Just had ACDF surgery

It was Taller Now talking about the massage. She had gotten one at 1 year post op and was hurting afterwards. That's not what you wanted to hear, is it? Her situation and mine are very different from you. Then we decided a neck massage should only be by a physical therapist. My opinion for you is to only do it after an okay from your doctor.

I think you will have a difficult time getting even a massage therapist to understand the area you want done. You need someone who is highly experienced in gentle soft tissue work & those are hard to find. No one should touch your neck for a long time. Probably not something you want hear right now.

It sounds like your muscle relaxer is not doing a very good job & I would talk to the dr about switching you to something different. Baclofen, Zanaflex are a couple newer ones that work well. Some surgeons will rx a low dose of valium after spine surgery which works very well for most.

Good luck.

Straydog, I think you're probably right. When I go back I will probably ask to swap over to something else. Or at least see what they say/think.

Abilene, from my understanding, my surgeon does intend to sent me to physical therapy at some point, not only for my neck but also that winged scapula.. To be sure it is behaving. Hopefully, some massage therapy will be included. We will see what happens!

Oh goodness, I can't wait to dance again! Not too soon though.. :) My sjogrens is pretty well managed. I take Plaquenil every day. Mine is the more severe kind (can't remember the technical term) but we caught it early on, which is good. We hope the Plaquenil will be enough to keep it "calm". My only symptoms that bother me is very dry mouth and extreme fatigue. But I know it can get worse over the course of my life and potentially affect internal organs, etc. I'm just praying that away!! :) I thought my back problems were sjogrens related, since Rheumatoid Arthritis is commonly found with Sjogrens. But it looks like that was all just a disc issue! Thank goodness! For now, Sjogrens is more of just an annoyance to me more than debilitating.

Happy 4th!! We shot some fireworks in the back yard yesterday. I left my recliner and went outside to discover I couldn't see them! It was my first time needing to look up! My boyfriend made me a nice pallet of blankets and pillows in the grass so I could lay down to watch! :)

Hi everyone☺I am new to all of this and never been on a forum before... I am coming up to 3 weeks post op C5\6 ACDF surgery. I'm curious whether or not surgeon usually gives you do's and donts following operation as mine said nothing... Mind you, for some (still unexplained) reason I lost a lot of blood in surgery and think they were concentrating more on that as I was so unwell..
Any advice would be greatly appreciated... I wish you all well and happiness😉x

Here's a question for you guys.. Did any of you have dizziness after surgery? I feel like the room is moving some. I haven't taken medicine so it isn't a medication side effect.

Abilene,

This is new for me. I have just noticed it today. It's pretty constant. I have been up and about more this weekend, as I have felt up to it and I wasn't taking pain medicine which puts me to sleep. I don't think I over did it. No real physical activity other than sitting, walking, talking, etc. I am sitting in a chair right now and the dizziness is still there. It is pretty subtle, but enough to be annoying.

Abilene,

So far, so good. I will probably have a better idea by around lunch time, which was when I really began feeling it yesterday. I am going to take note today and see if it comes back. If it does, I think I will try to take my activity back down a notch and see if that alleviates it. And if it does persist, go ahead and call the surgeon for advice. Thank you for checking on me! I am so thankful for this forum and all of you!

Hi kelcar, I've been doing some catching up on this thread and reading all the post! First off to answer your question yes there have been several people on this forum that have used bone stimulators after their fusions. I am sure that they will be around soon to share their knowledge and experience with using it! I am glad that everything is going well for you with this fusion! That's Great! just continue to follow your doctors instructions and don't over due it and hopefully you will be completely back to normal (with maybe a bit less mobility in your neck!) looking up is the most difficult thing! Fireworks,star gazing, and air shows, are definitely a challenge!

I hope your bout with dizziness is gone! If not make sure you see your doctor or surgeon about it! So many things can cause that, but best to play it safe and let your doctor know about it!

Anyway I wish you well! And like Abilene says " think fusion!"

White Beard

Thanks for the response, Abilene and White Beard!

I knew one other past patient of my surgeon that had the same levels done as me, and he also had a bone stimulator. So I wasn't entirely surprised, but it had never been mentioned to ME until I got the call. I think the reasoning MAY be because I had more than one level done, but I am not certain. I will see what he says on Monday.

The dizziness has not returned, so maybe it was just a fluke thing. I will still mention it to my doctor, as well.

I have worked a little bit, but only short days and limited work. I come home early and nap or just rest in bed, eat dinner, and then return to my bed! :)

My muscle tension is slightly better.. some days are better than others. I have had about three headaches/migraines since my surgery, which I think probably come from the muscle tension in and around my neck. (Another thing to ask the surgeon about!)

I have had itching right on my incision and its still sensitive to clothing tags. I was told the same thing about nerves waking up. I would just guess the dryness is related also. How is it now?

It's good your stimulator is wearable. Hope it helps fusion to happen more quickly!

Hi everyone! I am still trucking along.. I have another check up with my surgeon on Friday, and I'll have some x-rays done to see if there's any evidence of fusion taking place *fingers crossed*! I am approximately two months post ACDF now (My surgery was June 16, 2015).

So here's a new symptom and question for you guys:

For the last week and a half or so, I have had an annoying amount of blurred vision in my left eye (for what it's worth, my incision is on my right side). Has anyone ever experienced any eye issues after ACDF surgery? It isn't awful, but it's irritating. I intend to ask my surgeon about it on Friday, but was just curious as to what you guys have experienced.

Also, I have been having this really strange pain for about a month... It's difficult to explain, but I'll try. It happens any time I yawn. It is a sharp pain that feels like it travels between my right ear and right eye. Crazy, I know. Nevertheless, it freaks me out. It does it maybe 95-98% of the time whenever I yawn. Any ideas?

I apologize if this all sounds bizarre!

Yes, Abilene!... it's not easy to avoid a yawn! I am also anxious to hear what the surgeon says. Work is going well, I'm still on light duty so I mostly sit at the office, and I normally only work 4 days a week instead of 5. I still struggle with feeling guilty for not being able to be on call, etc. People keep asking if I "feel better yet" or they act disappointed that I am in pain because they assumed surgery would "fix it". I am finding it hard to explain why I still hurt. That can be frustrating! Any tips on how to best explain?

Every once in a while, I take a muscle relaxer, but that's about it. I hope all is well with all of you!

Abilene, thank you so much for the good advice! The doctor says she can see some fusion starting! Thank the Lord!! Unfortunately, she had no ideas about the vision problems or the pain when I yawn. So, I'll have to check with my regular doctor about that.

She said to keep using the bone growth stimulator and taking it easy as needed!