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Does any one have problems with fusion surgery in the neck?
I had neck surgery fusion with screws and plate and i have popping sounds all the time and i can not turn to the right. Does any one have the same problem and should i have another surgery. I went to therapy alot but it does not work. I have been on pain meds for 11 years and off for 4 i did not want to be hook on them. I found out that i rather be in pain then being on them. I have scoliosis with rods in my back i already wrote in the blog earlier about that. Has any one had these plate taken out of neck?.
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Reading the comments is such brutal truth. rwhite, you have been through a lot and it started at such a young age. I've been in an out of surgeries to fuse cervical issues as a result of my body mass producing bone spurs. I'm getting ready to go in on November 26 for a posterior laminectomy with fusion. I know I'm going to be in pain and I can deal with that because I've had it before. I just don't want to live the rest of my life with it. My doctor said that it will be a difficult recovery at times and I may be in for more surgery in the future. I am going to have to get it together mentally and physically. The days tic by .... am I doing the right thing? I'm losing the use of my left arm due to cervical myelopathy, weakness in my legs, very unstable etc. If I don't go through with the surgery, I'm looking at a continued slow process of losing the ability to walk. I have to give it a shot and pray to God that it at least stops the progression. Right now my spinal cord is flat because of osteoarthritis and bone spurs. Flat is not a word you want to read on a radiological report. We are some pretty tough people if you've gone through any bit of this in your life. You know what gets me is, you know your life is going to be different after surgery and you know that you have to put faith and trust in your surgeon. You know there's no going back after they wheel you into the surgical arena, the drugs are administered and you pray when you wake up that it was the right decision. I don't mean to be so dramatic but it's a tough situation.
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3 Reactions@badbeev Welcome to Connect. I’m sorry you are in pain. Spine issues can generate muscle spasms that cause pain and tight scar tissue can add to that. Have you seen your spine specialist for follow up? Unfortunately, spine patients can be at risk for further issues because of added strain to other discs when some discs are fused. There could be other discs that are deteriorating. It would be important to know what may be happening so many years since your first spine surgery. I am 9 years since my C5/C6 fusion. I have had a lot of physical therapy since then on my neck and shoulders which helps and my PT has done myofascial release to free up tight muscles and surgical scar tissue.
Will you be following up with your doctor?
@janagain It’s like being between a rock and a hard place. We do our best to be informed and imagine what our result and outcome will be, but you don’t know and do take a leap of faith. Still, I believe that as patients there may be things we can do to improve our success. For me, that was stretching the muscles in my neck to help make it easier to move around during surgery, and after surgery, at the appropriate time with enough healing, loosening and stretching out the surgical scar tissue. A good physical therapist really helps.
Jan, I wish you much success with your next procedure and that the pain will subside sooner and be under control. It helped me to think of that as healing pain and that I was leaving behind all the pain of the spine condition that was being treated.