Other surgery needed after Foraminotomy?

Yes, I needed three total and the results were not positive, but you may have a totally different outcome if you need a second one.

Your apprehension is obviously justified by your experience with the first one, but consultation with your medical team sounds both wise and needed because of your intense pain.

I wish there was a magic answer but delving into the cause is the first step it seems. Potential negative outcomes have to be weighed against how much you can endure the way it is now. Prayers go from us to you and good wishes.

Hello JLSAS & welcome to the chronic pain forum. So sorry to read what you have going on, no wonder you are stressed out so much.

We have & had many members that have had various types of cervical surgeries. I suggest you use the forum search at the top & type in cervical foraminotomy & see what you can pull up in the older threads. We do ask that you not post on those older threads as we like to keep them off of the main page & there is a good chance the original poster is no longer active here in the forum. You will get a much better response asking questions here.

I do hope that you plan to get a 2nd opinion about the surgery that has been recommended. It is always best to be safe than sorry. I suggest to anyone having any type of surgery such as yours to get a 2nd & sometimes a 3rd opinion. If this were me it would be with the best neurosurgeon I could find & that would also be the dr I would let do my surgery. They have more training & experience dealing with nerves & surgery.

Recently one of members had spine surgery recommended & the dr wanted to do the surgery over 2 days which is unheard of to begin with & suggested several levels were needing surgery. Something told her to listen to her gut feeling that this did not sound right. She found another surgeon & got a 2nd opinion. Her surgery will be done in one day & the 2nd opinion said she did not need surgery on all of those levels. He said those other levels showed some problems but nothing that would warrant surgery.

Take your time & don't rush into anything & do your homework & get another opinion. Take care.

Its always upsetting to have surgery & then not have the outcome we hope for. May I ask what type of specialist did your first surgery? I would like to suggest that you consult with a board certified, fellowship trained neurosurgeon. I have seen some of the best ones in my area, however, my son was referred to one for neck problems & his was the one with all the bells & whistles & let me tell you, quite a difference all the way around. What I like is they care enough to go some extra distance in their schooling to hone their craft. Something to consider.

You are right, you are far too young to be dealing with these issues but we see this a lot here. You may be like me & come from what I call the bad gene pool. Long family history on both sides of the family of health issues that were passed on.

I would have to hope with the right surgeon, provided the 2nd opinion agrees on what needs to be done, to get the best neuro I could & I have to believe the 2nd time around would have to improve your situation overall. I am not convinced the first surgery was done completely right for you to have fared the way you did. There is always room for improvement, keep that thought in mind too.

Hang in there & of course we believe in prayers around here.

Straydog, I had my first surgery done at the Laser Spine Institute in Scottsdale, AZ and it was performed by an Orthopedic surgeon. At the time, we were looking for a less invasive answer and this seemed like an attractive option at the time, less recovery time, no metal, etc. Recovery time couldn't have been further from the truth and I still regret going with them. Maybe it works for some people but it was a disaster for me. I'm still unclear whether this was due to it being performed incorrectly, the trauma of being awake during the surgery or some other issue. I was sent home dosed up with morphine the same day of the surgery and in the night my legs were so swollen I couldn't walk properly but didn't think to mention it to the person caring for me. I was told by an MD friend that this is the result of them pumping you full of steroids after the surgery. I was back at the clinic the next day and had to have more morphine and couldn't stop vomiting. All around nightmare. Apparently, even if you wake up during surgery you aren't supposed to remember but I have odd reactions to a lot of meds and amnesiacs not working seems to be one of them! There is a lot of degenerative joint issues in my family and two of my sisters and I seem to have gotten the worst of the faulty genes... I am planning to see a neurosurgeon and to get a second opinion after that. Also plan to see a Neurologist friend who will give me a very honest opinion about what is recommended. I appreciate your taking the time to comment and for the prayers. Can always use more of those! :)

JLSAS, thanks. I just hope I can give some insight by what I went through. My first surgery was by a neurosurgeon, no problems. The one that wanted to do excessive surgery is an ortho guy. Getting ready for my new procedure with neuro. I am just glad I got 3 opinions.
Be sure you are informed on what is being done. You can even view some surgeries on youtube. I watched what I am having on there. It's a short version of what's being done.
Any surgeon should be more than willing to answer all your questions.
Good luck. Hope you find an awesome surgeon.