Cervical anterior discectomy w/ anterior fusion

[LindaRacine]

Yes, choking is still an issue with me, especially with swallowing pills. We even tried stuffing one in pudding, but the pudding went down and the pill didn't...lol
Post-op I was choking on my own saliva because I had a severe muscle spasm that would not allow me to close my mouth. That happened twice. I think this was something the team had not experienced before and there was no standing order on how to treat it. The doctor eventually upped my muscle relaxant and made it around the clock instead of just daytime. That fixed the problem. ;-)

Just like a pet. Swallow the good stuff and spit out the pill. ;-)

Glad to hear that you're doing OK. Hope that continues.

[jackieg412]

I hope you continue to improve. All we can do is keep moving forward. I have X-Ray tomorrow and then see neurosurgeon. Always something

[rohrer01]

Just like a pet. Swallow the good stuff and spit out the pill. ;-)

Glad to hear that you're doing OK. Hope that continues.

Linda, hahahaha!!! Yes, that's the truth...lol

[rohrer01]

I hope you continue to improve. All we can do is keep moving forward. I have X-Ray tomorrow and then see neurosurgeon. Always something

Jackie, how did your appointment go? Do you need surgery again or was it good news? As it goes with all of us, we snake around the issues with our spines until we can not. (pun intended...lol)

[rohrer01]

As for me, I've been weaning down on my pain meds every three days. So my pain level is pretty consistent, but I'm avoiding narcotic withdrawal. I'm down to two pills a day and Thursday I will be down to just one at night. I'll even have some left over!

My neck brace no longer fits at the longest setting. I must have a real giraffe neck! It's fine at night, but when I'm up it's way too loose. I'm not sure if they make them longer or not...??? If not, someone will have to figure out something because I find myself scrunching my shoulders up to keep the brace tight. This is NOT good because it causes all kinds of muscle spasms. Plus one of the pegs that holds the pins in place broke. As the swelling went down in hospital they cranked it longer until I'm at the top. I think the cranking it up and down with my position while in hospital weakened the plastic.

I'll keep you updated with what they do.

Oh, I feel like the surgeon might have cracked my jaw on the surgical side. It was bruised in a spot after surgery and continues to hurt there, including all my lower molars. It's a sharp ache like how a broken bone feels. I'm wondering if he missed with the mallet when tapping one of the cages in, or had a retractor up against my jaw there. Anyone else experience this?

You all have a nice night.
Rohrer01

[rohrer01]

Well, I was warned this could happen so I'm glad I'm going in tomorrow. They said I could have "bad" days now and then. This surgery itself wasn't really that painful. But I'm having a bad pain day. It really started in the middle of the night last night. The sides of my neck hurt quite badly, enough to take an extra pain pill. I was prescribed 42 total and now I'm afraid if this continues I will have nothing. I think there are a couple of contributing factors. First, I have this I'll fitting brace. Second, I haven't been able to get the right amount of rest due to the fact that I have a very sick 4 year old grandchild temporarily staying with me. Her mom and I were up until 2 a.m. She's not contagious, just miserable with a secondary infection. I now realize how important sleep is. Even though the surgery itself wasn't that bad, big things happened in my body. I'm just feeling discouraged by the setback. :-(

[jackieg412]

While I am not sure about your jaw pain, it sounds very much like TMJ. That joint can flare when stressed. I worked many years in the dental field and can offer some suggestions.
The first is not to open your mouth wide. Also avoid clenching your teeth. Cut things in very small bites and nothing too chewy. Do not chew gum. If it doesn't improve with rest and care, reach out to your dentist. A splint can help. Also which ever you feel better about cold or heat.
Like every stressed joint, rest it when you can. You did mention your jaw was stuck after surgery so try to rest it.

I will update you on my neurosurgeon visit. It is complicated.

Let me know about resting and if any improvement

[rohrer01]

While I am not sure about your jaw pain, it sounds very much like TMJ.

I will update you on my neurosurgeon visit. It is complicated.

Let me know about resting and if any improvement

Thanks, Jackie. I'm sorry things are complicated. I hope you can figure something out. (((hugs)))

I have had TMJ. The trauma may have triggered some of that. My surgeon or one of his helpers must have given me an accidental whack because I had a pretty nice bruise between my chin and the back of my jaw. My neck muscles under my chin spasmed after surgery and that's why I couldn't close my mouth. But I have a small mouth and even holding my mouth open for a little while for the dentist causes significant pain in the masseter (jaw) muscles. So you are right on that account for sure. I actually have a dental appointment in 2 weeks. The nurse suggested having him x-ray the jaw, but only time will heal it anyway. So, I'll tell him and if he wants to do it I'll let him, but won't insist. I'm nervous about how that will go because those muscles are still a wee bit sore. I have to remind myself not to clench. I'm so terrified of that spasm returning, I have caught myself clenching my teeth.

My check-up went REALLY well. I was all discouraged and thought I was doing poorly because I had a bad day yesterday and today. Well, the nurse said I was doing way better than most people at this stage and I am well ahead of schedule. So they gladly refilled my pain meds. She said most people get 3 or 4 refills. I know I won't need any more so, whew! I feel much better about myself!

I was asked to rate my procedure based on a percentage of how my initial symptoms were improved. I said it was more than I even expected. So I gave the doc a 100% because my hand and arm pain and weakness are gone PLUS neck pain and headaches are MUCH better, which I didn't expect! My shoulder still hurts, but this surgery helped me weed out where that pain is coming from. I have a major ligament that is completely abrupted from the humerus and I have dislocated it a few times, which I was told not to do. But that's not super pressing as long as the pain is mild.

Doing the happy dance!

[jackieg412]

And of course you know the saying----- that some days are diamond and some days are stone. Healing doesn't take place always on an even path. And yes we have to give ourselves permission to allow for some tougher times.
And sometimes it is the position we are placed in for the surgery. At times, with the cervical surgeries I felt the vise marks from the way the head is clamped in position. They hurt for awhile.
Remind your dentist to respect how far you can open your mouth comfortably.

After my neurosurgeon visit last Monday, I am going to do more PT starting this week. It is what I want to try. The X-Ray showed further progression of cervical stenosis. An epidural can not be used at that level. It is considered too risky. And I can't take any narcotics. I did all of the last surgeries without narcotics.
I will go back on May first, he will order an MRI at that time and another EMG. Then we will discuss further if fusing the remaining cervical is even possible. And of course the impact of that.
I will also be evaluated for a muscle transfer at that time. I have an area by the osteotomies with really thin skin that keeps forming small wounds.
Always something!

[rohrer01]

Wow, Jackie!
I'm allergic to most narcotics. I told them I was willing to try one that I am least allergic to. So that's what we did. Stenosis is one of those things they do laminectomies for. I would opt for PT, too. I don't know how they could keep you comfortable post-op without pain killers. Maybe they could use some medication with an intrathecal pump if you have to resort to surgery. You poor thing. I'm so sorry you're in this position.

My happy dance turned into the pain dance. Getting the brace to fit better took some doing with extra padding, etc. But it also put a good stretch on my neck muscles again. I feel like I'm back at square one...ugh

Hang in there!
Rohrer01

[rohrer01]

Latest update:

I'm almost weaned off the pain meds again. Because my neck is so long and I have quite a shoulder height discrepancy, I've been coming up with some unique solutions to make the brace fit evenly. My temporary fix was to piece together a strap from my shoulder sling and stick it under the low shoulder and hold it in place with Velcro. My long term solution will be to make a collar with padding on one side so nothing can accidentally slip loose. I've been a scoliosis seamstress since my early 20s and realized I could alter clothing to sit straight on MY body. I'm also going to buy some turtle neck dickies. This will help with pressure marks on my shoulders.

Things that make my neck hurt are brace adjustments and car rides.

Things that make it feel better are resting in a slightly reclined position and keeping my arm activity level to a minimum.

I hope you all are doing well. If anyone needs this type of surgery and are otherwise healthy, it's nothing to be fearful of. My neck bones themselves don't hurt anymore. Pre-surgery they hurt constantly. The actual procedure is called an ADCF ( anterior discectomy w/ cervical fusion). The hardware so far is completely painless.

Hope you all are doing the best you can. I welcome any questions.

Rohrer01

[jackieg412]

How are you progressing now. It does get easier. I still have a problem in the car. It seems to be the head rest. I try to sit forward or close to the door. I do keep the trips as short as I can .
It takes time to figure it out.
I will have another MRI at the end of April and see the neurosurgeon on May 1.
Time will tell.

[rohrer01]

Hi, Jackie.
I saw the neurosurgeon for my 6 week follow up. He scheduled me for an x-ray to check for new bone growth. I'll know then how much longer I need to wear my neck brace. Finding a brace to fit my giraffe neck has been difficult. My surgeon said my neck is about 1/2 inch longer after the surgery because the discs were so smashed. So I'm actually taller! I told my husband right away that I felt taller and I was right! As far as riding in the car, even in brace I get a lot of muscle pain from scrunching my shoulders. It exacerbates my neuromuscular disease. But if I don't do it, my neck muscles in the back hurt and it's the only time my neck bones feel sore. So I might keep these braces for travelling if I have to go far. You might try some kind of neck support in the car, even a soft brace to see if that helps you.

I sure do hope things work out for you when you have your MRI and see the surgeon. Maybe he can do an easy fix to help you. You're in my thoughts and thank you for your update. I'll update again as I learn more.

Take care,
Rohrer01

[LindaRacine]

Jackie... I had a problem with a car in my past. The headrest was too far forward. I ended up having a custom pillow made for my back that covered the entire (back) seat. It got me far enough forward that it was tolerable.

[rohrer01]

Head rests are the worst things in cars for me. When my husband and I bought our new car a few years back, it was really hard to find a model that didn't push my head forward. We finally did and have been happy with the car. I've never had that problem in a minivan.

I think the hardest part of recovery for me will be getting rid of the brace. My neck muscles fatigue rather quickly when I'm out of brace for short times.

Another thing is that my whole spine is continuing to shift. My neck had been curved to the side and now it's straight and has more lordosis. The spine from neck down twists differently now. I think I will need new scoliosis radiographs taken to see what's going on.