@rjdm1, Oh, I see why my response was confusing. I did not have neuropathy that I was aware of before the cervical fusion surgery. I had lots of bone spurs which needed to be removed. Recovery went reasonably well...........with 3 months in the brace to improve the fusion results. I now understand.....that 3 months of a brace is a small price to pay for a strong and lasting fusion. However, In about a year, I began to have tingles and needles in my feet and sharp shocks/zaps up my legs. The first diagnosis was Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome.

By the next year, in time for my visit with the neurologist, the arms, hands, and wrists were making their pain and discomfort known. Images revealed that one of the major nerves was taking a very long time to recover from bruising that sometimes happens inadvertently during the surgery. So we went with that issue for a while and I fell off the turnip truck into a massive depression. Another neurologist visit and a punch skin test came back positive for Small Fiber Polyneuropathy. I lost control of my world for a while.

The SFPN was a real bugger to deal with and it still is. At this time we have no known way to regenerate dead or dying nerve cells. We must learn to congenially accept what we cannot change. Perhaps we can eliminate or reduce the impact of some of those symptoms as we have resources to apply to that task. We hope for a noticeable moderation of our pain, a reasonable dose of energy and positive interest in our future.

And your last question....why did the neuropathy occur after the surgery? My diagnosis was labeled idiopathic. My musings seem to land on the possibility that more than 10 orthopedic surgeries in 25 years means my neuropathy had a long time to become idiopathic.

May you be free of suffering and the causes of suffering. Chris

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