Cervical Spinal Stenosis: Whom should I see?

I think it often helps to talk to the doctor’s nurse or PA to get a better understanding about upcoming surgery. You could call and say you are scared and need to talk to one of them. Best wishes for a successful surgery.

@jeanstewart Lesley, I do know where you are coming from. I would also agree that you may want to contact your surgical team. The surgical nurse should be able to call you to answer your concerns. I had this same surgery at Mayo Rochester for one level, and my nurse did that for me.

The cages are put into the space left when they take out the bad discs. They provide a space for the new bone to grow into to fuse the vertebra together. I had bone disc spacers instead of cages as a more natural material. It was bone bank bone and is just the mineral matrix left (like a hard sponge) after the bone cells are cleaned out of it and it is sterilized.

I don't know how your other health conditions will affect your recovery and your experience in healing may be different than mine. I do know it helps to work on easing your fears, and knowledge helps, so do ask all the questions you have before you are headed into surgery.

The front approach causes a very sore throat and may cause swallowing issues. My issues resolved in about 3 weeks. There is a risk of problems with swallowing or vocal cord paralysis that may be permanent. It is something to ask about. Personally, I have only heard of one other patient who had vocal cord paralysis. If that happens, Mayo does have a procedure to implant a device that allows the vocal cords to meet again and restore the voice. What does help after you have healed enough is to do physical therapy with a PT who also does myofascial release. The surgery creates scar tissue that gets tight. I periodically stretch mine out just using my hands and holding a shearing stretch until it releases. I do think that one side of my throat has less sensitivity for me to know when I'm swallowing wrong, even though it all works fine. I make sure to not talk while eating, and to swallow slowly and pay attention. Liquids can sneak down sometimes and cause me to choke, so this is why I go slow and take smaller sips of water when swallowing.

My surgery was the best thing I could have done for myself. I was losing the ability to hold my arms up and control them, and I got all of that back because of the surgery. I was starting to have issues with walking and emptying my bladder properly. All of that resolved and I when I woke up from surgery, all of the pain I had was gone. The pain I had then was healing pain, so a good pain. It helps to frame it that way in your mind and to see yourself as part of the surgery team working together to solve the issues.

At 6 weeks, I was feeling good and that is when the scars are fully healed and starting to tighten. It took about 3 months for the fusion to set. I was in a neck brace for all of that time because I did not want hardware on my spine. I was very tired and slept a lot because my body needed the energy for healing. You won't feel up to chores and housework, so get everything done and ready, and lots of clothes clean and ready to put on. I put elastic laces in my gym shoes, so I didn't have to try to tie them without looking. You won't be allowed to bend and twist or lift much weight at all. By 3 months, I could forget that I'd had spine surgery because I really felt normal again. I was 59 at the time of my surgery.

What are your concerns? Is there something I could answer for you?

@prayersforall oh my goodness thank you for your prayers. I know not to fear but I'm going into this with such limited explanation and they keep saying "the Dr will tell you all about it the day before" gosh that leaves me no time to research anything, it's very unkind in my opinion. Thank you so much

@jenniferhunter thank you so much. I get brief replies from the RN in Drs office. I have not been told a single thing about anything you wrote, just that I will spend a night then discharge to my hotel. Gosh it sounds terrible I'm 75 in bad health.
I'm going into this exhausted after taking care 24/7 of a terminally ill family member on my own with up all night stuff. No one has talked to me at all from the clinic. I don't want feel this way, like just a pawn. I will try to find time today to phone someone. Thank you for the swallowing info and support, I'll be back here to chat more if that's ok.

@marybuzz thank you I'm going to try that now. I hope I find the right person to talk to

I had anterior cervical fusion the end of July, C4 through C7, then went home after one night in the hospital with a prescription for extra pain meds for one week. I was already a chronic pain management patient for many years, after having two lumbar fusions. The problem really started with my neck, I knew I had problems but didn’t realize how much it was affecting my back and pain in my left leg and feet.
The surgery helped a great deal, but like you I felt overwhelmed.
They did ask if I had any questions, and gave me a packet of information. They also had me watch a video detailing what to expect in the weeks after.
Please ask them if that is available!
I had some issues come up after, but I don’t want you to worry about that. Focus on getting yourself ready. Find help for your family member, you won’t be able to handle that. You will need some help yourself, for a week or two.
Set up your kitchen so you don’t need to reach overhead for any dishes. Do your laundry. Get some help with meals or make some dishes for freezing. There are many helpful tips online too!
Best of luck.

@jeanstewart Leslie, of course, you're welcome here. May I suggest that you discuss your home situation with being a caregiver for a terminally ill family member with your surgeon's team? This is a lot to try to handle this and also go through spine surgery. All of that can affect how well you recover. To heal, you need to be able to rest, and you'll be exhausted because your body is trying to heal. You also will have limits of what you are allowed to do physically and will not be able to lift much weight. My limit started at 10 pounds and was increased gradually over several months. The limit will be increased as you are healing. Can you get help from another care giver? Would you consider delaying your surgery if that is possible? Right now, you are being pulled in different directions. Patients often need someone to help them remember what the doctor advises during an appointment because it can be stressful and it is easy to feel like a deer in the headlights. I was fearful too, and I worked at overcoming my fear. I spent a lot of time on that.

What are the questions that you need answered by your surgeon? It may help to write down a list. They may not realize what you are going through. I hope you can find some time to clear your mind and listen to some calming music.

When I was in need of spine surgery, I was taking care if my dad at end stage heart disease and having to live at my parents' house. I had seen 5 surgeons over 2 years, and they kept missing the correct diagnosis. A month after my dad passed, I got a call from Mayo that they had accepted me as a patient. Those were the hardest 2 years. This was a completely different experience, and for the first time, I was not overly anxious meeting the next surgeon. I did a lot of self-help work, and I was ready to face surgery.

Please ask for what you need to get through all of this. Do you have other family, relatives or members of a church that you can reach out to for help? I know that this a very hard place to be.

@jeanstewart
Have you been clear Ed by your thermal and cardiologist for surgery? Are you having ACDF of C4-C7 surgery (where they go in the front of your neck and decompress/fuse and put in hardware to stabilize your neck)?

I had ACDF surgery in c5-c6 in 2022 and c6-c7 in 2025. I did not really have too much of a problem with my throat or vocal cords. I had a baseline vocal cord check by an ENT before surgery and after and no changes or issues.

Before surgery in 2022, I had daily headaches, neck and shoulder pain, arm/hand/finger weakness, bladder control issues and walking difficulty (legs felt heavy like I was wearing cement boots so movement slowed). This improved after surgery.

Definitely prepare self and home for after surgery to ensure you take care of as much as possible beforehand so you don’t have to do much for a couple weeks after surgery.

I have had both cervical and lumbar spine surgeries and I can tell you that the cervical spine surgery from the front was much easier than lumbar surgery from the back. I may need a 2nd lumbar surgery end of year/beginning of year due to disc herniation and spinal cord/nerve root compression (cauda equina is being crowded due to severe central stenosis). Not looking g forward to it at all but I am having trouble standing up, using stairs, walking, etc. since the compression is weakening my buttocks/hips/hip flexors/thigh muscles.

@jeanstewart
I meant to ask if cleared by rheumatologist and cardiologist (can’t stand autocorrect)! Sorry.

Here are some links to do some research to help you prepare yourself for surgery and create a list of questions for your surgical spine team.

1. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/-/media/neurology-neurosurgery/documents/spine/spine-surgery-guide-jhh.pdf
2. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/-/scassets/files/org/neurological/spine/main-campus-spine-surgery-pre-post-surgery-instructions.pdf
3. https://health.ucdavis.edu/spine/patients_visitors/pdf-handout/spine-center-pre-op-educational-packet.pdf
4. https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/back-pain/cervical-spine-surgery-preparation-steps
5. https://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/Images/cervical-spine-packet_tcm75-1254016.pdf

Hi Lesley,
I'm currently waiting for 11/24/25 to arrive when I will finally have posterior cervical surgery. Over a year ago I had anterior cervical surgery. The Dr. performed a discectomy fusion C3-4 and C4-5 with bone graft taken from my Iliac Crest. I had a lot of pain in recovery the first couple of weeks and then it started to get better. I would say that I felt pretty good after the initial first few weeks. I have Osteoarthritis pretty bad and I'm growing osteophytes everywhere. My hands are swollen and sore. The real pain comes from the flattened spinal nerve at my C-6 and C6-7 leaving me with muscle loss to the point that I've lost my balance, my left side is severely weak. I cannot raise my left arm up over my head. Dexterity is about all gone. I cannot stand on one leg, I quickly fall to the side. I have had a few falls but didn't hurt myself too bad. I'm 68 and I never thought I'd be dealing with this kind of thing. I'm a Grandma and I can't pick up my babies anymore. And I'm not suppose to pick up anything that is over 30lbs With my current weakness, I can't even pick up 5lbs. I was hoping that the first surgery I had in 2024 would have helped me out more. Here is the problem, my nerve is FLAT between C6-C7. I'm hoping to regain the use of my arm again. If the surgery doesn't correct the problem then at least they can stop the progress is what I'm hoping and praying for. It's to the point that I need to have this surgery. I spoke with my surgeon recently and he said that posterior cervical surgery can be quite painful and I might be in pain for awhile. He also said that it will probably require more surgery in the future. I obviously didn't want to hear all this but it's the doctors obligation to be honest and tell the patients what to expect. For me, I think I'm pretty strong but I'm still very scared to go into the operating room again. My surgery will concentrate on C6-C7 with a laminectomy decompression. The remove part of the lamina to relieve pressure on the spinal cord that has caused me to have cervical myopathy. Along this journey, I have had MRI's, CAT scans, testing of all kinds. I had a electromyogram that measures the electrical impulses transmitted along nerves, nerve root and muscle tissue. I have lost the use of my left arm and the 3 main muscles in that arm are measuring 90% loss of strength. In other words, I could end up in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. Cervical Myopathy takes it time and slowly takes away the use of your arms, legs and all kinds of bad things. During all these tests they have found that I have a 4.6 Aortic aneurysm, nodules on my thyroid, osteoporosis throughout my spine, a large hiatal hernia, white spots on my brain and carpal tunnel so bad my nerves burn at times. I already have diabetes and severe sleep apnea. On a more positive note, I have lost 70lbs over the past 8 years. I'm so very grateful that I got control of my weight issues or I feel like things would be much worse. I hope it has helped you to read my story. If I can help someone, that certainly makes me feel better. Mayo has a lot of good information online and hearing your story made me want to respond. I totally understand the feelings you're concerned about. After a posterior laminectomy I have to remember I am susceptible to the risks of infection, nerve damage, bleeding, spinal fluid leak etc. It's just scary to think about that so in the next month before surgery I'm going to eat healthy, maybe lose a few more pounds and try and find some peace in my head that won't turn off at times. Thanks and hugs to you all and thank you Lesley for starting this interesting post.