Cervical Spine Operation

@dmccartney53 Donna, welcome to Connect. Your first post is asking a good question. I am a cervical spine surgery patient with a C5/C6 fusion. After surgery, you won't be able to bend or twist your neck, so tying your shoes would be a challenge. For that, I got elastic shoe laces so I could easily slip them on. Anything you do like meal preparation is harder because you can't bend you neck, so you feel like Humpty Dumpty. You will also be very fatigued and need to sleep a lot. Do you have a friend or family member who could help you? The first 2 to 3 weeks, there will be pain in the throat and swallowing could be tricky because they have to retract the esophagus to get to the spine behind it with a frontal approach. You have to be very careful not to swallow wrong. I'm surprised you'll be driving in 2 weeks. I don't think you will feel well enough for that, but when surgeons use metal plates on the front of the spine to stabilize it, often they don't require a neck brace or as much time in a neck brace. I did not have hardware used for my fusion, and I chose to stay in a neck brace until it fused which for me was 3 months and I didn't drive for at least 5 months. I could have after the spine fusion began which took 3 months, but it didn't feel like a good choice to me. That actually went by faster than I thought it would. I suspected metal allergy issues because of problems with pierced earrings that I had to give up. Some patients say they can feel the plate on the front of the spine. There are also some other implants that screw in on an angle and don't require a plate.

It takes a good 6 weeks to heal the incision and by that time, a lot of pain had subsided for me. By 3 months, I was able to forget I had had surgery and I wasn't feeling it pull across my throat as much, but after that first 6 weeks, the incision does tighten up. I also stretched out my neck muscles to make it easier for the surgeon, and my physical therapist does myofascial release on me which stretches out overly tight tissue. That is ongoing because a surgical scar periodically tightens up, and stretching it releases the tension. I also have another condition that makes my neck and shoulder too tight called thoracic outlet syndrome or TOS, and I need to stretch so that doesn't lock my neck down with spasms. I had been doing this PT for years when my spine condition became apparent, so that prepared me well for a good recovery. You should be able to walk if you have been walking well and that is good for recovery to raise oxygen levels in your body to promote healing.

Get your house organized and all your laundry done with clothes that are loose and comfortable. I had folded t-shirts, shorts, and socks, etc in bins next to my bed so I didn't need to reach up or down to get anything. If you try now to see how much you can do without turning your head or bending your neck at all, you'll get a sense of what it is like to function after cervical surgery. You will have lifting restrictions. Mine started at 5 pounds, so you won't be able to go grocery shipping or be pushing a shopping cart. You will want to sleep a lot, and you will need that. I don't think you need to have a person hired for 24 hours a day to help, but that is your call as to how much you feel you need. I was able to walk up and down stairs and shower (after a few days), but I did have my husband there in case I became too tired or dizzy. After anesthesia or while using pain medication, that slows down the GI tract a lot, and causes major constipation, so you'll need to address that.

When I woke up from surgery, all of the pre-existing spine generated pain was gone, and what was left was pain from the surgical path. I was able to deal with that new healing pain without medication. The pain medication didn't take away all the pain, but it took the edge off, and I found I was able to cope without it, and I was nauseated by it, so that was an easy choice.

You are making a good choice to fix this problem before it becomes worse. You can also find lots of other discussions here about spine surgery. If you click the blue Spine Health link at the top left on this page, you can scroll through other Spine discussions or use the search function. Your recovery also depends on how healthy you are before this surgery, and there are patients who are older or who have many more levels of spine involvement that have different degrees of recovery. Some patients always have pain. I do not have pain, and my recovery was very successful. You may be interested in my story. Do you have other questions?
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/using-the-art-of-medicine-to-overcome-fear-of-surgery/

Best of luck with your upcoming cervical work! I had an ACDF at C4-7 in Feb. I am six months post-surgery and it has been a loooong time since I've really thought about my neck - which is a good thing! My current neck range of motion is greater than before surgery and, as I did a plate, my neck is far stronger after than before surgery. I did wear a neck brace for just less than 6-weeks and I could not drive while wearing the brace. While uncomfortable and confining at first - I grew comfortable with the brace (I was glad to finally remove it, however!).

Yes, having someone there for the first few weeks seems essential to me. And not just for the physical support. I found myself to experience measurable levels of PTSD from the surgery and having a supportive person nearby allowed me to lean on them in a meaningful way. All that is well in the rearview mirror at this point. But one thing I have learned over the past six months of recovery - everyone's recovery is different. Different ages. Different physical condition pre-surgery. Different surgeries. Different surgeons. Etc. Etc. Prepare for anything and you'll be fine. Seriously.

One suggestion: Keep a diary to track your recovery. I found I generally lost track of time passage plus I occasionally grew discouraged with what I perceived to be slow recovery. Keeping a diary allowed me to check how I actually felt a week ago or two weeks or whatever. Often, I actually had important progress that made me feel better about ultimate recovery. Again - my best.

Thanks, upstate phil, it sounds like you’re from New York! I appreciate you taking the time to let me know about your experience and making suggestions. Glad to hear you no longer have a pain in the neck! Take care, Donna

Thanks, Jennifer, for all your helpful and practical advice. I especially like the idea of practicing not being able to turn my head or bend my neck ahead of time. I’m on it!🙏

Donna - You have a great attitude which suggests you'll do fine with the whole process. Good news is the residual scaring from the ACDF (front entry) is nearly invisible at this point (+6 months). With a little strategic make-up - no one but you will know!

...A shout out to Jennifer! You do an amazing job with your posts and advice. So helpful to everyone!

@upstatephil Thank you SOOOO MUCH! I have the benefit of having a science background and a great physical therapist that I learned from as I was going through my physical issues. I also learned a lot about what spine surgeons missed because most missed my correct diagnosis and I actually found it in medical literature, and then found a surgeon who understood all that at Mayo. I should say, I actually found the case studies in medical literature because I looked up terminology in literature of a Mayo surgeon, and I knew I found someone who could help me, and he did.

I'm glad you are having a great recovery with your ACDF surgery and you are very helpful too! I appreciate that because as Connect gets busier, I can't be everywhere. You certainly have the experience to answer spine questions for other members too, and thank you!

Such a nice note! I'm happy to help and to weigh-in when I can add value. Maybe the most useful thing I've learned is that no two spine surgeries are the same! People are in different physical condition before surgery. The surgical centers are of differing quality. As are the neurosurgeons. The procedures are different. Etc. Etc. There are few universally applicable learnings...But I'm happy if I can impart some knowledge to others. Mostly I hope to encourage folks contemplating potentially life-changing spine surgeries to get second opinions and to keep digging until they have a diagnosis they are comfortable with. Appreciate your leadership!

I had a c6/7 ACDF last year.

In general, you want to walk every day. Start with 15 minutes and add more time/distance every day. You'll have perfect September weather to enjoy.

Do *not* pick up anything more than 10 pounds until your follow up visit with your surgeon. And don't lift anything over your head.

Eat healthy food, and take it easy. Don't take any omega-3's or nsaids until your follow up.

Sleep in a recliner for the first few nights you're home. I didn't and regretted it (long story).

Thanks to everyone for this insight. I am having posterior decompression and fusion C2-T2 on Wednesday, Aug. 23, at Rochester Mayo. It has been difficult to find “what to expect post-surgery” information. Wish me luck and send prayers my way, please. If you can think of anything else to keep in mind, please speak up!
I appreciate this resource that you all provide.