Cervical Posterior fusion from C-3 thru C-7,

I would see one of the top neurosurgeons in the area and let him or her review all x-rays CT scans and MRI's you have had after your fusion.The neurosurgeon will be able to tell you if you have fractures in your neck.It is a good idea to get a new opinion.Good luck.

Dear @myabby1 - I completely understand your swallowing issues post cervical surgery. I see from the doctor report you had an ACDF at C4-7. I had that exact procedure two weeks after you in 2023. I certainly remember struggles with swallowing - struggles that I still experience at times, today. Though nothing like what you describe.

I find I need to really chew my foods, I take much smaller bites, and there are still times where swallowing feels awkward. But your gag reflex responses seem much more involved. I'm certain you've tried all the above "basic" strategies?

The docs said all the hardware is in place? That's a good result. I also think it's a great idea to pursue the gastroenterology avenue. There may still be something in that area as exact diagnoses can be hard to come by in those situations.

Peri-implant fractures (PIF) are rare but can occur secondary to the hardware insertion you experienced from your ACDF. PIF can cause persistent inflammation which could explain some of your restricted throat and swallowing experiences. PIF is a real condition and the doc's report you attached seems to suggest you might have this?

How did the docs leave it with you? Did they schedule additional diagnostic tests? Follow-up discussion with you? My suggestion would be to doggedly pursue getting to a diagnosis and treatment strategy.

Best of luck and please share what you're planning to do.

Drs are just leaving it at that. No additional tests, nothing. Definitely need to find someone to help!

Never give up! No matter how frustrating it can be. You have to be your own best advocate and that requires a dogged approach to getting to a quality diagnosis.

I definitely won’t I’m doing what I can to get answers.
Thank you so much😊

C5-6 was done both front and back. I was hoarse for three weeks. I still have a scar although 19 years ago.

Everyone is different with their tolerance of pain. That was quite a surgery and it can take a long time. I still feel a little 'wobbly' in the neck/head after 14 months.

Resting and relaxing relieves the muscles, tendons, and ligaments up there. It is hard to recover from neck surgery because you are using it while trying to recover. Not like a knee or arm you can elevate.

Hello,
Wonder if anyone has had their entire Cspine fused c4-t1 or similar. My scenario, at pretty young age I had very successful ACDF c5-c7 (due to many problems including chord compression, a reverse curve to my neck (common if have long straight neck, that my NeuroSpine surgeon straightening w the fusion by carving out the cadaver bone in a metaculios way). Over the years other areas of my Cspine has become worse. Radio Frequency Ablation by a very skilled Pain Mgmt doctor, worked great to rid of any pain years after the fusion. I never needed Pain meds etc. Over
last 9 months bad pain started creeping up and RFA or other non invasive procedures did not help at all. Recently (15 years after original c5-c7 fusion), imaging shows I have bad stenosis, the worse at c4-c5 with anterior/ posterior chord compression, among many other issues thoughout my Cspine, including Anterolisthesis with flexion at c4-c5 and c7-t1. Total mess. I am on my own w no help. I wonder how you function on your own, after having your entire neck fused? I did great after my first fusion, but this is far more drastic. I would appreciate any candor from others who may have had a similar fusion/ experience. Ty

I had anterior 4/5 last May and bones did not fuse. I now have a bulge above 3 and bulge as well as pinch at 7. I am preparing for posterior C4 to T1. Can you give insight on down time? How long out of work? I know the pain will not be fun during recovery, but I have hope this will relieve some of my daily pain and bring back some sensation in my right arm and hand. I appreciate all feedback. Thank you.

Have you tried MFR deep myofascial tissue release therapy? If not, you need to find a therapist and try that. I had to see Spine surgeries cause the first one wasn’t good enough and now I have a rod infusions from C2 C3 C2 from 2T1. Unfortunately it didn’t fix the pain. All the pain that I went in there with it did fix some. You can only tell sometimes by doing something what is right in hindsight. Indeed the surgery was necessary. It was unexpected that my bones fell apart in my neck because they were so soft, but it was unknown that a lot of my pain was specifically from my muscles, moving as a big brick on my shoulder, pulling on my neck. So in my case, I’ve gone about it in a backwards way, so I do all the my facial tissue release now which should’ve been done before. Oh well, my surgeon who is top drawer was not eager to do my surgery, but we had done everything together and I totally trust him, but I push for the surgery because I couldn’t stand the pain any longer. It’s not two years yet and I’m still recovering from the second spinal surgery because it involves my body being trained to accommodate the rod that’s in my back. I am severely round shoulder and the rod is straight. My orthopedic surgeon is straight up with me and he said it’s gonna take a while for my back to accommodate the Rod. there’s a possibility I have some scar tissue that’s also developing and there’s a possibility that additional arthritis has set in at C2. So I go to the surgeon every 3 to 6 months and we do x-rays and if necessary MRIs. I am 68 years old and I accept that this is part of my aging process and I wasn’t born with the world‘s best body. But I’ve increased my exercise tenfold and it’s really helping mitigate my pain and managing my health going forward.

Thank you for your response.
I have severe spinal chord compression, and vertibra slippage. Scary to even look at the MRI. I am far beyond traditional pain modalities and should have had surgery at least 6 to 9 months ago. I just wanted to know what it would feel like to have your cspine fused from c3 to c5 ( new required posterior fusion) plus c5-c7 ( previous anterior fusion). So total fusion will be c3-c7. I am still doing consults w Neuro Spine surgeons, since my original, amazing honest neuronspine surgeon is now 4 hours away.