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Four days post ACDF C4-7 surgery

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Chronic Pain
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Cocker Spaniel Mom
New Member
Joined : Jan 2021
Posts : 11
Posted 1/30/2021 7:37 AM (GMT -7)
I want to thank everyone for all the tips prior to my surgery. A few have asked me to let them know how the surgery went. I’m going to share my surgery event but please keep in mind this is what my surgery included and I am in no means implying it is normal.

My surgery was on Tuesday, Jan 26th. I went back to the operating room about 8:30 am. My husband said a nurse called about 10 to say the operation had begun. I know it was going to take time to do the X-rays, incision, and move things aside to get to the discs. My husband received another call about 1:00 pm stating the surgery was complete.
As for the surgery my surgeon said it was much more complicated than they had expected. There were a lot more bone Spurs that the mri didn’t show in addition my discs were hard as bone and had basically naturally fused themselves together. My surgeon said the surgery got a lot more serious when one of my arteries decided to roll out and say hi. Surgeon said 1 mm further and I would not have made it through the surgery. Because the artery decided to move and not go back they were unable to get some of the bone Spurs at the lower level. The surgeon did put a spacer in to give the nerve more room and there is a possibility I may need to have the bone Spurs at the lower 6/7 level removed later but that will have to be from the back because of where my artery is located.
All in all they were able to do what was needed they just had some unexpected complications.
I have not experienced any hoarseness or loss of my voice. I had two liquid meals then I was moved up to a mechanical soft diet. My throat really hasn’t been sore it more feels like I have a lump in my throat. I’m finding bread is harder to swallow than rice. Although if I take lots of sips of water and eat the bread in very small bits it goes down pretty good. I found out I do like cream of wheat especially the apple cinnamon. I’ve never had cream of wheat before. I’m staying on top of the pain. I had one instance where my nurse had another patient they were taking care of and I was in quite a bit of pain by the time they were able to get my pain medication to me. I’ve been up moving on my own since Tuesday evening. I was going to be sent home Wednesday but my surgeon wanted a ct of the artery. The ct showed a very small clot so they kept me until Thursday afternoon to consult with the vascular Neuro surgeon, add some medication and monitor my blood pressure before I could be released.
Besides the pain & nerve medication, muscle relaxer, and stool softener they’ve also put me on aspirin, blood pressure medication, and cholesterol medication. The last three being for the small blood clot since my blood pressure is usually only high when I’m in pain they are wanting to alleviate as much pressure to that artery as possible. The upside is it’s not the dominant artery and the right artery is wide open and compensating for the left artery.
I have a follow up with my primary doctor on Thursday and with the Neuro surgeon the following Tuesday.
I had a lot of issues in my left hand prior to surgery (de Quervian’s, trigger thumb, trigger finger, mild Carpal tunnel syndrome, moderate to severe arthritis at the CMC joint). Since the surgery I don’t have constant pain in my thumb but most of my thumb is numb now. I still have some catching in one of the fingers I had trigger finger but it doesn’t seem as bad. It’s going to take a while to let my nerves settle down and figure out how much the pinched nerves were affecting the issues in my left hand.

Again please keep in mind my surgery didn’t exactly go textbook. I’m not trying to scare anyone out of surgery I’m simply providing the events that occurred with mine so others can use it to ask additional questions from their doctors. I am glad I had the surgery and because of what they found when they went in surgery was definitely inevitable for me.

The best advice I can give is start with conservative measures if they don’t work and surgery is inevitable talk with your doctor, ask questions, do research and ask more questions.
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oceanfisher58
Regular Member
Joined : Aug 2017
Posts : 321
Posted 1/30/2021 11:59 AM (GMT -7)
Miss Mom,
My whole reason for posting in your thread was to let you know what might happen. I also did not want to worry anyone who may need this same surgery. You are off to a fine start. Please be aware this is a life changing surgery. I was much better initially also. As the years progressed ASD set in and well....you know how that goes. I hope you do not suffer the same fate.

Take care of yourself and please realize your new limitations. My prayers are with you. God bless
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straydog
Forum Moderator
Joined : Feb 2003
Posts : 18325
Posted 1/31/2021 7:29 AM (GMT -7)
Thank you so much for the update. Yes, not all surgeries are textbook, unknown things can happen & your dr was on top of things immediately. about the length of surgery time, reminds me of my husband's back surgery in October. His 45 minute surgery ended up being one hour & fifty minutes. In spite of having a myelogram & post mylogram CT, the surgeon said things were much worse than he anticpated. He had spurring & a lot of arthtritic tissue.

In spite of everything that took place it sounds like you are doing good. Yes, it will take a lot of time for the nerves to settle down. Nerves have to regenerate of their own.

Please keep us posted of your progress, your journey can be valuable to someone else looking for information.

Take care.
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Cocker Spaniel Mom
New Member
Joined : Jan 2021
Posts : 11
Posted 1/31/2021 8:39 AM (GMT -7)
I’m glad a recliner was suggested. I found in the hospital I needed to be almost straight up to sleep otherwise I would feel like I was choking on water or phlegm. Since I’ve been home I’ve been sleeping on the reclining couch and find the further I lay back the more I feel like my throat is swelling or I’m choking on phlegm. I suspect this may be part of the type of surgery I had but I’m going to talk with my doctor about it Thursday at my appointment. Until then I seem to sleep just fine if I just put my legs up with the recliner and keep the upper body part of the recliner in the upright position.
Last night I finally relaxed the neck brace a little bit while sleeping. Because my dogs like to sleep in my lap or next to me I’m afraid to completely take it off just yet while I sleep so last night once they were settled I loosened one side of the Velcro so I could just move the front of the brace over but could quickly get it back on. It did feel kind of good to have the brace partially off for a little bit while I slept.
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straydog
Forum Moderator
Joined : Feb 2003
Posts : 18325
Posted 2/25/2021 10:50 AM (GMT -7)
Cocker Spaniel Mom, I have been thinking about you. I hope when you get a minute you will check in & let us know how you a getting along.

Take care.
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Cocker Spaniel Mom
New Member
Joined : Jan 2021
Posts : 11
Posted 2/25/2021 2:57 PM (GMT -7)
Hi straydog! I’m doing pretty good. I’m walking 3+ miles a day now and have been doing a little cooking and laundry. Keeping it simple not cooking big meals, I’ve warmed up soup on the stove and made grilled cheese sandwiches in the air fryer and I’ve made goulash the other day and warmed up canned veggies. I’m going to make some zatarans tonight for dinner. The laundry I make multiple trips with 2-3 items at a time, it takes a while but I’m doing something. I’m letting pain be my guide if I feel a tug or pressure between my shoulders I put down what I’m doing because it’s too much.
I got my bone graft stimulator yesterday. I was expecting a collar type thing to wear a few hours a day but mine is similar to a tens unit and can be worn 24/7. It was recommended to wear as much as possible.
I’ll get an X-ray later next week and have my 6 week follow up on March 8th. I also get another CT of my artery on the 8th before my follow up appointment to check the status of the blood clot.

All in all I feel like I’m doing really good. I’ve been sleeping in my bed for a couple weeks now, I keep my brace on when I sleep because I have a tendency to toss and turn and I don’t want to do anything in my sleep to hurt my neck. I’ve been able to crochet so that has helped in keeping me busy and from going stir crazy.

I set myself back yesterday I realized last night I forgot my afternoon dose of gabapentin and robaxin so I’m feeling it today.

Left arm still feels like it’s asleep I don’t trust it to carry or pick anything of substance up. I still get pain in my thumb, not sure if it’s because of the nerve or the arthritis in my thumb and my ring finger still catches a lot again could be the trigger finger or the nerve. It’ll be hard to tell until my nerve calms down.

The glue came off my incision last week so it’s looking better. I’ve been putting neosporan on it because it’s what I had at home. My daughter in law is bringing me some Mederma Advanced cream which is for scars due to surgery.

My husband took me for a weekend away with friends last weekend. The initial 4 1/2 hour car ride was a little daunting and I definitely used my tramadol for the breakthrough pain a couple times during the weekend, but the ride back wasn’t bad and it was good to be out of the house and spend a weekend with him and friends.

I still feel like I have a lump in my throat but I can really eat anything just somethings I need an drink of water to help wash it down. Some pills are hard for me to swallow which I find frustrating because I’ve never had a problem swallowing pills before. At my 1 week follow up with primary physician I asked for tramadol instead of OxyContin and it’s worked great for me for the break through pain. I really haven’t had to take it this week except late last night because I forgot to take my gabapentin and Robaxin in the afternoon.

Because I have numbness in my left hand still and pain in my thumb I had a problem with button up shirts. I found for me pulling a big loose shirt over my head was easier than trying to button a shirt.

For women I recommend a front zip bra or size up one or two sizes for a sports bra so it’s easy to pull over. My first week or two I used a bra that was really equivalent to a training bra, no support just gave an extra layer of material. It was easy to get on and I could actually step into it or out of it on the days I hurt to much to pull it over.

The first week it was really hard to shower and really to get a good shower I needed help. The second and third week I could shower on my own if I did it every couple of days and washing the back of my hair was the most difficult. My hair is well below my waist so I found if I let the water help me pile it on top of my head I could clip it there then after I dry off I could put my neck brace on then let my hair down and comb it. If I had it to do over I think I would have had my hair cut up closer to my shoulders prior to surgery. Now I’m 4 weeks post surgery and I can shower everyday. I still feel it when I try to wash the back of my head and my back but not as bad. I can now get dressed and comb my hair then put it in a high ponytail before I put my brace back on. (It really irritates me having loose hair down in my neck brace).

I’m sure I’ll think of something else later that I wished I would’ve known before surgery. If I do I’ll try to get on here and post it.
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straydog
Forum Moderator
Joined : Feb 2003
Posts : 18325
Posted 2/28/2021 7:42 AM (GMT -7)
Cocker Spaniel Mom it sounds you are doing well & am very happy for you. You are so right about letting your body tell you when it's time to stop an activity.

I completely forgot about the front closure bras & hair length. We've had past members discuss this & some women with long hair went shorter.

I was wondering if your surgeon had discussed the bone stimulator or not. It helps especially for those with osteoporosis.

I am sure the weekend get away helped a lot. You seem to be good at keeping yourself busy with things & the walking is fantastic. As more time goes by hopefully some of the deficits will improve, anything related to he neck should. Good luck with your upcoming appts & keep us posted.
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Armygirl
New Member
Joined : Mar 2021
Posts : 3
Posted 3/1/2021 11:38 AM (GMT -7)
Hi, I am also recovering from anterior cervical fusion. This is actually my second surgery, first one didn't fuse properly. This one is actually more painful than the first. I am in a rigid C-collar until the end of March. At this point their is not a lot I can do on my own, showering is the most difficult so my husband helps me.

I walk around the house and take little walks on the block, but that's the extent of what my husband lets me do around the house.
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Cocker Spaniel Mom
New Member
Joined : Jan 2021
Posts : 11
Posted 3/1/2021 4:25 PM (GMT -7)
Oh Armygirl I can’t imagine what your going through. I wouldn’t wish this surgery on anyone once I can’t imagine having to have it a second time.

I’m glad you have someone helping you while you heal. I hope you heal quickly and it fuses this time.
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