Spinal Fusion: Upcoming surgery, what was your experience, any tips?

@kdj I went back to a previous discussion you had started and found some good responses from members. If you are looking for additional information, I would encourage you to reply to that other discussion and see if they can offer more support.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/spinal-fusion-of-c1-c6/

Okay, I & my Doctor applied thru my insurance company for Vertiplex. Denied, Appealed. Denied. Stating experimental. Must go thru the clinical trial first. Checked on any trials, at least not around here. None. Even if so,
Are we experimental guinea pigs & also expected to pay for it all?
Don't mean to sound harsh but surely you might understand..

Were all 3 doctors partners or from same clinic? If so, get an “outside” opinion. If not, then you have an answer. That’s a very extensive surgery as you well know. I assume you either have a congenital condition or had one heck of an accident....😳 feeling sorry for you whatever the cause was!

Opinions are from two neurosurgeons in Boulder, CO and the third from a doctor at Johns Hopkins. It is not from an accident and there really is no explanation for it. Very intimidated by the prospect of a surgery and recovery. No guarantees either that I will get out of pain. Only two options... have the surgery or learn to live with it.

Yes, I understand the comment from your doctors that surgery might not alleviate pain. While the acute pain I was experiencing before surgery is gone, the expectation from my doctors is that I will be a long term chronic pain patient - as a result of the all the hardware in my neck. Having said that, I am still much better after surgery than before - and as result I’m glad to have done it. But everyone is different.

Surgical recovery from such a big surgery isn’t necessarily easy, but I don’t regret doing it. It all comes down to quality of life, I think and what you feel like you can manage. For me, post surgery was considerably better than the pain I was in pre surgery.

Thx

@jeffkboyce please use the contact information on this form, if interested, to request an appointment at Mayo Clinic http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63. They will review your medical records and history, and discuss with you treatment options.

Living with pain is no choice if you have treatment options. It plays heavily on our bodies both physically and mentally. Even though I'm still in pain many years post-op I have no regrets for having the procedure. If you have a lot of arthritic changes where the procedure will occur you'll most likely have more pain. The more you try to function with a bad spine the more pain it will cause you. Sorry for your pain and good luck with your decision.

@kdj I saw your other comment that you are looking at C1 through C6 fusion. That is a big surgery and you will loose a lot of normal ability to move. No surgeon really can give you a guarantee to lessen your pain with surgery. I had a C5/C6 fusion and my surgeon couldn't promise that to me either, but surgery did reduce my pain a lot which was caused by spinal cord compression. What did help me was to work with a physical therapist who loosened up my overly tight neck and chest muscles and got me into better spine alignment. This helped me before and after surgery and I had a great recovery. You may want some more opinions and get an explanation of why you need this extensive surgery. Ask if you have other options that could retain some ability to move. What can happen over time is when spinal discs collapse, the spine can start to fuse itself which may not be as good as if a surgeon does a fusion and it may not be in a good alignment. Ask about that too, and what your future would be if you don't have surgery. I know it's a tough choice and we are all different in what our issues are and what kind of procedure can help. Sometimes surgery makes a patient worse. There are many things to consider when making a decision like this. There are surgeons who are eager to do surgery and I avoided those. The surgery needs to be in your best interest only. It's a big business for surgeons who own their own surgical centers for profit. You have to make sure, your doctor puts your needs first, and not theirs.

@jenniferhunter When my spine surgeon suggested my lumbar fusion at a surgical center, I said I would be more comfortable where there was more back-up staff at the Major nearby Hospital. My insurance would pay for either.. The doctor seemed to agree .. and that is what we did.. and it worked out great ..no problems..