best tool in my opinion. I take pain meds, and an anti-depressant, because as most of you stated, it robs you of your life. I am 38 and have a 15 yr. old son and I feel he's been robbed of some things too, as we can't do amusement parks, skiing, bowling, etc. like we used to. Look into FM and MPS. It may help at least some of you. Good luck and God Bless! AC

I HAVE BEEN READING EACH OF THE HEART FELT PAINFUL (GUESS I SHOULD SAY BACK, NECK, ARMS, HANDS, HEAD, SHOULDER, ETC. PAIN) MESSAGES EACH OF YOU HAVE POSTED. THE WORST THING IS, I HAVE THE SAME THING GOING ON. MY SECOND NECK SURGERY WAS 5 YEARS AGO, ALONG WITH 1 SHOULDER IN 2003 AND THE OTHER IN 2006. I HIT 4O IN 2002 AND MY BODY HAS BEEN OVERHAULED TO WHAT SHOULD BE A SISTER TO THE BIONIC WOMAN BUT ACTUALLY COMPARES MORE TO THAT OF A BODY WITH GLUED, TAPED, SEWN, RAGGED 100 YEAR OLD MISMATCHED PARTS. MY NEW PAIN BUDDIES, IT SOUNDS LIKE MOST OF YOU LIVE WHAT WE CALL A LIFE LIKE I DO. A PAIN LEVEL THAT NEVER GOES BELOW AN 8 ON THE SCALE, SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, AND LOTS OF TEARS SHED. I HAVE TRIED IT ALL AND SO FAR NOTHING IS HELPING. THE DR'S. ARE SUGGESTING I APPLY FOR DISABILITY AS WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO COME UP WITH JOB DUTIES THAT DOESN'T REQUIRE THE USE OF YOUR AND AND ARMS. NOT A GAINFULLY EMPLOYED ONE ANYWAY. I'M SURE NONE OF US EVER THOUGHT WE WOULD FEEL SO OLD AND MISERABLE AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE. EVEN THOUGH I GET SO FRUSTRATED AND DOWN AT TIMES, I YANK MY OWN CHIN UP AND THANK THE GREAT LORD ABOVE EACH AND EVERY DAY. YES, SOMETIMES IT TAKES SOME ARGUING WITH MYSELF TO DO IT, BUT I KNOW WITH OUT A DOUBT THERE ARE SO ANY MORE PEOPLE OUT THERE IN WORSE PAIN PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY THAN I AM. I HOPE ALL OF US CONTINUE TO FIND THE STRENGTH TO SEARCH FOR ANSWERS AND NOT LISTEN TO SOME OF THE DR'S OUT IN THE WORLD THAT RECEIVED THEIR LICENSE TO PRACTICE MEDICINE FROM SEARS ALONG WITH THEIR DRIVERS LICENSE. GOD BLESS EACH OF YOU.

TAMMY IN KENTUCKY

I am not sure what to say after reading everyone stories...of course I too have had disc fusion 2005/2007 (two surgeries : C4-C5 and less than 13 months later left arm went numb and starting losing feeling/strength so they went back in and fused C5-C7 and inserted plate and screws to help "stabilize my neck". I too leave in constant pain and have shed more tears and having taking more pills then anyone should have to in a lifetime. I worry every day what these pills are doing to my body BUT if I don't take them I can't function because the pain is so bad. There are days when I feel like just driving myself to the hospital because the pain in soo bad I just can't take it anymore. I have gone two three different pain specialists have had to procedures where they actually burn the nerves on the neck (let me tell you that was very painful) it seemed to help for about a week but the pain always seems to come back.

It is good to know that I am not the only one out here suffering and that I am not alone!!!!!

I can sympathize with every one of you. Although I have not had the surgery, my wife has had the c-5 through c-7 discs fused. The pain that she had prior to the surgery has not changed and now she has even more pain in other areas since the surgery as well. The doctors told her before the surgery that they had done this hundreds of times with over a 90 percent success ratio. The success was in the surgery itself, their success ration in releiving the pain, less than 50 percent.
Of course they do not tell you this prior to the surgery, so what can any one do about it, from what I am reading, looks like NOTHING. There has got to be a way to relieve the pain. I just do not know what it is.
Believe me when I say it is hard on me as well as my once active wife now pretty much just sits around in pain. She tries but I there are times when all I hear is she has had enough. I know all about the depression stuff as well and I know that she will have to go back onto more medications one day, but this is ridiculous. You go through a surgery to relieve the pain and you get nothing but even more pain. Come on.. There has to be a doctor out there somewhere that has the answer..

I have a question for all of you.How long were you hurt before you had the surgery? I have a theory I wanna check out.I have talked to people that had this surgery and most have had there surgery within the first year,and have had great results.Me I was hurt in 2003,and had surgery 2008.Its been 3 years since they did my surgery on disc C-5 to 7 and I was told no gaurentee's to take the pain but wpuld make sure I didnt end up being paralyzed from another fall.Now I feel horrible,I kinda wish I never had the surgery.I take kadian and morphine sulfate,with motrin and zanaflex.I think I have another problem in my neck.So I look forward to your answers,I really wondering if eeveryone who is still in bad pain like me had there surgery after waiting a year or not.Good luck to all and you arent alone.

I had cervical laminectomy about 2 years ago. The recovery was much slower than I expected. I got really tired and had severe burning in my neck and shoulders for a long time. I had a really bad tome with sleep apnea and did this weird sniffing thing frequently for a long time after and I never had that before. I'm in good physical shape and not obese. The yacted like I was crazy when I mentioned this at the surgeon's office on a post-op visit. Anyways, the severe burning is finally gone and replaced by a constant achiness that is liveable and I have rediculopathy in one arm that is a constant burning. I was a nurse for 30 years, but now work at case management for a hospital and can function quite well. I do things like mowing the lawn and pretty much anything I did before. My range of motion has slowly improved with swimming laps regularly. I don't take anything for pain and stay away from the docors office. I found the best therapy to be working through the pain and try to find something to keep your mind off of it. Course others probably have worse pain levels than I do. Try to keep moving though!

 I am 3 weeks post op from a 3 level (c3-6) ACDF. The surgeon used bone bank bone, a titanium plate and 6 screws. I have been unable to find a comfortable position to sleep without severe neck and shoulder pain. Surgeon gave me 10mg Percocet, 1 - 2 tabs up to 4x per day as needed (90 tabs to last almost 12 days at full dose). As I have been taking pain meds for many years this Rx lowered the pain somewhat but never completely. He then referred me back to pain management for continued treatment. I get absolutely no uninterrupted sleep becase any move case pain and wakes me. Pain management reduced the dose the surgeon gave me to 15 mg Oxycodone, 1 tab up to4 times per day. I will be having a right side facet injection on Wednesday to check if this is nerve related pain. If it works they will do a rizotomy (sp?) the following week. I am scheduled to return to work on July 2. I drive @35 minutes very early in the morning to work. I am afraid to make this drive without any quality sleep. The pain is so bad that the quality of my lofe right now sucks. If the facet injection doesn't work I am expected to continue at this level of pain meds. I am exhausted and constantly in pain. Any thoughts / ideas / suggestions will be appreciated.

http://www.infuseboneproblemlawsuit.com/



I thought of your post when I was reading for answers about how to deal with my own post cerivical fusion unbearable neck pain.

Guest wrote:

shea brett wrote:

I had a anterior cervical discectomy in feb. 2006 for a herniated disc & bone spur. I have a plate,4 screws,bolts & a cage. All of my original pain was on my right side. After surgery my right side feels fine & now I am in horrible pain w/my left side. Not only do I have pain in my neck but the burning in my traps are horrible. My neurosurgeon has sent me to a pain management dr. & we have tried trigger point injections and facet joint injections - NOTHING is working!! Does anyone know what is wrong w/me? MRI & x-rays show nothing.

:cry: :cry: Could not help to reply to your post I did have alograft performed C-5 C-6 plates with 6 screws after 2 years i still have pain in shoulders and arm and neck tryed everything Almost no luck. I am now on pain mangment Thank god anyways mri and exrays shows to be good anyways just wanted to let you know you are not alone i fight the pain every day of my life! and am very limited on any activity. if i should ever find out why im in terrible pain you will be the first to know later and good luck

I had cervical fusion in 2005 for c5 and c6 with 2 cadaver bones and a metal plate. I had been in agony after lifting my 90 year old aunt in bed. I though I was having a heart attack and my right arm hurt so badly I went to a chiropractor. He would not touch me and sent me to a Orthopedic spine surgeon. It is now 2012. After physical therapy, trigger point injects and several facet injections they did a spinal never wash. This helped one of my friends for about 6 months, but did nothing for me. Now I have numbness and tingling down both arms into all my fingers. The left arm is much worse. Yesterday I had a spinal epidural shot for that arm. Ever since my original surgery I cannot walk on concrete ( stores such as COSTCO, Walmart, the mall or grocery store without coming home with horrid pain. I feel that maybe if cushions (like real disks are), would help. Why do they replace cushioning disks with hard bone? I can no longer wear anything but flat heavily cushion soles and inserts. High heels are out forever.

I was so debilitated after the accident, I immediatey sought help and had surgery within 1 month. That was 2005 and now it is almost 2013.

don't do it without at least 2 other consultations. And even then I would wait a while. It shouldn't be an ASAP operation. I had a cervical fusion in 9/09 and have never been in so much pain in my life. I feel they used "scare tactics on me by telling me endI had a tumor on my Dens and also a fractured vertebrae Well surprise! There was no tumor or fracture.. I did end up on a ventilator for 8 hours, a coma for 1 1/2 weeks and spinal meningitis . A two hour surgery took 8 hours ans a 2 day hospital stay ended up being over a month plus an additional 6 weeks of home health care and IV antibiotics.

I also have had 2 anterior neck fusions of 4-5 and 5-6, first, then 3-4 and 6-7 2nd surgery, 3rd surgery from posterior, 3-7, after the 3rd surgery I was told 1 level from the 1st and 1 level from the 2nd surgery didn't fuse properly. So this has been over 10 yrs. I have been going to the pain clinic for 10 yrs. Lots of injections, procedures, trial of many meds, still I am in pain. I applied for disability after my last surgery and was awarded 2 months later. I did have a lawyer involved. I had 3 shoulder surgeries(rotator cuff injury) and 1 low back fusion during this time also. ( congenital defect) I worked 10 yrs in pain, now I am at home hoping the rest will help me heal properly
I am thinking about volunteer work, also. Just to do something important. I have the same issues with not feeling well enough to walk alot or sit for a length of time
I will be praying for you

I feel the same a year later and there's still pain,burning between my shoulder blades

i too had the same discs like you and was compressing on my spine where i could not sit up straight or use my right arm from the intesne pain. my neck still hurts really bad everyday and i have to take pain medicine to work and not lose my jb and some days are too much to handle. i have bad migranes daily. i just don't understand why we went through such a painful suregery and still struggling with the pain. it doesnt hurt as much before surgery but pretty darn close. my arm doesnot hurt anymore but now my right side by the shoulder blade is intense pain everyday too., bad muscle spasms.. etc i know everyone says try to meditate and don't take the pain medicine but if i didn't i would not be able to get out bed.what are we suppose to do to accept this is from now on the way we are going to be? kristina

Due to my pain in my neck, I can't stay on computer very long. You are not alone, I tried injections, which only made my neck worse. Pain has been so debilitating, my family and friends cannot identify with me, I no longer socialize due to stigma of "'it can't hurt that bad" When you are holding up the weight of your head,it gets worse. I can't plan to go anywhere, I go to dr's and thats it. wheather systems make it feel likeI am getting punished, I have thought of a wheelchair but the typically don't give support to neck. everything I do is a task,like showering,dressing, going to dr, cooking, you name it it hurts. After neck surgery, I was normal wieght, now I have gained due to inactivity, I have isolated myself from everyone except one person who actually understands.Neck pain is has been my best friend 5yrs &couting