persistent problems after cervical laminectomy

Hello DGG & welcome to the chronic pain forum. Glad you found us but so sorry that you have to be here.

It really has not been that long since your surgery so, yes, it is normal to have this much pain afterwards. When do you see the surgeon again? The surgery itself was pretty traumatic to the body in general & you probably have lots of inflammation going on inside, not to mention some pretty bad muscle spasms. Unfortunately, drs speak from the textbooks when they give a patient the surgery & post op story. That has nothing to do with with every day living as you have found out. If most people knew how involved these spine surgeries are they would think long & hard before taking that step.

It sounds also like you have some nerve involvement which is pretty typical too, however, there are medications your dr can put you on to help with that, you should have a good muscle relaxer to take too. Watch your posture too, that is something some of our members were having some problems with. Once they started paying attention to their posture it helped. Alternate using heat & ice. Some of members that have had cervical fusions, found their recliner became their best friend.

Don't get down, like I said you are still pretty fresh from surgery. Allow your body the time it needs to heal, don't try to rush things, that will work against you.

Take care.

Well, although I'm quite sorry to see you're suffering, I know firsthand that, as mentioned in another response to your post, docs love to minimize recovery time; its a universal problematic issue that appears to only be getting more common as the medical profession moves ahead.

. Now, as for your pain and its mgt., you obviously have a minimalist surgeon because if you're experiencing all these issues post operatively, then your doctor is simply undertreating your pain.

. I had pain for almost a year and a half after my spinal fusion and even though my fusion was lumbar, remember that your spine is what essentially keeps you walking upright, as well as, keeping your head supported on your shoulders.

. As a long time Naval surgical corpsman, I have seen so much of what you're describing that its the rule rather than a rarity.

. Furthermore, if you're experiencing all this pain and numbness, then you're in need of first better support for your neck.

. Remember, you are in charge of your recovery.and if your surgeon isn't taking your post op issues seriously, then its time to get into a university run pain mgt. treatment program. There is simply no reason that you should have to suffer at all.

. We all need to advocate our own recovery and if you cannot get your surgeon to listen, then move on.

. Best of luck and feel better soon.

I have gone in & edited your post quite a bit. The owner of Healing Well has a few rules in place that the members are required to honor to keep this a safe web site. Rendering medical advice & being respectful of a persons choice of medical treatment are a couple of those rules. The rules are located at the top & please keep them in mind when posting at Healing Well. Thanks.

Post Edited By Moderator (straydog) : 2/25/2015 9:51:03 AM (GMT-7)