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90 days after 4 level ACDF surgery

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Posted 7/15/2014 8:51 PM (GMT 0)

Hi-new to this site (and forums in general) but I need to reach out to others who have had this surgery. 

 

In 1978, I slipped off of a high diving board at a public pool and landed face first on the concrete...I have had neck problems since. In 2003 the pain became 'chronic' and I've done everything you can imagine---nothing helped. So-I opted for the surgery. I had a 4 level ACDF on April 10, 2014 and - YIKES- it has not been an easy road!

 

I'm curious how others have done. I went back to work after 1 month (part time-then full time after another month). My muscles are still so tender and I always feel exhausted. Any tips would be appreciated!

Posted 7/15/2014 9:00 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Whip, and welcome to our Forum.

If you take a moment and read through the forum, you'll see many posts written by people who have had multiple level ACDF. So you found a great forum with great people and many stories to be shared.

It's always helpful, I've found, to not only share our experiences, but to learn from others as well. In that regard, you will find a lot of support here!









M.


PS: (I'm a former diver, and have to say,....OUCH!)
Posted 7/15/2014 9:21 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Whipthrash & welcome to the chronic pain forum. Wow, 4 levels done & you returned to work in a month part-time!!!! Whose idea was this, yours, the employer or heaven forbid the dr? I am shocked that you went back that quickly. What kind of work do you do? We have lots of new people here at the forum that have had cervical fusions just recently. To my knowledge none of them returned to work that quickly. You may want to look through this front page & the 2nd page and you should find several of those posts.

Are you by chance taking a good muscle relaxer? If not you probably should be, as muscles spasms are a very common problem after surgery for months.

Keep checking back as others will pop on & see this. I am really sorry that you returned to work so soon, as many times jumping out there too quick can cause lots of problems. Take care.
Posted 7/15/2014 9:44 PM (GMT 0)
Hi there and Welcome,

You've come at a good time to find others who share your situation. Which levels were fused? Did you wear a collar? And I also hope you are on a muscle relaxer. Have you had any swallowing issues? Are you able to rest your neck and shoulders in a comfortable chair several times a day at your job?

Everyone is different and every surgery is different. You will read that many times here. But we all understand pain as I'm sure you do too. My own surgery nearly 7 months ago was done from the posterior, so I'm stretching the recovery out longer. I also did not join this site until after the surgery. The kind, helpful people here have shared lots of good advice and encouraged me along the way. I'm sure you will find the same thing.
Posted 7/16/2014 11:44 AM (GMT 0)
Hello Whip and welcome to the CP forum at HW. I'm like everyone else, 4 levels and back at work inside of 6 months? That's amazing but also may be your culprit! We see a whole lot of surgeries and far more failures then successes here mainly because those without problems don't seek support forums? The biggest thing working against your success is rushing recovery and not allowing your body the time and energy it needs to heal.

It's a long and slow process and 4 levels is a lot for your body to contend with. During the healing plenty of rest is crucial as exhaustion comes on quickly when your body is using everything it's got to mend. Exercising by Drs orders, following his and pt guidelines is important, good healthy eating habits with plenty of fresh vegetables and protein to aide in healing is also crucial. Most important is not setting your expectations too high for when you should be doing this or that since everyone heals at different speeds. Don't get discouraged since 2 levels can take 6-12 months before feeling more normal.

This is a great support forum and has an awesome post archive so use the search features at the top of the page and you can see everything thats ever been written here about the procedure and recovery.
Posted 7/16/2014 2:39 PM (GMT 0)
Hello Whip and welcome

I had 3-level ACDF in January, C4,5-C6,7. I cannot image being back to work so soon. I am 57 and probably a slow healer. At 4 month I was feeling better, but then started PT and the pain returned.

When my surgeon informed me at 4 months I was outside the healing curve, I asked what he expected. He indicated he had patients who were fully recovered at 4 months and did not require PT or further follow-up appointments. Made me feel bad, but glad for those inside the curve.

I took the approach that ACDF is major surgery and decided not put myself in a position to retreat on healing. Others on this forum validated that. Like you, been In pain for a long time, and do not want to jeopardize the possibility of a major step forward. If my shoulders and neck hurt and burned, or I needed medication, I was doing too much and retreated to my recliner with either ice or a heating pad.

I decided to shut it done early on, and come back strong when my body was ready for it. Good luck and again, welcome.

Texas122
Posted 7/16/2014 5:48 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for all the feedback...very helpful!
MY STORY: I had 4 levels (C3-C4, C4-C5, C5-C6, C6-C7) discs removed and a synthetic material for the fusion. Can you post pictures here? It would be cool to see other X-rays and MRI's of the same injury, procedure and post op follow ups. My neck was really bad...the surgeon walked in the waiting room to talk to my husband following my surgery & his first words were, "Man, her neck was ALL JACKED UP!" (Seriously. exact words.) Anyway, the surgery, originally scheduled for 1.5 hrs, took nearly 3 hours. *UGH!* My original injury occurred in 1978 when I was 10, so, years of neglect & abuse (head bangers ball...) had driven me to a lowly state :(


BACK TO WORK: I primarily sit at work & returned after 1 month - because I needed to, not because my boss was pushing me. I've missed SO MUCH work in the past several months prior to the surgery that couldn't just sit at home knowing I could be sitting at my desk and get caught up. Additionally, my home life is stressful and I couldn't wait to get away-even for 4 hours a day!

My doctor wanted me off for a couple of months but, after a little begging, he agreed to release me to 20 hours per week @ 1 month post op. I know, I know---I am my worst enemy! Anyway-I have an awesome employer who allows me to go to my PT appointments during working hours, bought me this incredible new chair that does everything but make breakfast in the morning plus installed a sit to stand station at my desk! :)~ Thank God I have the best employer EVER!!


CHANGES IN ME: I've lost 20 pounds. I still have trouble swallowing. I didn’t mind the weight loss because I had gained 20 pounds in the past year with all of the injections, steroids, pain meds, muscle relaxers…I usually existed in a drug induced coma and became completely inactive.


Anyway-I only take muscle relaxers and over the counter pain meds now. My muscles aren’t tone anymore and I need to work out but have no idea what is safe…any suggestions??? My muscles are still sore and tender in my neck and shoulders. I do some tennis ball self-massage for relief, but I have so many knots in my muscles that I could work on them for hours and never get them all out. I am hoping that’s something that goes away in the upcoming months…


OK- So out of all that (WHEW!) come more questions:
What exercise can I do to get back in shape?
Will these muscle knots ever go away or any tips on releasing the tension/pain?

I am going to read though the forum after work and hopefully find some good tips ;) Thanks!!!

Whip

I have made some paragraphs to make your post easier to read. Some of our members have tracking problems when reading.

Post Edited By Moderator (straydog) : 7/16/2014 12:49:01 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/16/2014 7:13 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Whip, well you are right, sometimes we can be our own worst enemy but then again there are times when we need to sit back & take a good hard look at the big picture, in other words stop putting the cart before the horse. I am not sure how old you are but I am guessing you are pretty young & still think you are bullet proof, well you aren't, lol. Its real easy when we are young & think we are but those are the ones that end paying for that way of thinking too. Been there done that. Wish I knew then what I know now.

First off, again listen to your body. Some of your pain is normal post op pain and the rest is a result of your over doing in a major way. The more you over do the more problems you are causing yourself. If you would read through the posts here on the folks that have had cervical fusions and see where these people are at and what they are doing you will see that you are doing way, way more activities than them. Even your dr knew returning to work so soon really was not in your best interest health wise. Spine surgery of any kind is a very traumatic surgery and the body needs time to heal & rest. What patients do post op is what determines the final outcome of the surgery & I sure hope you have a good outcome but I have some reservations in that area. Trying to hurry along the recovery does not work either. For a surgery such as yours it takes a lot of energy for the body to heal. Believe it or not but the neck is put under a lot of stress doing a desk job.

I would forget about working out for several months. You have plenty of time for that later. The main thing is to let things settle down & heal on the inside. I am afraid other than muscle relaxers, PT, alternating heat & ice & rest is the only way to get the muscles to relax & stop the spasms. The muscles need rest not alot activity at this point. This is your body's way of telling you there are problems going on. Talk to your dr about when he thinks it would be wise to start working out & specifically what to avoid. The less stress on your neck the better.

Again, look through the first two pages here at the forum & read about the folks that have had surgery the past few months. Take care.
Posted 7/17/2014 1:48 PM (GMT 0)
It does sound like you have the best boss ever! Congratulations on that. Your soreness and pain should heal but it takes much longer than 90 days. TIME is the biggest healer so just allow time to happen without messing it up too badly. Stress does not encourage healing, I'm sure you know that, so maybe work is best for you. I did not start PT until 3 months post op. It's great your boss allows you to go to PT during your work hours.

Check out the discussion on NSAID's and bone healing. We certainly don't want to slow down or stop this already long process. Were you in a cervical collar? That varies greatly from not at all to several months.

At your stage I found that when my pain was the greatest an ice pack and recliner gave quick relief-your wonderful office chair might also work. Now at 7 months post op the first thing I do is check my posture-shoulders back and head over my body rather than protruding and stretching those muscles. I get out of position most often when cooking or sitting at the computer.

Stay in touch and let us know how you are doing.
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