Posterior Cervical Fusion W/ Foraminotomy 5 Months Post Op

Hi Rob & welcome to the forum. Another mod here, WhiteBeard had posterior surgery, hopefully he will see your post & comment. I remember his surgery & yes, it was a brutal one. It's like comparing apples to oranges when talking anterior versus posterior surgery.

From what I am remembering from his surgery, the 6th month mark he began to make some progress. I know when he was pushing through he kept thinking it's the end results with a successful result that is the most important.

It sounds like you are on the right track, keep up the great work. Healing from this surgery can sometimes feel like a long slog, but you will get there.

Please keep checking back. Take care.

Hi Rob Welcome to the Forum!! Yes! that posterior approach is a rough surgery!!!! I had 2 ACDF's (first one C6/7 in March1985 and the 2nd one C5/6 in September 2009) done prior to having the posterior articular joint fusion done at C3/4 November 2010. By the way I was 59 when I had that done. With that surgery they put in rods and pins on both sides. That definitely made the ACDF's seem like a walk in the park! It took many many months and physical therapy to get back to any resemblance of being normal and no pain! The surgery did immediately relief the pain I was experiencing prior, in my upper neck and lower part of the back of my head. ( and that was the main goal of having the surgery) But it took a very long time to recover from that surgery! My neurosurgeon told me in advance that the surgery (from his stand point) was pretty straight forward and relatively easy but for me as the patient it would be a very painful and difficult recovery !! He wasn't wrong about that! But I never regretted having it done! And it was definitely worth it in the end!

Rob, your still in the healing phase, and will be for some time yet! So please be patient with yourself, and although this might sound a bit "" corny "" but be gentle with yourself and don't over do it, or do anything that might injure or in any way strain or compromise your surgery. I can definitely relate to what your going through! I wish you well! And Good Luck to you!

White Beard

Hi all,

I have been away for awhile but wanted to come back and say hello. I agree the posterior approach is worse pain wise and recovery time. I however wonder in the long run if it makes any difference. I had a two level fusion three years ago but after six month my neck and upper back started hurting again. Now I need another fusion above my already fused area. The surgeon has a new device which allows adding fusions to already fused areas.

I was not one of the lucky one getting relief with my first surgery. Now I wish the dr had just fused four levels and been done with it. I also have osteoporosis and wonder how much that has to do with it all.

I wish you a speedy recovery RV Hauler. I totally get feeling like a ninety year old person. I hate pain.

dmo

One of the things they usually don't mention about having fusions done, (and my one neurosurgeon told me this just before doing my second ACDF ) that it's pretty common for the disc either above or below the fused area to go bad within 10 years of that fusion. He said I was lucky I went 25 years before the disc above went bad and I had to have the C5/6 ACDF.!!! Now I'm just hoping that the disc at C4/5 will hold out forever, as the C3/4 posterior fusion was done, going on ten years ago and C5/6 and C6/7 are also both fused! . Even after all these years I still have some problems, I can still only sleep in a semi reclining position ( I have an adjustable bed so I can sleep in a bed instead of the many many many years I slept in my recliner! ) Anyway when ever I try sleeping on my side ( with the bed completely flat or slightly reclined or any other position) within 15 minutes both hands and forearms go numb and start burning like crazy! I guess it's just something you learn to adjust to and put up with over the years!

RV Hauler did you have any swallowing or choking or gagging problems after your ACDF's? I lost my voice for over 3 months after my first ACDF at C6/7 in 1985 and had and still do have swallowing problems but the voice came back. Found out in 2009 when I had my second ACDF at C5/6 that my vocal cords on my right side was still partially paralyzed due to nerve damage from my first fusion 25 years earlier.! Which according to the ENT doc explains the swallowing problems!

I understand what your talking about! It's hard to do nothing and just relax for long periods of time when your used to doing stuff and being active all the time!! But it doesn't take to many times of over doing it and then ""paying the piper"" afterwards that giving in to a more easy life style is the better way to go!! Even if it is only temporary!! LOL

RV Hauler Enjoy that winter Florida sunshine and heal and recover! Good Luck to YOU!

White Beard

Hello Rob,

I know it's been awhile, being it's 2021.
I am interested in the final outcome (hopefully there is a positive one) of your posterior cervical foraminotomy recovery.

I just have this done on Oct. 21, 2021, so 5 days ago.
Yep, the pain is crazy and more than I expected. The closest pain I've experienced besides this was donating my kidney and they cut you right under the belly button through all that muscle.
I think what hurts the most is the tops of the shoulders where those muscles are having spasms.

Any thoughts you want to share or ways of relief you did find, I am all ears.

Thanks Much,
Roy

Hello Susie,

Thank you for reaching out. There's something comforting about being able to relate with others, especially with in challenging circumstances like this one.
To answer your questions, which I don't mind......I have been given oxycodone HCL 5mg / 1 every 4 hours and Tizanidine HCL 4mg / 2 every 4 hours.
It's difficult to tell if the muscle relaxer is helping, outside of making me sleepy.
I have been using warm packs for the shoulders, as advised.
I have been using cold packs for the incision site.
Day 3-5 had no pain meds, as there were some complications getting the script filled. These were not good days.

The pain level reminders me much of the pain from a kidney transplant surgery I had done. As the donor, the incision is through the muscle walls below the belly button. Extreme pain at the core of the body. I'm finding that the neck seems to be the core of the upper body as it is sensitive to so many movements that I would have never noticed before.
Being at day 7, I thought that the pain would be less than it is. I also think my pain got out of control on day 3-5 (no meds) and I'm still catching up from that.
I think what surprises me the most is the "tightness" and pain from the shoulder muscles (trapezius muscle).

Thanks for listening, I will post more as time goes by so others can learn from my experiences.

Take care all....Roy

I set a alarm on my phone for medication reminders. I also set different ringtones for different medications. That way if I cannot read my phone when the alarm goes off. I don't get busy and forget to take the medication.