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5 Months Post ACDF Surgery (C5-C7) - Discomfort Questions

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Posted 2/4/2016 10:52 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone.

I am 5 months post ACDF surgery (C5-C7) and have a bit of discomfort in a couple of areas. Although it appears that I will have permanent tingling in my left hand middle finger, index finger and thumb, I can deal with that compared to the discomfort I have where the incision was made as well as the pain I have while trying to turn my head.

Every morning, I wake up and it feels like I have a weight across my neck where the incision was made. I feel the discomfort more on the inside than on the outside. It lessens a little as I get up and move around, so that is good. The other thing I have noticed is that when I deeply cough or clear my throat, it feels like something is pressing up against my esophagus. I seem to feel it more when I tilt my chin down toward my chest while coughing or clearing my throat. I also seem to not swallow as easily since the surgery.

In regards to the neck pain while trying to turn my head, I am limited to how far I can look to the left or right without having to actually turn my upper body (like when coming to an intersection and having to look both ways). This has not only been painful but a bit frustrating. The pain starts at the base of the back of the neck and the more I turn my head, the more the pain starts to come up the back of my neck. If I accidentally turn it too far, the pain shoots over the top of my head to my forehead and it becomes like a temporary strong headache.

I am just curious what everyone's thoughts are about if this is normal at this point and I should just be more patient or if I should start pressing the doctor a little harder for better answers.

Thank you!
Posted 2/5/2016 2:26 AM (GMT 0)
Hello Web & welcome to Healing Well. Its a shame you didn't find us before your surgery. We have quite a few members here that have had cervical fusions & some have documented their surgery & recovery for others like yourself to read. Very informative information provided by these members.

The tingling in your fingers may in time go away. Because thats the nerves involved they just have to heal on their own & there is no time limit on when that will happen. It will be a situation where one day you realize the tingling is gone. I do not recall anyone complaining of the esophagus situation you speak of. Have you told your surgeon about this. The restriction when turning your head this happens when a fusion is done. Loss of range of motion is very common. I am guessing the surgeon didn't tell you this. You are not that far out from surgery & you are still in the healing process so you still have room for more improvement. It takes a good 18 months to completely heal from a fusion. I bet the dr said 6 weeks, they usually do. They read that in a text book but as you have probably found out it really does not happen that way. The swallowing should also get better, again give it more time. We tell folks that are getting ready to have spine surgery that time is going to become your new best friend. All in all it sounds like you are doing pretty decent. Has your dr discussed sending you for physical therapy? Are you on a muscle relaxer?

You can use our search feature at the top & type in the name Abilene, Birder Nancy or WhiteBeard to read about their surgery. Also at the top of this page is CP101, if you will scroll down towards the bottom of the page there are tips from members that have had this surgery. There may be something there to help you.

Welcome aboard.
Posted 2/5/2016 3:35 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome!

Sorry you are having trouble adjusting and healing. Were you in a neck collar at first? I suggest you try different pillows to see if that changes how you feel when you wake up. I've found a very flat one works best for me. My own fusion surgery was posterior so I did not have the swallowing and throat issues that are common after anterior surgery. Posterior has different issues.

Were you told to expect some permanent loss of movement? It sounds like you may be trying to force movement and that's not good. It's fused but has not had time to fully heal yet, so please don't try to make it move more than what is easily possible. Have you seen an x-ray picture showing your hardware that is holding your neck in place? That picture certainly helped me to understand why I was so stiff necked! Birder Nancy's post includes a picture of her x-ray.

In my own case the last constant pain to end was at 13 months post op. I could still over do after that and cause pain and still can do that at two years post op-just not so often. Ice packs have been my greatest, quickest relief method.

Like Susie, I think it sounds like you are doing well so far. Just don't force any movement and do talk to your doctor about that. Physical Therapy started for me just after 3 months post op and was very helpful. The PT did not force movement or have me do anything that caused pain.

THINK FUSION is the motto for those of us who have had this surgery. Welcome to the club!
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