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Continued issues after multiple fusion surgeries.
Anyone have similar situations, and can give me a little hope, and guidance.
My name is Tanya, and I have had a C4-C7 disc replacement with fusion. A rupture in my esophagus, that put me in ICU on a feeding tube, 3 weeks later developed 2 cervical infections which required removal of most of my cervical hardware. This was a nightmare, and turned my hubby into my at home caregiver, he administered my IVs and antibiotics pushes thru a Pic line. Timeline; 6 month recovery. Then February 2026 C2-C4 disc replacement w/fusion. I was doing well for about 2 months, and then "BAM" pain, muscle spasms in my arms with movement, and full body pain. All of this from April 2023 until today May 2026. I'm desperate for anyone out there to share their story, and give me some hope and strength to continue the fight to a full/or at least good recovery 💜 Thank you.
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That sounds pretty rough. Sorry you are going through all this. How did the determine you had cervical infections? I had a fusion at c5-c6 and like you it was OK for a couple of months then it was horrible. For me its continued to be that way. My arms and hands spasm really bad as well as my feet. No one knows why. Mri said osteophytes are pressing on my esophagus and could be causing swallowing issues. You got this!!! Fighting sucks but what choice do we have. I am a walking infomercial lol. I have bought so many things to try to take away the pain. The Chirp wheel works pretty well. I am still figuring out what to do. If I come up with anything I will let you know
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4 Reactions@livininthestix
Reading your posts as well as the other person I feel such empathy for both of you. I hope you have a question what is a chirp wheel?
My heart goes out to you! May I ask where you have this horrible surgery? What did the surgeon say after the rupture in your esophagus? Is this typical anyway I'm so sorry to hear this happened to you I can't give you any advice unfortunately. It seems like you could sue the surgeon though even though money won't take away your suffering but at least you could hire someone besides having your husband be your ICU nurse.
@annie1 the chirp wheel is a foam roller I guess. It has 3 different sizes with a groove in the middle for your spine. It stretches and massages. There is a large, medium and small one. The small one for your neck is the one I use the most. It has different size knobs for different pressures. I lay on the ground and put it under my neck. It hurts but seems to help. Its easier than a foam roller for me anyway.
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1 Reaction@livininthestix thank you so much for sharing this information. I had never heard of a chirp wheel either and will have to research it
Dear @tanya2019, stay strong, I really feel for you! I had a C3-C6 fusion (plate, 6 screws, 2 fixators and a disc), lost the strength in my left arm, apart from the really strong painkillers, which left me feeling groggy, I could only cope with the pain by applying ice. After undergoing tests (EMG and MRI/CT), they found I had acute lesions where I had the new disc at C5-C6, 3 weeks after the first surgery, they operated again to replace the disc. Over time, I regained some strength in my left arm through physiotherapy, but I still have daily pain in the back of my neck and constant stiffness in the front right side, sometimes also difficulty swallowing, it´s a problem to work on the computer, I have weakness in my arms, but the arms are better, extreme neck fatigue. I´m working part time, to maintain the therapies. I´m also careful, no "heavy" lifting, just flowers, and even flowers can be heavy. Heat therapy helps, plus physio and clinical Pilates. Thanks for the tip @livininthestix , I will also see the chirp wheel. It´s really not easy, but stay strong and do fight it! Keep looking for solutions, and see alternative doctors. Keep hope alive and believe that things will get better! Strong HUG!