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Topic: Ant. Cervical Discectomy w/ Fusion - Advice? (Read 487 times) |
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goaway
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Ant. Cervical Discectomy w/ Fusion - Advice?
« on: Sep 20th, 2003, 7:12pm » |
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OK gang.
On October 7, I will be having 2 discs from my cervical spine removed. Then the doc is going to insert a plate with screws (after he puts in some bone from a dead person). No big deal.
My question...
Anybody ever go through this procedure? Info is welcome.
My REAL fear...
In addition to any other visitors who may come calling, I don't know what I'm going to do if the beast comes along. With the fusion I cannot really move my neck at all for at least 2 weeks. Then, I am not really out of the woods for another 4 weeks. If I'm in cycle, I sincerely doubt that I'll remain still.
Not really expecting answers to the world's problems.........but still, it makes me feel a bit better having you guys know about this.
Thanks for the space and your time.
Pian fere dyas and nghits to one and all.
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| « Last Edit: Sep 20th, 2003, 7:13pm by goaway » |
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Cerberus
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Re: Ant. Cervical Discectomy w/ Fusion - Advice?
« Reply #1 on: Sep 20th, 2003, 8:05pm » |
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OMG! I finally found something that I would not trade CH for.........whatever that proceedure is compunded by CH, its dangerously close to the spinal cord. Stay still? yeah right......good luck there too.
Best of luck to ya but that surgery is WAY out of my league. I really hope the beast ignores you throught that......
PF,
Ramon
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tsayswhy
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Re: Ant. Cervical Discectomy w/ Fusion - Advice?
« Reply #2 on: Sep 20th, 2003, 8:30pm » |
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best of luck on the surgery!My prayers are with you!!
sorry dont know much about the procedure.
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Major_Headcase
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Re: Ant. Cervical Discectomy w/ Fusion - Advice?
« Reply #3 on: Sep 20th, 2003, 11:47pm » |
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Hi Goaway,
Yep, I've been through a single diskectomy ... thinking of a double makes me shiver ... though I may have to have a second one in the not too distant future.
But let me tell you my experience. I had bone spurs growing on my cervical vertibrae that looked like itty-bitty stalactites and stalagmites (cave drippings turned to stone) on the top and bottom of several of my neck bones. One disk couldn't take it anymore and blew up/out. Pinched the nerve bundle going into my left arm and made it feel like someone was torturing me with a white hot poker inside my arm. The pain was even worse than my worst CH ... on my pain scale my 10 is my memory of that pain, my worst CH was not far behind at a 9.5 ... though I think my mind helps me "think" the CH pain isn't as bad since I know that at some point it will end ... the nerve pain rarely, if ever, let up.
I had no insurance and lived in hell for 16 months until Voc Rehab finally came to my rescue and paid for the surgery. But the surgery went smooth, I too chose "donor bone" for the fusion, and it healed up just fine. Beats the alternative ... hip surgery to carve off a piece of your own bone to use. I wore a rigid neck brace (not the halo "crown of thorns" device) after surgery for 6 weeks. I was told not to pick up anything heavier than one shoe at a time ... this meant that somebody had to do about everything for me except wipe my butt! Boy, you sure find out who your true friends are at a time like that ... somebody to buy and carry your groceries, somebody to do your laundry, somebody to drive you if you want to go anywhere ... like the docs.
It amounted to a lengthy set of lessons in Humility 101. That was 8 years ago and that part of my neck is doing fine. After 6 weeks I took that infernal brace off and never regretted having the surgery. Now it looks like the disc just below the fused one is starting to act up ... nowhere near as bad, but left arm pain in the 2-4 range. My doc has me on physical therapy for now ...
Man, if you're having two disks done, I can only imagine the pain you're going through. My heart goes out to you, buddy! As far as post-op and CH ... ugh! My CH hadn't started when I had my surgery, TG, but about 4 years later. I've often wondered if my neck trauma/surgery led to my CH, there was some discussion a few months back I think on the correlation between the onset of CH and head/neck trauma.
Peace be with you, goaway, my prayers are with you. If I can answer any specific questions, fire away.
-John
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Callico
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Re: Ant. Cervical Discectomy w/ Fusion - Advice?
« Reply #4 on: Sep 21st, 2003, 12:53am » |
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I have no advice for you. Just wanted to let you know you willbe prayed for. keep us posted on how it goes.
jc
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goaway
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Re: Ant. Cervical Discectomy w/ Fusion - Advice?
« Reply #5 on: Sep 21st, 2003, 8:38am » |
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Thanks to all for the kind words and info. John, hope the PT helps and you don't have to face the knife again.
Now say goodbye as I run away as fast as I can to...............
PFDANTYAY
Mike
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| « Last Edit: Sep 21st, 2003, 3:44pm by goaway » |
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Ree
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Re: Ant. Cervical Discectomy w/ Fusion - Advice?
« Reply #6 on: Sep 21st, 2003, 7:40pm » |
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Sounds like a really brave thing you're doin here. You truly need to do what you can. Come what may... you can deal with it then. You may just have to rely on pain meds...Hopefully your doc knows your situation and the beast won't come a knocking. Good Luck and see you back here love to you Ree
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jonny
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Re: Ant. Cervical Discectomy w/ Fusion - Advice?
« Reply #7 on: Sep 21st, 2003, 7:56pm » |
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You tell them docs to fix you up right or jonnys coming to put a boot in their ass, damn it!!
................................jonny
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cootie
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Re: Ant. Cervical Discectomy w/ Fusion - Advice?
« Reply #8 on: Sep 21st, 2003, 9:21pm » |
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Holy crap you guys are scaren me now....I got that same thing goin on in my neck John talked about (bone spurs ect)......and in my lower back also. Both areashave been actin up BIG TIME here lately and not lettin up "ever"........got this aweful POP noise in my back now so loud others can hear it and loud pings from bone spurs in my neck.........yipes didn't realize a disk could blow up ?? Pam that is gettin it at both ends
Good luck with surgery goaway........hope it doesn't bring on any CH for ya
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Major_Headcase
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Re: Ant. Cervical Discectomy w/ Fusion - Advice?
« Reply #9 on: Sep 22nd, 2003, 12:00am » |
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NO! Not you too, Pam! I hope your pain isn't too awful?! Any sciatica in your legs? 
I do not want to scare Mike or you. Like CH, disk problems are just one of those GDMFing parts of life that suck. If CH is raging nerve pain in the brain, most spinal disk related "raging nerve pain" is in an extremity - arm, fingers, legs, toes, shoulder, hip ... I don't understand the mechanism of why - when it's the disk that's injured, it the extremity that hurts. But unlike CH there are some pretty tried and trued surgical techniques to cure the pain. It is major surgery, but the success rate these days is pretty amazing ... at least compared to 15-30 years ago. "Donor bone" is great stuff, with the old hip surgery to "harvest" some of your own bone for the fusion, the recovery time was worse for the hip surgery than for the neck surgery - 2-3 months instead of 4-6 weeks.
BUT I am sure glad I had the surgery done, I'd do it again IF the pain gets that bad again (knock on wood). That experience helps me understand why some CH sufferers consider surgical solutions ... when the pain was at its worst, if my doc had said, "Son, we have to amputate your arm, but that'll get rid of the pain." ... I'd have asked him if his was able to schedule me in that afternoon! 
I got a thing about docs too ... rat bastards, most of 'em, imho, lol ... More childhood baggage - family doc that lied to me virtually every visit ("this won't hurt" . But I have to really tip my hat to the neuro surgeon who worked on me ... an orthopedic surgeon is fine for the lower back, but I highly recommend a neuro for the neck stuff.
It's late, I'm rambling on big time here ... but just wanted to encourage goaway again. Mike, the post op pain meds they gave me were potent enough that if the beast did come around, I'd be feelin' no pain anyway.
-John
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