OT - Anybody here had neck surgery?

[JeffH]

Supposed to have two bad disc taken out of my neck on Friday. Doc says 45 minute to one hour surgery and then go home.

If you have had disc removed from your neck, how was the recovery?
How was the pain?
Was it worth it?
Were you on cpap at the time and how did it affect your use of the machine?

Thanks


JeffH

[Mce]

HI, I have not had any discs removed, or fused or anything that drastic (yet, and hopefully, I won't have to,) however, I do have bulging discs in my neck, and regularly use a cervical traction machine (UGH, not fun at all.) I have, however, had a number of RFA (radio frequency ablation - they use tiny electrodes to burn sensory nerves away) procedures done on my neck and I'll tell you the recovery from that on the cervical spine is very unpleasant, far worse than the RFAs I have had done on my upper and lower thoracic spine. I was not yet aware of the apnea, or I should say I was still in denial at the time, a good cervical support pillow helped alot, but they tend to mess with the mask alot if you're not a back sleeper. That is the reason I just got the "double edge" pillow https://www.cpap.com/productpage/papill ... illow.html which arrived on Friday. It keeps me from having to twist my neck into weird positions to avoid mask interference. It is actually quite comfortable even with my neck issues, and you may want to consider getting one, unless you NEED the cervical support pillow post-op. Since I got my software and card reader at the same time as the pillow, I cannot say how it has effected the recorded data as related to a normal pillow, but I can say that the last two night's sleep has been better (way less leaks and having to fidget the mask around during the night) and the charts in the reports for the last two nights have been pretty encouraging

As far as the RFAs go, yes it has been worth it, even though they need to be repeated periodically due to re-innervation of the facet joint median nerves. Also, I don't know if you already have one, but a TENS unit may help alot with the pain as well, although don't put the electrodes on the front and back of your neck (that can be dangerous.) Also, you may want to set it to the "noxious TENS" settings for an hour or two before sleep as that setting causes your body to release endorphins which allow for the TENS relief to last for a few hours after turning it off. Otherwise if you sleep with it on "Pain Gating" mode and sleep with it on, be sure to tape the wires down good so you don't strangle yourself during sleep. Also on the "noxious TENS" settings you can get maximum endorphin release by placing the electrodes on your wrists. If you don't already have one you may want to inquire as to whether they might be able to supply you with one on the day of the surgery or prior, they are very helpful. Personally, I have found that while sleeping though, it is best to put it on a non-modulating setting to avoid any arousals due to the fluctuating voltage/current.

Here are a couple of good links on TENS therapy and electrode placement that I've found to be helpful:
http://www.ezistim.com/blog/2008/02/21/ ... eves-pain/
http://www.painclinic.org/treatment-tens.htm

I know my situation is different than yours, but I hope that this information is helpful nonetheless.

Good luck on your procedure!

[JeffH]

Thanks. I don't know all the terminology you just used but I can't use a Tens unit. I have a pacemaker.

[so much noise]

Yes I have, all will go well IF you follow the doctors instructions. I had a fracture of C6, doctor took out a piece of my pelvic bone to fill in the space and then attached a plate with screws to C5-C6-C7. Doctor induced pain was limited to pelvic bone, that HURT for a couple weeks, throat was sore due to being tied off to the side during the procedure, jell-o, pudding and ice cream for a few days until the soreness went away. Self induced pain lasted well over 2 years and within 4 years started getting better and a couple more and all was well. I work construction so the work is hard and heavy, that was my choice to go back to quickly, work or starve.
If doctor tells you not to lift more than 5 pounds, DON'T, period! The biceps of your arms are directly related to the neck, take it slow and steady, your neck will tell you when you did to much.
It has been 14 years since my operation and all is well and good, I would not wish my mistakes on anybody, unless you like migrane headaches that last 2 weeks at a shot, for months on end and that is just the beginning.
Have a strong mental attitude about the process and let us know how you are doing, good luck!

Bud

[JeffH]

Yes I have, all will go well IF you follow the doctors instructions. I had a fracture of C6, doctor took out a piece of my pelvic bone to fill in the space and then attached a plate with screws to C5-C6-C7. Doctor induced pain was limited to pelvic bone, that HURT for a couple weeks, throat was sore due to being tied off to the side during the procedure, jell-o, pudding and ice cream for a few days until the soreness went away. Self induced pain lasted well over 2 years and within 4 years started getting better and a couple more and all was well. I work construction so the work is hard and heavy, that was my choice to go back to quickly, work or starve.
If doctor tells you not to lift more than 5 pounds, DON'T, period! The biceps of your arms are directly related to the neck, take it slow and steady, your neck will tell you when you did to much.
It has been 14 years since my operation and all is well and good, I would not wish my mistakes on anybody, unless you like migrane headaches that last 2 weeks at a shot, for months on end and that is just the beginning.
Have a strong mental attitude about the process and let us know how you are doing, good luck!

Bud

Thanks Bud, I can relate. I worked construction also. Don't now, thank God. I know how to follow instructions from screwing up on my septoplasty. He said he is going to put in a couple of "spacers". Bone was never mentioned. I'm going to call tomorrow to clear up a couple of things.

[yardbird]

I have C4-C5 fused. They harvested a piece of bone from my hip to fuse the cervical vertebrae. They told me I'd be in a neck brace of one kind or another for 8 weeks. I was completely brace free after 6 weeks. You get a hard brace first, then you graduate to a collar (like a whiplash collar). It was a little sore, but we're talking VERY minor. My hip was more sore than my neck, that's for sure. Almost no pain in the neck.... really kind of a breeze. It sounds like it should be painful but the pain RELIEF was so amazing (my disc ruptured the night before surgery and I was paralyzed on my left side for a few hours. They were removing the exploded disk in pieces)

I actually got 2 hard braces. One was the normal padded plastic, 2 piece (front shell and back shell). The other was made of neoprene so once I got the stitches out, I could remove the plastic one, put on the neoprene one and SHOWER! (that was awesome). Changed braces VERY carefully for the first week or so, then got a bit more casual. Change brace involved:
remove front half of shell
replace with front half of OTHER shell to stay aligned and supported
remove back half of first shell
replace with back half of second shell

The first 2 weeks one of my kids would stand behind me and hold the back half of the brace against the back of my neck while I shaved.

Some evenings I would sit in my recliner, take of the front half of the brace off and watch TV. My wife would set me up with pillows on either side and the back half of the shell for support and alignment. Felt good to get the front half off for a while. Also good to get settled in like this so she could wash and dry the padding in the main brace.

I do remember it took a couple tries to find a comfortable way to sleep in the brace. Like it wanted to "ride up" but not a huge deal and I figured it out pretty quick.

I've had septoplasty as well. The neck surgery was MUCH easier. I'd do the neck surgery again. The septoplasty.... no thanks. Just remove my nose. Probably easier.

Anyways, good luck with your surgery. I actually ended up with MORE range of motion AFTER the fusion, than I have before it was done.

[JeffH]

Thanks yardbird.

My Doc is fairly young and a neurosurgeon and I think he does everything the micro surgery way.

Septoplasty was pretty easy for me....except when I got those nose bleeds ten days after the surgery.

[gulfpearl]

I had C6-C7 cercival fusion done about a year ago. They harvested the bone from my iliac crest. The surgery lasted 5 hours,surgeon said there was so little space that it took that long. Iwas hospitalized for 6 days after the surgery due to collapse of my right lung after surgery. I used my cpap and it did not bother my neck incision in any way. they refused to give me narcotics after surgery so the only pain relief I got was IV tylenol. The neck pain after surgery was miminual but the hip pain where the bone was harvested lasted for 5 months after surgery. I had to use a cane to walk for about a month. The plan going into surgery was just to use a titanium implant but due to poor visualation it could not be preformed safely. If they were able to do the titanium implant my hospital stay would have been 1 day or even going home the same day. I am glad I had the surgery all of my neck pain has been resolved. I do still have slight weakness in my left arm due to nerve damage.

[JeffH]

Just called the Doc's office and they don't use neck braces after this surgery. Yea! I was in a car wreck one time and they tried to put one on me in the ambulance and I couldn't handle it. Feeling better about things now.

Also asked about bringing my cpap machine. They said yes, bring it. This was the Doc that had several signs up in his office about screening for OSA.

JeffH

[whatrdreamsmadeof]

Hi Jeff, I had a cervical spine corepectomy of the c5,c6,c7, in 2000, it was the best thing I ever did. I was in pain for 2 years before the surgery in my left arm and hand. The four hour surgery, with bone graft from my pelvis took seven hours due to tiny spinal bones, screws and plates to secure as usual. That said I had absolutely NO PAIN except for the pelvic harvest sight it ached for a few weeks. Make no mistake the recouperation period is the MOST important part of a successful outcome. I wore a SOMI BRACE which is a metal brace from my chin to my navel for four months then a nothing. Two days in the hospital 1 in the ICU, 1 in a private room. This idea of no brace or a soft brace in my humble opnion is totally foolish, this is SPINAL SURGERY no need to say anymore. A good friend of mine thought my doctor who is a pediatric neurosurgeon was crazy opted for a neuro who said all she needed was a soft brace and she is now in a wheel chair for life! Be smart, do your research, I wish you luck and good sense.
Ellen

[JeffH]

Hi Jeff, I had a cervical spine corepectomy of the c5,c6,c7, in 2000, it was the best thing I ever did. I was in pain for 2 years before the surgery in my left arm and hand. The four hour surgery, with bone graft from my pelvis took seven hours due to tiny spinal bones, screws and plates to secure as usual. That said I had absolutely NO PAIN except for the pelvic harvest sight it ached for a few weeks. Make no mistake the recouperation period is the MOST important part of a successful outcome. I wore a SOMI BRACE which is a metal brace from my chin to my navel for four months then a nothing. Two days in the hospital 1 in the ICU, 1 in a private room. This idea of no brace or a soft brace in my humble opnion is totally foolish, this is SPINAL SURGERY no need to say anymore. A good friend of mine thought my doctor who is a pediatric neurosurgeon was crazy opted for a neuro who said all she needed was a soft brace and she is now in a wheel chair for life! Be smart, do your research, I wish you luck and good sense.
Ellen

Ellen, it is nine years later and I'm sure things have changed in this field. My Doc is a graduate of the UCLA Medical School. Don't ask me how he ended up in Oklahoma, but he did. What his nurse told me is he doesn't like to use neck braces because it makes the neck muscles weak. I'm more likely to go thru with this because he doesn't. I can't stand anything around my neck like that.

[JeffH]

Just found this. Sounds like this is what I'm getting.

PRESTIGE® Cervical Disc: Cervical Artificial Disc Replacement
Rick C. Sasso, MD
Orthopaedic Surgeon
Indiana Spine Group
Indianapolis, IN
The intervertebral disc of the cervical spine is critical for normal motion and function of the neck. Degenerative changes of the disc may cause a desiccated piece of the disc to extrude through a tear in the back of the disc and compress a nerve root. Also, a focal bone spur formed through the degenerative process may compress a nerve. If non-operative treatment does not result in relief of neck and arm pain from the compressed nerve, surgical decompression is indicated.

Standard Surgical Procedure

The standard surgical procedure approaches the cervical disc from the front with removal of the entire worn-out disc and elimination of the compression on the nerve. A fusion is usually then performed to stabilize the motion segment. A bone graft is placed between the vertebral bodies where the degenerated disc was removed.

This is a highly successful operation, however, limitations exist because of the fusion procedure. An increased incidence of degeneration of the disc above and below the fusion occurs due to the increased forces on the adjacent motion segment. Bone graft is required either from the patient's own iliac crest, or from cadaver bone. And finally, immobilization is required postoperatively with a cervical collar, an internal plate and screws, or both.

Cervical Artificial Disc Replacement

A cervical artificial disc replacement is a device that is placed into the intervertebral disc space instead of a bone graft after the disc is removed with the goal of retaining as much normal motion as possible while keeping the motion segment stable. The theoretical advantages are to reduce the incidence of adjacent segment degeneration while maintaining normal neck motion, the elimination of bone graft donor site complications and possible disease transmission from donor bone graft, and early neck motion without bracing requirements.

There are presently two artificial cervical disc replacement devices that are undergoing FDA approval study in the United States: the Bryan disc and the PRESTIGE® Cervical Disc.


The PRESTIGE® Cervical Disc is a metal-on-metal design (stainless steel) that has undergone a long history of evolution. The original stainless steel artificial cervical disc was the United Kingdom (UK)Cummins design implanted in the early 1990's. This was a ball and socket articulation. The Bristol disc evolved from this design with a ball and trough articulation in order to allow physiologic translation of the motion segment.



The Bristol disc has undergone extensive testing in the UK with positive two-year follow-up showing continued satisfactory motion on flexion-extension x-rays (Figures 3 and 4):



PRESTIGE® Cervical Disc

The PRESTIGE® Cervical Disc is a minor modification of the Bristol metal-on-metal design with a sleeker profile and instrumentation that allows easier and more reliable implantation. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prospective, randomized trial will be getting underway very soon. Patients with a herniated cervical disc causing a radiculopathy that does not improve with nonoperative treatment will be randomized to either the PRESTIGE® Cervical Disc or the standard fusion procedure with allograft bone and an anterior cervical plate. The results of this trial will be used by the FDA to determine if widespread release is allowed. This will likely take one to two years.

Update: The PRESTIGE® Cervical Disc was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration July 16, 2007.

Here's the link if you want to see the pics of this thing.

http://www.spineuniverse.com/displayart ... e1078.html

[whatrdreamsmadeof]

Looks interesting, whatever you decided, I wish you the best. You may want to do alot of homework, spine health.com offers lots of information on various techniques, not just ones on their products. Yes, nine years have past since my surgery, that said, my Neuro Surgeon is one of the top 10 on the east coast, studied in Germany and the U.S. and keeps abreast of the newest and most successful treatments as well as post op care. I know this because I am about to have a lumbar fusion this summer. Very extensive invasive and unwanted unfortunately necessary now. PT takes care of weakened muscles, poor healing, can bring devistating results, not to mention what donor bone can do to ones health. Good Luck and Best Wishes

[JeffH]

Looks interesting, whatever you decided, I wish you the best. You may want to do alot of homework, spine health.com offers lots of information on various techniques, not just ones on their products. Yes, nine years have past since my surgery, that said, my Neuro Surgeon is one of the top 10 on the east coast, studied in Germany and the U.S. and keeps abreast of the newest and most successful treatments as well as post op care. I know this because I am about to have a lumbar fusion this summer. Very extensive invasive and unwanted unfortunately necessary now. PT takes care of weakened muscles, poor healing, can bring devistating results, not to mention what donor bone can do to ones health. Good Luck and Best Wishes

Then you saw that this process has been used in Europe for years and there is no donor bone involved.

And I checked out the site you recommended (thanks) and they speak of this also.

http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/a ... eplacement

Again, no neck brace needed...

[gulfpearl]

After my surgery I only wore a soft brace when travalling in a car. Doc said it was not necessary because it weakens the neck muscles, but offers extra security in case an accident would occur.