Cervical fusion of C3-C7 after L4-L5 and S1 - What to expect?

Bonnie, don’t forget, I was 76! If that’s the only thing that’s holding you back, don’t let it!
Janice from Maine

Almost 2 years ago I had Spinal fusion on L4 and L5, a year later still in alot of pain, my Dr said my S1 had gotten much worse during my year of recovery. We were working on scheduling surgery to fuse the S1 to the L4, L5 however My neck was also giving me issues. I had been mentioning it for several years . After discussing the neck problems, he put the S1 fusion on hold and we did the C4-C7. Still in pain he did another MRI. he said the S1 was fine now and didnt need surgery. yet Im still in alot of pain. When I asked him how this was possible that the S1 recovered in 2 and 1/2 months all he said was "I don't know'. Has anyone ever heard anything like this? Now I feel I need a new doctor. if thats all I get is " I dont know"

A doctor or anyone saying they don't know might be a positive, although it might be good to get information on the MRI image change in S1 and how your pain correlates. By correlate I'm referring to images, location(s) of pain, changes in therapy (PT, meds). Best wishes

Ill have to get another doctor to review all the MRI's and CT scans. When I tried to get some info from my doctor he asked if I wanted to go see a "smarter doctor" and who did I want him to refer me to. He was very rude.

I had a C5-6 ACDF, C3-T1 fusion for C6fx 8 weeks ago. I still have horrible pressure on my neck it almost feels like my head doesn’t belong. Has anyone else experienced this. I’m so nervous that after 8 weeks I should not still feel this way. Mine was a trauma broken neck from a car accident.

@anawade23 Welcome to Connect. You have been through a lot and your body needs lots of time to heal. I'm sure the trauma of broken vertebrae also adds a lot of complexity and pain. I can tell you from my own experience of cervical fusion that the incision alone takes at least 6 weeks to heal, and after that it tends to tighten up and cause pain. You would also have a lot of inflammation. Fractures add a new level of frustration and pain. I had a very bad ankle fracture and it was far worse in terms of pain and healing time than my spine surgery was.

Give yourself time and space to heal. Your journey doesn't really compare with someone else's experience. Also we are all different with different other health issues that can affect recovery. Just believe that you will get there. Progress comes in baby steps and those are to be celebrated too. I know with my bone healing from my spine fusion, it was 3 months until that bone was set because new bone had to grow into the spaces of the donor bone disk matrix that was implanted. When you are healed well enough to start some rehab and physical therapy, that will be something to celebrate.

I am glad you reached out here, and know that you are not alone. Your journey is unique to you and many others will learn from you, so know that we are here alongside you as you heal. I worked out things to do when I was nervous to distract me from it. Relaxing music certainly helps. It may help to speak with a counselor. The emotional trauma of your accident may be holding you back. We want to see ourselves as whole, and when something like this happens it threatens the way we see ourselves and we may fear that it will always be that way. You can achieve healing and make peace with all of it, and it will take time, perhaps more time than you expect, but you can get there. Your mind is very powerful in how you see your future and you can use that power to help yourself heal to your best possible recovery. See your future as a healed whole person and be proactive about asking for help that you need to get there. Believe.

@upstatephil hi Phil, did your ACDF fix your leg numbness? I had ACDF on c5/6 6 days ago. My legs felt good the first two days but last night the burning in my right thigh came back and the heaviness. How long does it take for the symptoms to get better after surgery?

@freedom4bella I wanted to let you know that @upstatephil isn’t active on Connect now. It’s been about a year since his last post. There is a lot of good information in his posts and if you click on his username and see his profile, you can also find a list of his posts and discussions. I would also recommend using the search for content that mentions ACDF with leg numbness. Phil talked about his stenosis as a longtime congenital condition. I miss his helpfulness in the Spine Group. We do also have some other members with spine surgery experience who are great resources.