Useful Items for ACDF Post-op or neck pain

To be clear I am not advocating any particular product. I am telling what has been useful to me or the closest thing that I can find like it. FEEL FREE to add items that have helped you. I'd like to keep the thread like a reference, I did not see one in a quick search. Lets keep medications and such out, just useful items:

Aluminum articulating laptop tray
www.amazon.com/CLS-Store-Adjustable-Vented-Laptop/dp/B002LNVMIS/ref=pd_sim_op_12

I recommend getting one with three legs, they are more complicated than an origami swan to get folded right, but once set up they are very valuable. Mine is similar to this one. It is a bit flimsy and my laptop is only 6lbs, so its on the small side. Mine said "made and designed in China" which seems about right. But it does get the job done.

Wireless Trackball for your Laptop
www.walmart.com/ip/Logitech-910-001799-M570-Wireless-Trackball-Mouse/15268499

I am doing some solid modelling (CAD) on my laptop these days and after about one long day my wrist was killing me from using the touchpad. But my little aluminum tray is too small to accommodate a mouse, so I got the exact trackball that I linked to from Walmart, $33. In this case I really recommend the Logitech stuff because the little part that plugs into your USB port is very tiny, much smaller than those from other companies, and you can leave it in all the time, even when traveling or in the bag. Now I just kick back all the way in my recliner, the keyboard is comfortable with they tray, I turned the touchpad off so I dont keep hitting it accidentally, and the trackball hangs out motionless on my armrest. It has helped my neck immensely. The trackball takes a little getting used to, but I really like this variety that is actuated only by your thumb.

Useful Pillows I tend to alternate between about 5 different pillows. For the first 2 weeks I had them all stacked in a pile to form a decent wedge on which I slept Here are some.

Tempurpedic cloud
www.tempurpedic.com/Filled-Pillows/Tempur-Pedic-TEMPUR-Cloud-Pillow.asp

This is far and away my favorite pillow. It conforms so nicely to your neck and shoulders. I use it most nights, but it is just a bit on the firm side. It is nice enough that my wife will steal it any time I dont use it.

Tempurpedic King Size Rhapsody
www.tempurpedic.com/Filled-Pillows/Tempur-Pedic-TEMPUR-Rhapsody-Pillow.asp

This thing is HEAVY. It weighs like 8lbs and can be difficult to lift in the dead of night. It is also a tall pillow and I cant do much but use it like a rather firm but very adjustable body pillow. This pillow can be used as a weapon. Seriously, it is heavy.

Tempurpedic side pillow
www.amazon.com/Tempur-Pedic-SidePillow-by/dp/B007UR7IV0

I received this on accident, but decided to buy it. I was in a pillow shopping mood. I used it upside down for a long time, like 2 years. Apparently you are supposed to have is flat side up. It really works well like if you sleep on your side, the divot in it is where your shoulder fits. If you do flip it over, if offers decent neck support too. . .but my neck has very little lordosis, so as with all of this YMMV.

Walmart Down Pillow
www.walmart.com/ip/Beautyrest-Feather-Down-Pillow/15641745

As far as down pillows go these are cheap and extremely soft. They offer very little support, but are good if you like a low soft pillow. I sometimes stack mine on top of my cloud with very comfy results.

Walmart Memory Foam Pillow
www.walmart.com/ip/Sleep-Innovations-Classic-Memory-Foam-Bed-Pillow/17252241

This is the kind I have but they are legion in the market place. It is much softer than any tempurpedic pillow I have used and offers less support. It is just a little like sleeping on a balloon. I rarely use this pillow now that I have the cloud, but it formed the lumbar portion of my crazy pillow wedge that I used during my first 2 weeks.

Kelty Down Camp/Travel Pillow
www.amazon.com/Kelty-Camp-Pillow-Assorted-Color/dp/B0038M659C

So this thing is cheap, but it is really nice. It is better than most full sized down pillows. I use it in the car along with the hard neck collar to make the seat more comfortable. It is also a really nice pillow to take camping, Seriously, it is better than the pillows in most hotels and B&Bs. . .which is not saying much, but I do really like it.


Water Bottles
shop.camelbak.com/eddy-1l/d/1038_c_201_cl_534

I like this bottle because it has a "bite valve" and you really cannot spill it. It also works like a built in straw so that you can drink without tilting your head. I have carried the 1L version with me everywhere I go for years. I have multiples and clean them in a rotation. I love it, cant say enough good about it. The only bad is that if you fill it and then it warms up, the back pressure from the expanding water pushes through the bitevalve. IE, if you leave it in your car in the summer you need to rotate the bite valve down to prevent the back flow. . .but I always forget and come back to a cup holder filled to the brim with water.

Bluetooth Headsets
www.staples.com/Plantronics-Voyager-Pro-Legend/product_130713?cid=PS:GooglePLAs:130713&srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=26-300555162-2

I like this headset because the noise cancellation is phenomenal and the battery life has a 4+ hour talk time. The downside is that it does not get very loud and so while the noise cancellation helps in a noisy environment for your listener, it is difficult to hear. These are also legion, but it is way better than holding the phone to your head.

Smartphone

These are legion, but I like it because I can use it in bed until my meds kick back in. If you dont have one I really recommend taking the plunge. It's expensive for the phone and the service, but its like when the internet first became available. Once you have it you dont see how you got by without it. I do recommend the largest possible screen. I carry a Galaxy Note 2 in my pocket. It is bigger than my GPS and I only noticed it for about the first 4 hours. I used to be a small phone guy, but not now.

Smartphone dash mount
www.amazon.com/iOttie-Windshield-Dashboard-Holder-Galaxy/dp/B007FH716W

I love this mount so much, you just shove your phone in and it grabs on. Squeeze the buttone and it pops out. It sticks to your dash so well you can use it as a handle to get into the car. I even have one in my hotrod and use it to bluetooth my phone OBDII port. . .I use it as extra gauges etc in that car. . .it rotates and sticks very well. It is handy to hold your phone while you use your headset or car phone and/or use it as a GPS.


If you have trouble swallowing thin fluids, or need thicker food
www.cvs.com/shop/product-detail/Thick-It-Instant-HealthcarFood-Thickener-Regular-Strength?skuId=689606

This stuff is available pretty much everywhere and really does thicken any food without adding flavor, even water. It is a little weird, but if you need it, it is a lifesaver.


TENS Unit
www.tenspros.com/TENS-Units_c_1.html

You will need a prescription from your doctor for this. OK, so the link above is just an example that you can buy your own TENS unit for like $30 with pads. If you have not used one I recommend you try it first as some people do not like it. If you go to PT, they will certainly have one that costs thousands and is not better than what is sold above, but asking them to try it on you if they dont volunteer it is a way to try one out. Put simply it electronically stimulates your muscles and the end result is similar to a massage. . .the process itself is dislike anything other than being electrocuted. I recommend at least two channels and one with a fair bit of adjustability in pulsewidth and stimulation type. . .certain things feel better on certain days. I use all the adjustability on mine and wish it had more.

READ THIS about TENS I'm just giving my personal experience and reckoning as a civilian, OK, you do what you want. I only use the TENS to relieve the muscles that are in spasm in my shoulders etc from wearing the brace. I DO NOT RECOMMEND USING THIS ON YOUR NECK. Like I said, it flexes your muscles and it does it very specifically and often harder than you could voluntarily flex that muscle. Muscles pull, bones push. . .your bones were just ground to dust and stacked on top of each other. It's not advisable to use this on your neck spasms in my opinion. Also, little pads "hit" harder than bigger pads. Something to think about if you aren't getting enough juice or are getting blown out of your seat


Compound Pain Relieving/Muscle Relaxing Cream
www.custommeds.com/cpmo.html

OK, I said no medicines and here I am. I was prescribed different compounds for many years by the various PM doctors that I saw over the years in different states. The most potent that I have personally used comes from here and I use it on the spasms in my neck and it helps a bit. Your doctor can write these guys a script, I am fairly certain that they call the formulation "5391". I'm not recommending them per se, maybe your doctor has a local compounding pharmacy that he likes. Just think of this like Ben-Gay on steroids. Get your prescription before you have surgery. The spasms begin on Day 0 and the valium stops long before they do.

For reference the above drug contains Katamine, Gabapentin, Ketoprofen, Lidocain, Carbox(I think), Bax(something), Ami(something), IB(something). . .in case 5391 is wrong. A "30 day supply" is 60 grams.


Non-prescription Cream
www.amazon.com/dp/B000WZOJCI/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2YFX6U07JFCOP&coliid=I22ADV061CX9A9

This was recommended by someone in another thread. I cannot personally vouch for it, which should mean very little to you, but the claim was that nothing else helped the person than this brand of creams. It comes in three different varieties and this warming version was the one that was preferred.

Cervical Traction Device
www.comfortrac.net/

TO BE CLEAR I DO NOT RECOMMEND USING THIS POST-FUSION UNTIL FULLY HEALED AND CLEARED BY YOUR DOCTOR AND I also do not recommend this unit be used without very heavy modifications This thing costs about $900 and I got mine via prescription through my PM Doc. Notice that it tilts your head forward and that is just the plain wrong way to pull a neck for traction. For this thing TO NOT BE A COMPLETE PILE OF GARBAGE MONEY WASTER you must remove the thing that tiltw your head forward, cut the entire bottom flap off, and then grind it as flat as possible where your neck hits. I'm a handy guy and can post a picture of mine modified. The thing that I do like about this traction device is that it grips your head well. But even my my heavy modifications to this very expensive thing, manual traction by a good PT or trained partner is better, way better.


A Good Office Chair with Neck Support
www.rfmseating.com/chair-line/verte

I have had the opportunity to try an RFM Verte chair, linked above, for about 3 weeks now. Before this I had a $200 chair from staples that had neck support. . .but the staples neck pad was just too loose and could not be made stiff enough to give you more than the appearance of support. . .although it was slightly better than nothing.

The RFM chair is extremely expensive. If you suffer from sub-cervical spinal issues I'd bet money it is the best chair you'll ever sit in. My lumbar feels like it's a new spine when I get it adjusted correctly. The cervical support is stiff enough to offer actual support, but for my neck at least, even with the weird sliding vertebrae thing and point the pad surface straight up I could not get it far enough back. The Verte will lock in several reclined positions, which is a nice feature, but it also doesnt quite go back far enough to allow me to rest my neck fully. All of that said, I am still buying it because it gives me just the thinnest margin of neck rest to allow me to work all day.

If you are buying any chair, you simply must sit in it first. The RFM Verte in particular cannot be returned, so that is very important unless you are nonchalant about $1400. The Verte, being so adjustable, is also hard to get just right because so much of the adjustment (the spine) occurs simultaneously. If you want to add lumbar support, push the cervical back, etc it has to be done simultaneously. I find myself needing to adjust it several times a day to accomodate the different reclining positions that I need to relax and I just cant get everything exactly as I want it without help. It would be helpful if you could see through the vertebrae a little and have reference marks so you could dial in that perfect position.


Self-Massage Tool
www.amazon.com/Body-Back-Buddy-Self-Massage-Tool/dp/B0006VJ6TO

This tool costs about $40 and is worth a lot more than that to me. It lets you release a knot much better than any massage therapist because you can get right on the bad spot, dig into it just right and move both the muscle you are massaging and the tool at the same time. 2 minutes with this tool is better than 10 minutes of massage of the same area by someone else. For my neck (which is healed now) I sometimes have my wife use the tool to dig into the muscle as she can do it harder than I can, but it is great for all purposes.

Post Edited (therabidweasel) : 3/1/2015 10:16:44 AM (GMT-7)

I haven't stashed any of my pillows in the freezer of late, but I'm going to look into the pillow....



M.

A comfortable recliner that also SWIVELS has been a wonderful asset to me. So now I can move around without moving my neck. And of course that recliner needs to be comfortable enough for sleeping in too. It may be the most comfortable place for quite some time.

Bendable straws are good too when I don't have my better cup with built in straw.

At a restaurant a booth with a tall back is more comfortable than chairs.

Bib-I hardly ever eat a meal without dropping food. I'm almost 6 months post-op and this is still an issue. Does this ever end? Be prepared to cover the collar in some way when eating.

RE: NSAID's and Bone Fusion

IAmGrammie provided this quote

(from the University of Virginia School of Medicine):

A large body of information suggests NSAIDS have a negative impact on the healing of bone. Although each clinical healing scenario presents a slightly different level of challenge, the healing of a posterolateral spinal fusion is one of the most difficult challenges in bony healing. Clinically, this results in a relatively high rate of nonunions using traditional fusion techniques. Spinal fusion models have confirmed NSAIDS have a definite inhibitory effect on healing of the fusion. Although data are limited, it appears this effect is most severe when NSAIDS are administered in the early postoperative period. Moreover, the effect may be worse with certain types initial inflammatory, subsequent reparative, and final remodeling phases. Because of the anti-inflammatory activity of NSAIDS, one might assume their effects would be worse when administered in the inflammatory phase. Indeed, the study by Riew et al suggests the inhibitory effects are more significant when NSAIDS are administered earlier following fusion. Other studies conducted with non-spinal models also suggest early administration of NSAIDS results in greater inhibition of bone formation (Goodman et al). Unfortunately, the length of the inflammatory phase in humans is not well known. This leaves the clinician unsure about the safe time to allow resumption of NSAID usage clinically. It appears likely NSAID use following a spinal fusion procedure will increase the rate of pseudarthrosis. The literature suggests that avoidance of NSAIDS in the postoperative period may avoid nonunion. Additionally, we propose that chronic NSAID usage should be addressed in a similar manner to cigarette smoking. While neither are absolute contraindications to elective spinal fusion, patients should be counseled to discontinue the use of NSAIDS in the peri- and postoperative period to maximize their chance for a successful fusion.

Post Edited (Abilene) : 9/26/2014 11:20:20 PM (GMT-6)

Bumping this for poplargrove

Bumping for lila w and anyone else who needs to read this and/or add items to the list.

SETTING A TIMER: When I knew that 15 minutes was my limit to be up working in the kitchen, etc. before pain overtook me, I wish I had simply set a timer for 13 minutes and avoided that extra pain.

CHECK RANGE OF MOTION PRE-OP TO COMPARE LATER: This is just something else I wish I had thought to do.

ROLLING, ADJUSTABLE HEIGHT DESK CHAIR-Nvrthesame says she uses this to do lots of things in her home to avoid bending, standing. I've not used one but it sounds like a very helpful tool.

Post Edited (Abilene) : 9/17/2014 5:36:39 AM (GMT-6)

Thanks all!! Lots of good advice here!! The Bluetooth idea is priceless! I hadn't thought of that, and never had one, but I'm going to purchase one now! Bendy straws make perfect sense too.... Good stuff!!

I consider this to be a very Useful Item both pre- and post-surgery:

A friend who recently underwent PAO surgery recommend the book "Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster: A Guide of Mind-Body Techniques" by Peggy Huddleston. I am more impressed the more I read it and listen to the CDs on Relaxation and Healing. I feel far more comfortable and at peace with my upcoming surgery, and am confident that everything will go extremely well.