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← Return to Cervical Spine Operation
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To all who contributed to this thread, especially Jennifer and Upstate Phil, I want to give you an update. I had my C4/5, C5/6 ACDF fusion operation a week ago this past Thursday. So far so good! Thanks everyone for help in preparing for this surgery beforehand and understanding what to expect afterwards. My incision is completely healed. I go for a check up with my doctor this Wednesday, and overall I feel pretty good for someone who had major spine surgery a little more than a week ago. One thing that really helped me was my doctor wanted me to get ahead of the pain so he recommended that I take the Percocet pills every four hours, waking up in the middle of the night to keep on schedule. This was great advice, because I didn’t experience any pain at all. Fortunately I am one of the people who can take this painkiller without negative reactions. I call it Percocet Paradise! Sadly, I had to come off of it after five days, mostly because I didn’t want to get addicted. 🤣 I haven’t had any stabbing pains at all. Just general discomfort in my neck region from time to time after finishing the Percocet that two Tylenol seem to relieve. So, I’m feeling pretty confident in my recovery so far and hope to be doing even better after I get out of this neck brace, which I have to wear for three more weeks. Thanks again to Jennifer, Upstate Phil, and many others who had great suggestions to help me prepare for and get through this surgery. I really appreciate it! And I appreciate this Mayo Clinic blog that connects us all. Best wishes to everyone!☘️
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@dmccartney53 Donna, this is wonderful news! As you come off of pain medication, you can think of this as "healing pain" and a transition to your recovery. This isn't the same as pain caused by a spine condition before decompression, and that is gone. I had trouble with constipation on pain medication and was nauseated by it, so I stopped taking it, and it was OK. I was able to handle the discomfort just by resting and I didn't have expectations of no pain. Just take it one day at a time. Some days are better, some are worse, but all of it is progress. I remember how hard it was to wean out of my neck brace after 3 months because my muscles were weak from wearing it. Hopefully, that will be better for you with less time in the brace. I know you have lifting restrictions, and for good reason because all those shoulder muscles are also attached to your spine and will pull on your neck if you lift something. This is your time to just relax, rest and heal. Just wait... because the day will come when an X-rays shows the begging of bone fusion which will be exciting for sure!
Keep up the good work!
Jennifer