Any of you have a fused neck?

[DAA]

Thinking about ACDF surgery (anterior cervical discectomy and fusion) in the medium-near future. Upshot of which would be, fused vertebrae in my neck.

Just wondering if any or you have had your neck fused and what it's like to live with. Thinking it will really suck. But so does 24/7/365 pain/discomfort and weakness.

Due to other stuff, I'll be maxing out my family out of pocket medical expense for the year any day now (averaging almost $500 a day out of pocket for 2015 so far...), which means I can actually afford to have this done, which I did not think was going to happen.

So, just trying to decide whether I should or not. Really can't decide whether I'd rather live with the pain or live with a fused neck. I can imagine some of my shooting and hunting activities being really impacted by a fused neck... But they are impacted by the pain and weakness too.

- DAA

 

[jeeper]

My father had it done many years ago. He says to do it as a very very last resort. He says to exhaust every other option first, including all the natural healing hippie type stuff.
His immediate pain issues went away, but if he sleeps wrong he loses feeling in his arm. He has limited movement in the neck. He's not sure it's a good choice

 

[Kevin B.]

If it's any help, I'd much rather learn to compensate for a fused neck than deal with unrelenting pain. But I'm a weenie...

 

[rockdog]

Gotta fused lower back. I know that the pain was unbearable, so I went for it. Haven't looked back. That said I'm pretty sure there is no comparison between the two.

 

[Stephen]

Sounds like you need to be drinking more Rendezvous Rye. Or is that where the $500/day out of pocket is going.

 

[DAA]

He says to exhaust every other option first, including all the natural healing hippie type stuff.

If the advice I've gotten so far is correct, and I do believe it is, there really isn't any other option. The MRI shows bone spurs on my cervical vertebrae impinging directly on the nerve. Those spurs aren't going anywhere without some work with a sharp chisel and that nerve doesn't like being pinched 24/7/365... The days when I lose feeling in my arm are some of the better days - which does happen, frequently.

- DAA

 

[frieed]

All them years tossing firewood are coming home to roost or is this something that was inevitable?
If only they had banned wood fires years ago....

 

[jeep-N-montero]

My father in law is in the same exact position with the same diagnosis, keeps putting off surgery but inevitably will need to do it at some point, hard choice when there is no guaranty that the pain will get much better.

 

[DAA]

All them years tossing firewood are coming home to roost or is this something that was inevitable?
If only they had banned wood fires years ago....

The lack of discs between my L vertebrae is at least partially firewood related. I'm not sure about this new C vertebrae neck/upper back stuff though. Could be, I guess. If only, IF ONLY wood fires had been banned in the 80's!!

- DAA

 

[thefirstzukman]

Any of that new fangled laser stuff available? My friend had some pretty bad issues in his neck and had laser surgery done and it was great, he had other unsuccessful previous surgery's done in the past. Down side is that nobody does it in Utah and he had to go to Arizona to have it done.

 

[DAA]

I'll have to look in to that, no idea if it's feasible for my situation or not.

- DAA

 

[Seven]

What have you done for it so far? And what were the outcomes of previous things? How is your range of movement? Is it worse in the morning or after a long day?

 

[DAA]

Steroids is all I've done so far, helped a lot. But that train has gone as far as it is going to. Range of movement is normal (for me...). But pain and weakness are ever present. Pain is highly variable, day to day. Even one hour to the next. Not just severity, but location. The worst pains are under my shoulder blade and clear down in my left hand and those are pretty sharp. But I don't get those every day (anymore - was constant before steroids). But my whole left arm and chest area really aches some days, but it's a sore muscle sort of an ache, not a sharp pain. Other days it's just sort of numb/tingly. Pain was almost unbearable the first six weeks, but then finally got steroid treatment which helped immensely. Pain has since returned and is now once again constant, but not nearly as bad as it was five months ago, not yet anyway. Starting to get it on my right side a little bit too, some days.

Not any worse at any particular time of day, but certain activities can really set it off. Driving in particular, whatever it is about that position and movement, but driving always makes it worse.

I think I could live with this level of pain for a long time. I have been, for separate lower back issues. Kind of used to just hurting all the time. But, the weakness on my left side really bothers me. It's not the kind of weakness that shows up in an office visit, where they try to push my hands down or close my spread fingers. But if I try and do anything that requires a decent amount of strength, it's just not there anymore. I was doing over 100 pushups and 20 pull ups a day, six or seven months ago. Now I struggle to do 20 pushups and doubt I'll ever do another single pull up, ever again.

- DAA

 

[glockman]

I think the results are highly variable. My dad had his fused 10 years ago and has been great, no further neck pain. My mother had nerves coderized for similar pain and has moderate success. One of my coworkers has had both done and is in never ending pain still.

 

[phatfoto]

While my back is fused due to an accident, not long term damage, I am happy to be pain free most of the time. I am fused T7-T12 and have lost SOME flexibilty. I didn't really have a choice of surgery or no surgery, as I was very close to being paralyzed. I cracked three cervical vertebrae in the same accident and had an oxcipital condyl avulsion (tendons pulled bone from my skull). I have a lot of crunchy feeling in my neck but no real pain, but I do have less movement as well.

 

[TRNDRVR]

Just wondering if any or you have had your neck fused and what it's like to live with.

L4-5 fused 10/2012

C5-6, C6-7 fused 04/2014

C5-6 is not fusing, and I find out on 01/28 whether I need to have it done again or not.

 

[rholbrook]

My brother in law had bone spurs in his neck he had fixed. He was in bad shape but I believe he is good now because of surgery. Also a friend just had her neck fused 2 weeks ago. I don't know specifics but the incision was in the front of her neck. I can get you in contact with her if you want.

 

[Gary T]

I had surgery 2005 c-3,4,5 ish. Pain was bad, left arm just throbbed all the time (I too am a pain wimp) First thing I said when I woke up post surgery "it doesn't hurt anymore" Well worth it for me. I do see a chiropractor to keep things moving. I do have limited movement, but I'm glad I did it. Yes, incision is in the front.

 

[DAA]

I have my surgery scheduled. Going to be the first sick day I've taken off work in 22 years.

- DAA

 

[Tonkaman]

I have my surgery scheduled. Going to be the first sick day I've taken off work in 22 years.

- DAA

Oh come on you wussy! Who needs their neck for work anyway?

In all seriousness I hope this gives you the results you have been wanting for so many years. Good luck