[Spinal Fusion / Cervical] C5-c6-c7 acdf

[TRS]

Although my symptoms had pretty much totally disappeared between the time my surgery was scheduled and the actual date of it 8 weeks later, I still decided to go ahead with it as it would only put off the inevitable based on what MRI showed.

I had my C5-6-7 ACDF with donor graft surgery in July, spent two nights in the hospital and then two weeks at home off from work. All went well. In fact, from the moment I awoke after the procedure I felt better than I thought I would even though the neurosurgeon spent about an hour longer that he estimated because of all the osteophytes that needed to be removed.

There were a few days of a mild sore throat and some difficulty swallowing though after being home a week or so I figured out the reason why I was having trouble with big pills and caplets getting stuck in my throat was because of the hard collar I was to wear for a full 12 weeks was preventing me from throwing my head back, which I had been doing subconsciously, to allow the water to sweep the pills down into my gullet.

Despite doctor's orders, after about 8 or 9 weeks I was switching to a soft collar for a while when lying or sitting or otherwise pretty much inactive as I needed to give my neck a break and a chance to air out. Actually, the first couple weeks or so was the worst as the lining pads of the hard collar would catch my beard stubble (my 5 o'clock shadow arrives by noon) and really irritated my neck. I tried powders and lotions to no avail. The solution was to just let my beard grow. After about a week's growth it was long enough to actually act as a cushion instead of getting caught in the lining. Still, the hard collar was often uncomfortable, especially when it was hot out and I was sweating.

Since I had minimal if any symptoms at the time of surgery I cannot say there was a miraculous relief from the tingling, numbness, and muscle pains and weakness I had been experiencing in both arms last year and earlier this year. I haven't noticed any loss of range of motion in my neck since the Ti plate & screws went in. I feel fortunate that everything went so smoothly for me and can only wish you as much good fortune.

My initial introductory post is HERE for anyone interested.

[Justin]

Hi TRS,

Thank you for sharing your surgical experience with SPS. It's great to read that you had minimal pain before surgery and that you are doing so well post-op. How's your range of motion in your cervical spine?