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← Return to 7mm spinal cord stenosis
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@sb4ca I am a cervical spine surgery patient too. You have been through a lot and a lot of changes in a short time.
We discussed artificial disc vs fusion here on Connect in this comment from December 2021 where you noticed what looked like a problem with C3-C4
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/665202/
Was this discussed with your surgeon at that time or prior to your surgery? Did he think it didn't look bad enough to address?
Prior to my fusion at C5-C6, I had MRIs done 9 months apart, and it that time, the amount of bone spurs doubled so it surrounded the extruded disc. I was worried about reactions to foreign materials, so my fusion was done only with a bone graft and no hardware. I stayed in a neck brace for 3 months.
Is it possible there is still infection at the surgical site? Another thing that comes to my mind would be to question if you could be having an immune response to implanted surgical materials. There is a lab in Chicago that tests for immune responses called Orthopedic Analysis https://www.orthopedicanalysis.com/
I know from personal experience with the removal of dental work, and surgical titanium plates from my ankle (from a fracture) that these were causing issues for me, and my health improved afterward. I had chronic hives until I had the titanium removed from my ankle.
Has your surgeon discussed a possible immune reaction? Are you scheduled for another procedure?
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I have the same thing happened to me my body has completely fused all the way around the disc but I am being told that and is not possible to have in a reaction to these implants because they are Cobalt chromium although they do contain nickel and other Trace metal alloys they don't mention that though. The surgeon also told me that there are no allergy receptors in your spinal canal therefore although I have metal allergies it's not possible to have a metal allergic reaction to an implanted device because those receptors are only found on the skin. I know all of that information is inaccurate the community here is so small that all of the surgeons know each other although I refuse to speak bad about the surgeon and I will not even mention his name I tell them it's not important because I do not want anybody to assume that I am stating he was a bad surgeon or did a bad job therefore I just don't say his name but it hasn't helped me at all I have literally deteriorated my spine is now collapsing on top of each other and deteriorating that was 34 years old when I fell and I had an amazing life now I can't even work and I've lost my home and I can't get these people to understand that I need this disc removed immediately I've been fired by almost every one of my providers and nobody helps me these implant should be illegal..