My Prolapsed Disc & Surgery (ADSF) on Cervical Spine (Neck) Experience

[C6C7]

I am a 34 year old male and I have recently had a spinal fusion (ADSF) between C6 & C7, seven weeks ago. It began in Junme/July 06 with pins and needles down my right arm and a sharp pain in my neck at top of shoulder. At the time I had a stiff neck, most probably developed from sitting for too long on a computer.

The GP diagnosed me with a stiff neck and sent me to a physio. I had 7-8 sessions with the phsyio., and as my sessions went on, my pain progressively got worse. I ended physio. late September. I developed pins and needles which developed into a dull, sharp, pain down the back of my legs, arms and back which would make my legs feel stiff and sore, particularly after driving or sitting. I also had small losses of feeling / sensation and numbness in some finger tips and my hands. Handling change, flicking through a newspaper, holding soap or doing up shirt buttons was sometimes a little difficult with loss of sensation. Equally, I felt like I was losing strength and some control with my feet when walking, particularly after a walk up one flight of stairs I felt loss of sensation from half way down my legs to my feet, sometimes it would feel like I were moving but could not feel contact/pressure with my feet on the ground. The pain down back of legs and loss of feeling in hands & feet waxed and waned. However, for most of the time, I felt off balance, fuzzy and felt a small pressure in the back of my scull which felt like a result of nerve or a fluid problem. Occasionally my face would feel numb and I would feel loss of sensation in my face - this was prevalent when eating as my jaw felt weaker. I also, noticed 'stage fright' when going to the toilet was progressively taking longer. It is difficult to describe the symptoms overall, however they generally were a dull pain and numb feeling.

Over time, I got used to these symptoms, and were able to gauge the symptoms I would have over a day, depending on the initial pain/feeling I developed in the morning and changed my life to suit. A typical work day for me would see me awake with no pain, I drove an hour to work and would have stiff legs, this and feeling off balance would continue and progressively get worse as the day went on, it subsided at night. On weekends, this pain would subside as I wasn't at the computer all day nor driving, however it would come on if I drove.

After another visit to my GP in late September I had an X-Ray which showed some compression of my verterbrae (distance between 2 verterbrae was smaller). It was thought this was the cause and assumed the disk was prolapsed. I was told to rest and take it easy and hopefully it would go settle down and go away. I took a week off work in an effort to help it settle. Between October to mid November the pain had progressively got worse. Mid to late November I visited the GP again who sent me for a MRI. It was then discovered the disc was prolapsed at C6/C7 – impinging 5mm on my spinal cord. I was again told to rest and take it easy and hopefully it would go settle down and go away. I were given 3 options rest and it may go away, cortisone injection, or as a last resort surgery to remove the disc and fuse the spine between C6 & C7.

Seeking another opinion I visited another GP who said a similar thing. I was referred to a sports medicine doctor by a friend and saw him mid December, who raised with me my condition was quite serious, he had wanted to inject cortisone into the disc which I declined and referred me to a Neurosurgeon at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne.

As I were not a private patient I had a 6 month wait until June 2007. During this time I had 5 weeks off work over Christmas. Between this time to June I felt my condition had improved, as the symptoms I were having, whilst still there, had reduced in pain/feeling.

Throughout this entire time I continued a 9-10 hour day on the computer and working again on the computer at home – SILLY! If I had have known then what I know now!

Late June, I saw the Neurosurgeon who viewed my X-Rays and MRI's, checked my reflexes, diagnosed my condition, and recommended I needed the surgery, stating I had no choice as I were risking para or quadraplegia due to not only the spinal cord being impinged, but equally the nerve roots between C6 & C7 also extend down my arms. He also told me prolapsed discs were common and they do 2-3 ADSF's a week – I was told I was Category 2 and placed on the waiting list for surgery. Concerned afterward, I requested an MRI as my condition had changed (lessened in feeling) over the 6 month wait to see the Neurosurgeon, and equally my previous MRI was 6-7 months old. I was given another MRI and upon comparison (to this day I have not seen the second MRI) was told my condition had gotten worse. I was moved to Category 1 and asked if I could have surgery either within 2 days or early in the following week. Whilst I had reservations and doubts, I had the surgery 2 days after the second appointment with a Neurosurgeon late July.

The operation was a complete success according to the surgeon, who expects a full recovery. There were no problems and I were told it would take 4-6 weeks to recover from the operation itself, and the bone to graaft aftere 6 weeks, but could possibly take 6-12months to completely grow. I were told the most of the problems would go almost immediately and as I had the compression for a good 12 months it could take up to 6 months for the symptoms to go completely.

I was in hospital for 4 days, and then rested at home for 5 weeks. I took medication for pain relief for 2 weeks and stopped as I felt I did not have a need for it. Aside from feeling tentative to move my neck, I have not felt stiff or sore in my neck, it has been a complete surprise not have pain in my neck after the operation. However, I did have some discomfort in my throat which disappeared after a day. I have not worn a brace and have a 6-8cm cut along my throat which will heal over time. Walking after the operation was a welcome relief and a moment I won't forget.

I stayed at home for 5 weeks to recover, but honestly felt fine after the second week. As far as symptoms go, I felt 80% after the operation, my major symptoms had all but disappeared, which today (7 weeks after operation) I would describe I feel 90%. I still have some symptoms such as slight tingling down back of legs, some diziness/off balance, the fluid/nerve feeling at back of scull (which i'm sure is related to diziness) and a couple of other odd problems such as occasional muscle spasm between thumb and forefinger – all of which again seem to come on as the day progresses, easing at night and very slight symptoms on weekends. Over this time my neck seems to crunch/click differenetly where the operation was, it feels like the ceramic insert is grating against the bone ocassionally, also the bone crunches a little which I assume is the regrown bone rebreaking as I move - however this is not a concern and with time will graft over.

Whilst still a little concerned, overall these symptoms are nothing to what I was feeling and hopefully with time they will disappear. I have been told my spinal structure gives me a perpensity to have these problems again, so it is now a matter of managing this for the rest of my life – being physical, managing posture, neck muscles exercises and so on will all help. I am yet to haave my follow up appointment with the surgeons, this will bee in another 2 weeks (8.5 weeks after the operation).

I cannot describe the admiration, adulation and complete appreciation I have for the Neurosurgeons whom operated on me, I cannot thank them enough and I am indebted to them for the rest of life, they have done a wonderful job.

If you can relate to this or have a similar problem, I urge you to get to the bottom of it - seek specialist advice and have the operation, rather than experiencing the symptoms you are haavingg and risking the worst – which is a 'real' threat!

I now feel like a normal person again and this has had a tremendous impact on my life – I hope this helps anyone going through what I and many others have gone through.

[C6C7]

I apologise to readers as I have my abbreviations wrong.

I had the surgery 'Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) NOT ADSF as described in the title 'My Prolapsed Disc & Surgery (ADSF) on Cervical Spine (Neck) Experience' of the previous post.

[james123]

hi i went thought the same thing for me its for weeks after the surgery.

what i would real like to know is there any limitations on the type of work i can do from now on , always been a factory work

[veronicaw]

My recent bout of having a prolapsed disk has changed my life. Not only have I become more frustrated and impatient due to lack of sleep, there is an upside however - the housework is done late at night, which makes my flat mates extremely happy!

I have a prolapsed disk at the C7 veterbrae. The pain I experience is nothing I would wish on my worst enemy - a constant searing pain down my left arm to my fingers and centre of my back makes it uncomfortable for me to lie down to sleep, work on a computer, sit in my car. The most that I can sleep is two hours tops, before I wake up to the same pain down my arm. So I get up, walk around for 1 to 2 hours, cleaning up the house before I am so tired and my eyes so drowsy that I literally fall asleep. However another two hours later, the same happens again. I recall one time I even tried to sleep standing up!!

I find by keeping mobile during the day helps aleviate the pain. However this relief is short lived by my lack of sleep and medication which has the trouble of making me dizzy and at times nauseaus. So driving my car becomes a little unsafe. Being a passenger is most uncomfortable for me with pain moving across my back and neck and down my left arm.

It has been almost 8 weeks now, not long I know, but enough for me to know that the concept of living on medication for the rest of my life is not a favoured one. I have been off work for 3 weeks as I work on at a computer in a correctional centre, so holding my arm to my side or holding it above my head for the day, can in a sense become a security issue.

My neurosurgeon has stated the 3 options - cope with it and hope that it goes away, a cortisone injection or surgery - anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. Now the third option seems extremely invasive and risky, as he describes going from the front of the neck - however any life long relief is a welcome option at this stage. The problem is, I have degeneration from c2 to c6, so I am expecting more to happen in the coming years.

So, surgery is my option. Another problem - I have no private health cover so I am presently waiting through the public health system. Once I mentioned the option of going through the public health system with my neurosurgeon, well it appeared his staff weren't so helpful - but the fact is I dont exactly have $23,000 lying around in my cupboard draw. So I rang Royal Brisbane Hospital, and the receptionist there was extremely helpful. I know it is still going to cost me something, but trust me, I will be asking the neurosurgeon there as many questions about his experience and the procedure before I hop on the surgery table.

So in the meantime, I'm off work for an unknown period, so the house stays clean till then! But the pain lingers on. Im hoping I have a job to go back to after recovering from surgery.

[John E]

Came on to see if anyone else has had the same symptoms and prognosis and yes those that I have read here are or were worse than my complaint. I am a male 64 very fit and run a plumbing service for Local Councils here in London UK. I have always thought of my self as a tenacious worker able to be key man with the other four I employ. If any one ever told me that whiplash could do what has happened to me and the sleepless nights, the pain, when I have woke up to wander the house with sering pain in my case the left arm, neck and head I would not have believed them. A bit of whiplash, that gets better doesn't it?
Well I looked up whiplash on the net and the sort of advice given, was as far as I could find was that certain ligaments are stretched and bits of soft tissue gets bruised and that goes away after a short while but takes longer in some cases. However the interesting point was the words whiplash and prolapsed disc did not show up at all in the same advice.

So I put in prolapsed disc and found this site and others who all say the same sort of thing which has confused me a little, though I shouldn't be but then when you have one surgeon say you have a left hand prolapse disc which is pressing on the root and another surgeon looking at the same MRI say I am OK and I should live with the symptoms, I am left high and dry. Having read the postings here I hope that I can ask for your advice as some of you have gone through it and come out well.

Just a little back ground I was involved in a three vehicle pileup when a speeding car hit another and literally took off and I can tell you I saw it come at my van in slow motion which is of course a trick of the mind she was going like a bat out of hell when it hit me sideways from my right. this had the effect of whiplash sideways and me hitting my head on the door post and my body coming up and being forced in to the door bending my neck like a banana. Now I have read how others have had this come on by sitting at a computer and another a hard working factory worker all started with pins and needles which progressively got worse. Now with me as you see it is different the prolapse which I can see for my self in a copy of the MRI scan shows c6/c7 and the one above it slightly distressed but the worst one seems to have a lump like a small pea sticking in to the spinal cord, don't think it is anything like 5mm no way for me to be certain but possibly 3 mm or a little less. As far as I can tell it does not affect anything other than the left arm. Strangely immediately after the accident which literally moved my VW transporter from one lane to another, sideways I came out of it with the back bones all hurting the neck the same and slightly concussed as I had just hit my head hard on my right hand side. I was euphoric would you believe it must have been the adrenalin racing through me and then the pain sort of dimmed and I was astounded to see how bad the other vehicles were, yet every one got out alive. Being a bit of a pragmatist refused to go to the hospital as what ever pain there was would heal up, or so I thought, It was clear I had hurt my neck and though the headache from hitting my head was the most annoying for a day or two and a stiff neck what happened then follows much of what has already been written by the writers here. I went to a physio and he asked me to hold on the the thing you lay on and he carefully pulled my head and moved it left and right to stretch the bones apart and thoughtfully suggested exercises that seemed to help. Then it hit me I woke up in the middle of the night some four days after the accident with a raging pain in the left arm neck and head that defies easy description. Something had been aggravated by the way my head was while I was asleep. I understood that the area had become inflamed due to compression of the root nerve area and the swelling was together with the fact the distance between the two discs were now closer as a bit of disc had been forced out. It took one week of ice compress to reduce the inflammation and another week for it to die down to an almost barrable situation. There was nothing to see regarding the swelling it must have been very localized. The physio suggested I see my doctor who immediately sent me for an e-ray, no broken bones and they seemed aligned but then sent me to a surgeon who requested an MRI though a top hand surgeon he is not one for dealing with necks and wrote a report saying there was a left hand prolapsed disc which was causing the problems in the left arm. He suggested waiting two years, If I could bare it as he said most of them settle down. Or it would be an operation, he did not suggest a quaterzone injection. After two years where truly it had settled down significantly I thought I was getting better, though there were flair ups in that time. In the first 6 to 12 months it was like having a sack of sand on the back of your neck the eyes hurt and the arm at times felt heavy concentration was at times very low. On a good day I can still feel my little finger with slight pins and needles. My job involves working with a machine that has a hundred foot spring cable which we put through pipes from the top of a building to the bottom, this weighs over 100lbs if I should pull on it a bit of a time and put it slowly in to a revolving drum it takes a lot of constant strength to achieve that. Aggravating the neck simply brings on the symptoms and it can be hell at night and it can last for days. If I do not aggravate the neck the headaches are manageable and so is the effect to the arm and it seems just as strong as the other one if tested. That's on a good day. I didn't like the idea of having a piece of bone cut from my hip and someone cutting a hole in to my throat and messing with what is a very delicate area. Especially as you may have heard over here in England people are still picking up bugs in the wards C dif or MRSA all nasty stuff so if the surgeon doesn't put you in a Superman wheel chair the bugs might get you. But then when you wake up in the middle of the night you wished you could get in your car and go straight to a hospital and get them to do the operation right there and then. I think you all know what I mean. Now comes the difficult bit. I was examined by a neck surgeon and he told me off politely for having a copy of the MRI disc as he said it causes more problems than anything. Then after taking off my shirt touched my neck a little told me to look left and right then asked me to close my thumb and first finger in to a circle which he did the same and we pulled. AS I said it was a good day and I didn't wish to try to fool the surgeon and explained that I had learnt to not aggravate the neck but still felt sensations to some degree. His report stated that an operation might make it worse or not make it any better and though he didn't put it this way I think he was saying don't take a chance, you seem fine. So did not recommend any corrective surgery.
This all started August 2005 and its now January 2009, clearly I am not as bad as in the first 12 to 24 months but was still woken up last week which took four days to settle.
Since the accident I have been relegated to the office where I sit at the computer generating reports the men bring in on works we have carried out. My experience is badly missed and I have constant calls that something cant be done and all I want to do is go out and show them. In my firm there is no such thing as can not. But with a prolapsed disc at times you Just don't care.
I had got used to the idea that I would need to undergo an operation following the original MRI and a report from the first surgeon then went to the second on to be told your OK go home. I should say that the surgeons are paid for by my insurance company which they will be reimbursed by the other driver who has admitted liability. So an operation could be carried out fairly fast if it were agreed. Otherwise if I have to wait for the National Health Service we have it could take some time waiting. otherwise paying for it could be in tens of thousands, they are not cheap over here.

I sent a picture of the MRI spine area at c6/c7 to my representative and said you have eyes was the first surgeon right or not that there is a prolapse. I'm wondering if I am caught up with the politics of who pays what rather than what is needed. The neck surgeon whilst mentioning the report and in two places reporting word for word what the previous surgeon had said regarding the prolapse the neck surgeon did not bring it up at all and seems to have treated the matter as a whiplash case though strangely he agrees there is pain in the neck.

I'm seriously thinking of coming over to Oz as your hospitals are clean and your surgeons seem to be matter of fact ad get the job done. Or what advice is there, what would you do?????????????

Regards John
www.drsco.com
This what I would be normally doing
rather than office work.

[John E]

Came on to see if anyone else has had the same symptoms and prognosis and yes those that I have read here are or were worse than my complaint. I am a male 64 very fit and run a plumbing service for Local Councils here in London UK. I have always thought of my self as a tenacious worker able to be key man with the other four I employ. If any one ever told me that whiplash could do what has happened to me and the sleepless nights, the pain, when I have woke up to wander the house with sering pain in my case the left arm, neck and head I would not have believed them. A bit of whiplash, that gets better doesn't it?
Well I looked up whiplash on the net and the sort of advice given, was as far as I could find was that certain ligaments are stretched and bits of soft tissue gets bruised and that goes away after a short while but takes longer in some cases. However the interesting point was the words whiplash and prolapsed disc did not show up at all in the same advice.

So I put in prolapsed disc and found this site and others who all say the same sort of thing which has confused me a little, though I shouldn't be but then when you have one surgeon say you have a left hand prolapse disc which is pressing on the root and another surgeon looking at the same MRI say I am OK and I should live with the symptoms, I am left high and dry. Having read the postings here I hope that I can ask for your advice as some of you have gone through it and come out well.

Just a little back ground I was involved in a three vehicle pileup when a speeding car hit another and literally took off and I can tell you I saw it come at my van in slow motion which is of course a trick of the mind she was going like a bat out of hell when it hit me sideways from my right. this had the effect of whiplash sideways and me hitting my head on the door post and my body coming up and being forced in to the door bending my neck like a banana. Now I have read how others have had this come on by sitting at a computer and another a hard working factory worker all started with pins and needles which progressively got worse. Now with me as you see it is different the prolapse which I can see for my self in a copy of the MRI scan shows c6/c7 and the one above it slightly distressed but the worst one seems to have a lump like a small pea sticking in to the spinal cord, don't think it is anything like 5mm no way for me to be certain but possibly 3 mm or a little less. As far as I can tell it does not affect anything other than the left arm. Strangely immediately after the accident which literally moved my VW transporter from one lane to another, sideways I came out of it with the back bones all hurting the neck the same and slightly concussed as I had just hit my head hard on my right hand side. I was euphoric would you believe it must have been the adrenalin racing through me and then the pain sort of dimmed and I was astounded to see how bad the other vehicles were, yet every one got out alive. Being a bit of a pragmatist refused to go to the hospital as what ever pain there was would heal up, or so I thought, It was clear I had hurt my neck and though the headache from hitting my head was the most annoying for a day or two and a stiff neck what happened then follows much of what has already been written by the writers here. I went to a physio and he asked me to hold on the the thing you lay on and he carefully pulled my head and moved it left and right to stretch the bones apart and thoughtfully suggested exercises that seemed to help. Then it hit me I woke up in the middle of the night some four days after the accident with a raging pain in the left arm neck and head that defies easy description. Something had been aggravated by the way my head was while I was asleep. I understood that the area had become inflamed due to compression of the root nerve area and the swelling was together with the fact the distance between the two discs were now closer as a bit of disc had been forced out. It took one week of ice compress to reduce the inflammation and another week for it to die down to an almost barrable situation. There was nothing to see regarding the swelling it must have been very localized. The physio suggested I see my doctor who immediately sent me for an e-ray, no broken bones and they seemed aligned but then sent me to a surgeon who requested an MRI though a top hand surgeon he is not one for dealing with necks and wrote a report saying there was a left hand prolapsed disc which was causing the problems in the left arm. He suggested waiting two years, If I could bare it as he said most of them settle down. Or it would be an operation, he did not suggest a quaterzone injection. After two years where truly it had settled down significantly I thought I was getting better, though there were flair ups in that time. In the first 6 to 12 months it was like having a sack of sand on the back of your neck the eyes hurt and the arm at times felt heavy concentration was at times very low. On a good day I can still feel my little finger with slight pins and needles. My job involves working with a machine that has a hundred foot spring cable which we put through pipes from the top of a building to the bottom, this weighs over 100lbs if I should pull on it a bit of a time and put it slowly in to a revolving drum it takes a lot of constant strength to achieve that. Aggravating the neck simply brings on the symptoms and it can be hell at night and it can last for days. If I do not aggravate the neck the headaches are manageable and so is the effect to the arm and it seems just as strong as the other one if tested. That's on a good day. I didn't like the idea of having a piece of bone cut from my hip and someone cutting a hole in to my throat and messing with what is a very delicate area. Especially as you may have heard over here in England people are still picking up bugs in the wards C dif or MRSA all nasty stuff so if the surgeon doesn't put you in a Superman wheel chair the bugs might get you. But then when you wake up in the middle of the night you wished you could get in your car and go straight to a hospital and get them to do the operation right there and then. I think you all know what I mean. Now comes the difficult bit. I was examined by a neck surgeon and he told me off politely for having a copy of the MRI disc as he said it causes more problems than anything. Then after taking off my shirt touched my neck a little told me to look left and right then asked me to close my thumb and first finger in to a circle which he did the same and we pulled. AS I said it was a good day and I didn't wish to try to fool the surgeon and explained that I had learnt to not aggravate the neck but still felt sensations to some degree. His report stated that an operation might make it worse or not make it any better and though he didn't put it this way I think he was saying don't take a chance, you seem fine. So did not recommend any corrective surgery.
This all started August 2005 and its now January 2009, clearly I am not as bad as in the first 12 to 24 months but was still woken up last week which took four days to settle.
Since the accident I have been relegated to the office where I sit at the computer generating reports the men bring in on works we have carried out. My experience is badly missed and I have constant calls that something cant be done and all I want to do is go out and show them. In my firm there is no such thing as can not. But with a prolapsed disc at times you Just don't care.
I had got used to the idea that I would need to undergo an operation following the original MRI and a report from the first surgeon then went to the second on to be told your OK go home. I should say that the surgeons are paid for by my insurance company which they will be reimbursed by the other driver who has admitted liability. So an operation could be carried out fairly fast if it were agreed. Otherwise if I have to wait for the National Health Service we have it could take some time waiting. otherwise paying for it could be in tens of thousands, they are not cheap over here.

I sent a picture of the MRI spine area at c6/c7 to my representative and said you have eyes was the first surgeon right or not that there is a prolapse. I'm wondering if I am caught up with the politics of who pays what rather than what is needed. The neck surgeon whilst mentioning the report and in two places reporting word for word what the previous surgeon had said regarding the prolapse the neck surgeon did not bring it up at all and seems to have treated the matter as a whiplash case though strangely he agrees there is pain in the neck.

I'm seriously thinking of coming over to Oz as your hospitals are clean and your surgeons seem to be matter of fact ad get the job done. Or what advice is there, what would you do?????????????

Regards John
www.drsco.com
This what I would be normally doing
rather than office work.

[LeahBrahms]

I know what everyone is going through as I am now waiting for my 5th lot of surgery on my neck.
I am a 50 year old lady with osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, degenerative disc disease, loose joints due to a hereditary lack of collagen and I have just revisited my spinal surgeon with symptoms that I thought I would never experience again.

I have had two cervical spinal fusions, the first one with bone grafts and plate in 1998 to C5-6 & C6-7, the second in 2004 to C4-5 with cage screw and the removal of the plate that was inserted in the first operation. In 1999 and 2001 I have had C5-6 & C6-7 foraminotomies to remove scar tissue build up. I had a L5-S1 laminectomy done in 2002 and lumbar facet joint injections in 2005.

Now the news is bad. C6-7 fusion is breaking down and now I have bone rubbing on bone and to top it off my lumbar spine has become unstable. I need two operations, one to refuse C6-7 and one to fuse L5-S1. Physiotherapy has never helped me due to the loose joints and I hope I can get the result I did with the first lot of operations.

The waiting time for my hospital is one year, if I last that long.:(
Being unable to take any pain relief due to previous dependency I get frustrated with the bureaucrats at how long I have to wait for surgery that will relieve the pain that I am suffering.

Does anyone know of any pain relief that is non-addictive/dependant that could relief some of the pain?

[usp]

Hi
Electro-aupuncture is extremely effective in pain relief. It also cures lots of things.

It releived pain and cured my inflamation in right shoulder that was cause by formation of protien cells in the joint (CT scan results). Three 15-minutes sessions over 4 day period fixed it for good. Happened 6 yrs ago and the problem never came back.

Electro-acupuncture is done by an experienced acupuncturist. Insertion of needles should be painless if the needles are accurately position at the meridian points. You should help the acupuncturist by telling when you experience even a little pinch of a pain as needle is being inserted. This is important as you will see later.

Electrical current of correct strength and frequency is then run through the muscle/nerve/meridian channel using two of the needles as the terminals. If the needle were not accurately positioned on the meridian points, the pulsations due to electrical current frequency will become a little painful. You simply tell the acupuncturist of your discomfort and things should be adjusted.

A sign of a good acupuncturist is that they are highly accurate in locating the meridian points. If one makes too many mistakes in accurately locating the meridian points, find another acupuncturist.

My acupuncturist gets about one out 10 needles slighly off and needs to be corected. Keep in mind that they may be having just a bad day sometimes and several corrections may be needed in a session. Some body parts are difficult to work with. Amount of fat makes it more difficult.

In the final analysis the good acupuncturist will make the experience a pleasant one.

Take care

[LeahBrahms]

Acupuncturists are out of my league price-wise.

I have found that Kava root helps, at least to relax me enough for some sleep.
I have also seen a Naturopath and she suggested "nalgesic" which is made from Tumeric for pain relief as it is non-addictive.

I think I'll hold out until I get so bad that I want to kill myself.

[LeahBrahms]

I have had my neck surgery 4 weeks ago and things are a bit better.

Going to suggest a Myelogram to surgeon to check for any blockages as results are still a bit hazy.

Now awaiting for lumber surgery, which I hope will be in February.

[StuMac]

Hi Leah & all other fusiods

I had an c 5/6 fusion in Jan 2007. Mr Brendan Obrien - Neurosurgeon rocks.

Spent 18 months at my physio doing clinical pilates and about 6 months in started haning laps at the local ymca (hate swimming). Found a free-style snorkel on the net ($40) which solved some of the boredom of looking at the ceiling doing backstroke.

Once the pilates gave me the confidence to move I started personal training session once a week and a bot camp session on saturdays.

Running at 7.2 on the beep test, lifting 65 kg on smith bench and 45 kg free weights.

Not all beer and skittles. Recently thought I had re-injured neck. Turned out to to be a torn rotator cuff (going to hard).

Back in rehab (love my physios) and doing reduced training program.

Happy to chat to anyone who wants a -shoulder to cry on - or just advice.

In a nutshell - please do what you are told, when you are told and you increase your chances of making the best recovery you can.

Cheers

StuMac

[grandslam05]

Hi guys, i have read all the post in this thread. i would just liketo ask a few questions.
i recently had my mri results back and have been referred to the neurosurgeon. they phoned me and want me to see the consultant friday 29-01-10 to discuss. they also said if i was happy to go ahead with the op they would operate on saturday 30-01-10. apparently i have a prolapsed disc in my neck. That it all i know as i dont see the consultant until friday. the consultant has said he has a space and due to my job as a fireman he would like to operate asap.
I have slight symptoms compared to most people on here. i have pins and needles in my left hand and finger tips, a sore neck when i look right round to my left and slight pain when i stretch my neck back to look upwards. if i look upwards and walk, i get shooting pains down my back (hence i dont do it !)

WHat i would like to ask (as i havent seen the consultant yet and am stewing here waiting to see him) is how long is the recovery ?
Would i be more or less back to normal and be able to carry on with my job as a fireman ?
This is what i am most worried about. I am only 33 and am generally fit and healthy playing lots of different sports regularly.
I have spent so long trying to get into the job, i am very worried that i may not be able to do it again.

Please if someone reads this before friday 29-01-10 with any knowedge of this i would be grateful fro your response.
Thanks,

Jon.