Terrible neck , shoulder and upper thoracic pain!

[babyboomer16]

I forgot to say that I have to wear a hard cover neck brace for three months.(at least)They shaved all my hair off half way up my head.(looks pretty stylin!!!). It doesn't show with the brace on. I have to sleep with it on. Not very good for my beauty sleep.(smiles). I can take it off for a shower. Well, I just had to add this . Warmly, Linda

[jackieg412]

Linda I am glad you are through this. Hopefully you will start feeling better soon. Fixing your rods may be easy after this.

[mabeckoff]

I am glad that you are through the surgery

Hope each day gets better.

Your recuperation sounds like mine

Yes I am fused from C2

Melissa

[babyboomer16]

I am glad that you are through the surgery

Hope each day gets better.

Your recuperation sounds like mine

Yes I am fused from C2
Melissa

Thanks Melissa ~~ I thought of you in the hospital. You've also had a lot of surgeries. I am doing alright ~~ if it's fused in six months they will go in and fix the fractured rods in my lower back.
Hope this finds you doing well Linda

[babyboomer16]

Linda I am glad you are through this. Hopefully you will start feeling better soon. Fixing your rods may be easy after this.

Thanks Jackie. I am doing alright. My lower back is giving me more problems than anything. I have to walk with a cane at this point. It keeps me stable as I lean to the left and forward pretty bad. Hey, I hope you are coming along alright iin your recovery. You had quite a surgery!!! Well, wishing you the best!! Linda

[babyboomer16]

[QUOTE=golfnut;166350]Linda,
I have been thinking about you! I know you are still in pain, but it sounds like you have the worst behind you. I hope each day you feel a little better than the previous one.[/QUOTE.]
Thanks Karen!! I am doing better everyday. I already can tell my neck is much better in that I can look up instead of "not being able to move my neck" to look up. Hope you are enjoying the summer and are getting in a lot of golfing!!! Best wishes to you!!!Linda

[babyboomer16]

Linda, I have stared at your post now a few times with jaw agape.....I cant imagine what this feels like....

I believe that Melissa is fuseder up to C2....

I hope you feel better soon.....
Ed

Thanks Ed!! I am doing better each day. It gets hard to not tear this neck brace off!!! But it's for my own good!!! I am feeling a lot stronger . So that's a good thing!! Hope you're doing well! Linda

[rohrer01]

Wow!!! That was a tough surgery! I felt like someone hit me in the back of my neck with a baseball bat!!!
I feel a little better now but it is still painful. They cut an incision in front , right side of my neck, removed two dics(c5 c6) and put a cage in filled withBMP and bone shavings. Then they put a halo on me and flipped me over fusing me from T1 up to C2 doing a laminectomy from c2 thru c5. Is that clear as mud!!! I use tried to copy this from online records.Whatever the case it was an eight hour surgery. And I was in ICU FOR A DAY AND A HALF. I'v had a lot of surgeries,and have never got sick from the anesthesia, but not this time. I got the dry heaves as I had no food in my stomach. It was awful. But after all is said and done I am a couple inches taller. I have lost six inches in the past ten years, so I was glad to get some back!!!! After six months if I'm fused enough, Dr. Gupta will go in and fix all the fractured rods in my back.
Well, that's my update so far. Each day is a little better. But some days I feel crappy!!!! If you know what I
mean. Hope this finds those of you on here feeling well in body and mind. Sincerely, boomer(Linda)

So are you fused C2 - pelvis? That sounds about like Melissa. My neck hurts so bad now, it's probably nothing compared to what you are feeling! I'm glad that part is over with for you. I'm so sorry that you've had to have so many surgeries. I don't know how you guys do it, honestly. My neck is a mess and am having head of neurosurgery try to get me referred to Mayo in Rochester, MN. With C2 fused you can only nod "yes" to people, right? Be careful with that one!...just trying to keep it light.

I'm glad you're feeling a little better. I hope the pain completely goes away. It's just so hard to believe that you've been to the best surgeons and still had all these problems. I really do wish the best for you. You've been through enough!

(((HUGS)))
Rohrer01

[susancook]

Linda, hang in there!

I wore a soft neck brace for 3 months after a thoracic redo. Not fun, but "keep your eyes on the prize".

Find out which anesthetics that were used in your surgery and look at previous records when your did not have dry heaves for what was used. Tell the anesthesiologist that you want meds for nausea early, often, and a lot.

Keep healing....thinking of you!

Susan

[babyboomer16]

So are you fused C2 - pelvis? That sounds about like Melissa. My neck hurts so bad now, it's probably nothing compared to what you are feeling! I'm glad that part is over with for you. I'm so sorry that you've had to have so many surgeries. I don't know how you guys do it, honestly. My neck is a mess and am having head of neurosurgery try to get me referred to Mayo in Rochester, MN. With C2 fused you can only nod "yes" to people, right? Be careful with that one!...just trying to keep it light.

I'm glad you're feeling a little better. I hope the pain completely goes away. It's just so hard to believe that you've been to the best surgeons and still had all these problems. I really do wish the best for you. You've been through enough!

(((HUGS)))
Rohrer01

Roher, excuse me if I should know this,, have you had any spinal surgeries? Would this be your first? The Mayo Clinic is a teaching hospital, and from what I'v read and researched, they are the best when it comes to having a complex surgery. I think it has to do with all the students ~~it keeps the surgeons much more alert to all the questions and answers that go on.I guess what I mean, is they also just keep on learning.If that makes any sense. I had a huge surgery years ago at the Mayo Clinic on a bad break on my left wrist that got infection and after eight failed surgeries , I ended up at the Mayo clinic. The place is great. That was 1995. Lots of surgeons were involved in the surgery. Lots of very young Dugi Housers (if you remember that show) running around. What I mean is very young YOUNG Drs.They have to be very high IQ's running around that place. I'm sorry to hear you're in such pain. In my case, my lumbar just doesn't want to fuse. And what happens is my rods eventually break and then revision is required. Darn!
I wish you the best!!!!! This forum is so helpful and we are compassionate with each other because we all have similar situations and know what it's like. Keep us updated. Linda

[babyboomer16]

Linda, hang in there!

I wore a soft neck brace for 3 months after a thoracic redo. Not fun, but "keep your eyes on the prize".

Find out which anesthetics that were used in your surgery and look at previous records when your did not have dry heaves for what was used. Tell the anesthesiologist that you want meds for nausea early, often, and a lot.

Keep healing....thinking of you!

Susan

Thanks Susan for that great advice for my next surgery. I also had trouble with them keeping my pain under control. I think if they would have done the same thing and looked at previous surgeries there, and what worked for me, we would have had a lot better outcome . You are a sweetheart and are very experienced with all this stuff ( unfortunately)!! Hope things are going alright for you. Thinking of you! Linda