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Spinal surgery (ACDF) Why I had it and my recovery so far

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  • 25-01-2021 10:51pm
    #1
    xElDeeX
    Registered Users Posts: 142 ✭✭


    Hi,
    I'm 42yrs old and had a two level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion done just over a week ago. I know when I was trying to get information on this, some older threads here were a really good source. I thought I might document the process and my recovery here in case it is helpful to someone else. Also I have very little to do for a while so it may help fill the time!

    Mods, let me know if this is the wrong place for this. Thanks!


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    #2
    Gremlinertia
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Regional West Moderators Posts: 59,731 Mod ✭✭✭✭Gremlinertia


    Oh I'd love to hear about this, thank you OP


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    #3
    Esel
    Registered Users Posts: 22,002 ✭✭✭✭Esel


    +1

    Not your ornery onager



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    #4
    xElDeeX
    Registered Users Posts: 142 ✭✭xElDeeX


    OK so...where to begin?
    I suppose a bit on my history with neck pain. I'm not a stranger to it. I worked in a job for 17yrs that has a history of repetitive strain and trauma injuries to back, neck, wrists and shoulders but I felt like I had gotten away with it. I had a single two week absence from that job for neck pain - no imaging, pain resolved with rest and OTC medications.
    Two and a half years ago I moved to a job I love that is primarily desk based. During the summer when the restrictions eased a bit i started to see someone for some deep tissue massage for neck and shoulder pain I was having, mostly on the right side. Again that resolved itself via rest and massage so i didn't follow up on it. In late November I cancelled a run with a friend as my left neck and shoulder had started aching out of the blue. That was the last time I slept more than a couple of hours at a time until after my surgery. This pain was very different to my previous pain. It was on the left mostly and was accompanied by numbness of my left thumb and parts of my forearm and upper arm. There was also weakness on this side, so for example holding a pan or kettle on this side would not have been possible. I'm sure there are more interesting things i could have said I couldn't lift, but these were the most relevant working from home during a lockdown.
    This time the pain was also not relieved by OTC medication and it took a combination of oxynorm, solpedeine and an anti-inflammatory before it was bearable enough to deal with for a few hours. After weeks of physio and meds and no change in my symptoms my doctor sent me for an MRI. I think it was December 28th.
    If I could give a couple of pieces of advice....
    1. Don't become unwell during a global pandemic
    2. Don't become unwell over Christmas during a global pandemic
    If you follow those two steps you should be grand!

    More on MRI and consult in next post....


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    #5
    apache
    Registered Users Posts: 2,352 ✭✭✭apache


    I'd be interested to hear more on this. I started a thread many moons ago on the very same topic!
    I'll have to go back and check the year but for many years now I've been pain free. Any questions you have, just ask.
    Best of luck in your recovery.


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    #6
    xElDeeX
    Registered Users Posts: 142 ✭✭xElDeeX


    apache wrote: »
    I'd be interested to hear more on this. I started a thread many moons ago on the very same topic!
    I'll have to go back and check the year but for many years now I've been pain free. Any questions you have, just ask.
    Best of luck in your recovery.

    Apache, I think I read your whole thread before my surgery. Think your surgery was on lower back if I remember correctly? Gosh I sound like a real creeper now!
    Very similar surgery but shorter recovery time for mine thankfully! And thanks for your offer...early days yet!


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    #7
    xElDeeX
    Registered Users Posts: 142 ✭✭xElDeeX


    So I went to see a consultant in the Poynton Spinecare Clinic in Dublin relatively soon after my MRI. The result showed two ruptured discs as well as bone formation indicating more long term damage which was compressing the nerve root on the left and the spinal cord itself. It was surgery now, or some injections into the joints which may or may not work to delay surgery longer. TBH I had no time for option 2. Who has time to be hanging around like a half person for years? Maybe I'm being melodramatic but I wasn't particularly interested in a life that didn't include at least some of the activities I enjoyed before. Also, let's be real here, I couldn't handle the pain.

    At this stage my gp had put me on durogesic transdermal patches to try to avoid reliance on the oxynorm. I was still having significant breakthrough pain on this but was getting something resembling a nights sleep...the kind you get when your babies are very small, only this time I was the cry baby. I don't think I have a particularly low pain barrier but then who does?
    What i do know is that I delivered my second child, and have been through a bilateral pulmonary embolism on only paracetamol. Oh and I used to run a lot of cross country (only xc runners will get this one) and a handful of marathons so I think I'm quite ok with dealing with pain.

    So I decided to go ahead with surgery and was given a date of January 16th for the op.


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    #8
    apache
    Registered Users Posts: 2,352 ✭✭✭apache


    How is the pain? What painkillers are you on?


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    #9
    xElDeeX
    Registered Users Posts: 142 ✭✭xElDeeX


    apache wrote: »
    How is the pain? What painkillers are you on?

    Very manageable since the surgery. I'm still on the durogesic patch and paracetamol for now. I was written up for oxynorm too but refusing to take any as I can get by without it, and I want this episode over as soon as possible. I'm dreading coming off the patch but want that done before I go back to work.


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    #10
    xElDeeX
    Registered Users Posts: 142 ✭✭xElDeeX


    I went for my pre-op assessment on the Wednesday prior to my surgery date and all went well. It was kind of exciting to get out of the house and go somewhere different to be totally honest. Got the all clear on my swabs etc and was called the day before the op to say I was going to be second on the list so needed to be at the hospital for 6.30am. My partner dropped me off at the door with time to spare and I went straight to admissions. As it turns out the patient 1st on the list hadn't shown up yet so by 7.30 I was in the little room beside the operating theatre chatting to the anaesthetist.

    The next bit i have no info on, but the next thing I knew I was in recovery and it was 11ish. My throat was sore but I could speak and was able for tea and toast. Within a few hours I was in my bed on the ward and able to walk with a bit of supervision. Walking itself was fine, but holding up my enormous head was a bit of an issue. Most importantly though the arm pain was gone and so was the numbness. Obviously i wasn't totally pain free but it was a huge improvement and when the surgeon saw me late that evening he was really happy with how the procedure had gone and my response so far.

    That night was OK considering I had just had surgery. I slept for 4-5 hrs and then napped throughout most of the following day. The surgeon came again and was delighted to find me up and around in my dressing gown. I was less delighted as I had a face mask on when he came in! It sounds a bit self indulgent but I just wanted to do something normal and those little pampering moments was of the things I missed out on by being in so much pain over the Christmas break. The surgeon got the nurse then and she took my drain out...really not as bad as I thought!
    One more baby step to normality....


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    #11
    Colonel Claptrap
    Registered Users Posts: 945 ✭✭✭Colonel Claptrap


    Keep the updates coming.

    I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease in the summer. Similar left bicep, forearm and thumb pain. Along with weakness and pains and needles.

    Disc fusion was suggested which freaked me out. I asked for an alternative and was told an injection might help but no guarantees. I opted for the injection and have been pain free since.

    Coming down off tramadol and solpodol was horrific.

    Hope recovery is going well OP.


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    #12
    xElDeeX
    Registered Users Posts: 142 ✭✭xElDeeX


    Colonel Claptrap wrote: »
    Keep the updates coming.

    I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease in the summer. Similar left bicep, forearm and thumb pain. Along with weakness and pains and needles.

    Disc fusion was suggested which freaked me out. I asked for an alternative and was told an injection might help but no guarantees. I opted for the injection and have been pain free since.

    Coming down off tramadol and solpodol was horrific.

    Hope recovery is going well OP.

    Delighted to hear the injection worked for you! Is all of the feeling back?
    Maybe I should have given that a shot first?

    I suppose surgery didn't phase me as I worked with a surgical team for years and spent my share or hours in theatre. Also, because of the PE in 2019 and months spent recovering + making sure I didn't have cancer (ct showed masses in lungs and other organs) my life was on hold for ages. I was just back into the swing of things and getting my fitness back when this happened. So just desperate to get back to my life more permanently.


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    #13
    apache
    Registered Users Posts: 2,352 ✭✭✭apache


    xElDeeX wrote: »
    Very manageable since the surgery. I'm still on the durogesic patch and paracetamol for now. I was written up for oxynorm too but refusing to take any as I can get by without it, and I want this episode over as soon as possible. I'm dreading coming off the patch but want that done before I go back to work.
    That's great, if you can do without the painkillers do it. They caused me a whole heap of trouble coming off them.


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    #14
    xElDeeX
    Registered Users Posts: 142 ✭✭xElDeeX


    The first week home after surgery was pretty good. I was tired enough and using enough pain medication that I was sleeping 16hrs a day at least. No time to be bored! Also, I was just so delighted that my arm symptoms were gone.

    Towards the end of the week I started to have more issues with breakthrough pain in various locations (not in the arm) and at night finding a comfortable pillow or combination of pillows to sleep on. I'm a side sleeper but hadn't been able to sleep in any position except my back since the neck issue started. Now I could sleep on my side, but was waking up with an aching neck and then the following day would be a 'down' day as a result.

    I checked out a few orthopedic pillows online but due to a combination of wanting quick delivery and not wanting to waste money on something useless, I ended up buying a putnam pillow from a local medical supply place. Four days later and I'm waking up without any sleep position induced neck pain so I'll stick with it permanently i think. I'm going to turn into one of those people who brings their pillow on holidays....if holidays are a thing again!

    Activity wise, I've gradually increased my walking time up to about 20 mins twice a day. I have asked if I can increase to the 5-7 miles i was walking daily before the surgery but I've been told to keep it light until 6 weeks at least.

    This morning I took off my durogesic patch and started the transition back to oxynorm to taper off. I'm not excited about this. I have a couple of weeks worth of patches left, but I also have no intention of having the DTs on my first week back at work. My boss agrees.

    Arragh sure it will be grand!


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    #15
    xElDeeX
    Registered Users Posts: 142 ✭✭xElDeeX


    Day 1 fully without the patch today. It didn't start great as woke up at 3 with the a bad case of the 3AMs....too hot, too cold, no comfy position, every noise like a gunshot, legs wanting to go off for a walk by themselves etc. Eventually I took oxynorm at 5am and passed out. I awoke at 10.30 feeling like I'd had 2 bottles of red and a couple of shots of jose cuervo especial, which was not the best but also made me really happy i hadn't had the glass of red I had been considering as I would totally have blamed that!
    It took two paracetamol and another hour before I had the guts to brush my teeth. If this is tapering what is cold turkey like?

    The good news is my neck feels good. No significant pain in the neck and none at all in the arm so happy days!


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    #16
    xElDeeX
    Registered Users Posts: 142 ✭✭xElDeeX


    Today marks 3 weeks post op and I can officially say I am off all painkillers. Better again I've had two nights in a row of unassisted sleep...disturbed and a bit tossy and turny but circa 6 hrs of shut-eye. I'll take it!

    Pain levels are good. My neck and shoulders get a little achy in the afternoon and evening but its early days yet. I haven't tried driving yet. Maybe next week.

    I'm due back at work in another week but I'll see how I feel this coming week. While I'm lucky enough to be able to work from home, it does involve long hours in front of multiple screens and has tended to exacerbate neck pain in the past despite a good screen set up etc.

    Anyone have any advice about the return to work? When they did it and if they felt it was the right time? To be clear, work are supportive so I don't think they will have an issue if I need more time.


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    #17
    hwr5ytu356
    Registered Users Posts: 119 ✭✭hwr5ytu356


    How are you progressing now with your Recovery ?


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    #18
    xElDeeX
    Registered Users Posts: 142 ✭✭xElDeeX


    hwr5ytu356 wrote: »
    How are you progressing now with your Recovery ?

    Mostly great! The return to work was a bit rough at first but I'm now well back into the swing of things. The neck is perfect Monday to Wednesday and then need to baby it a bit towards the end of the week. Generally the rest over the weekend then resets me.
    I was cleared by my surgeon for return to normal activity about 6 wks ago and did try a few short runs but that does seem to make my arm symptoms come back so I've put that on pause for now. I'm working with a physio to strengthen my neck muscles so hopefully that will come back in time.
    So on balance, no regrets! If you have any specific questions I'm happy to answer them.


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    #19
    hwr5ytu356
    Registered Users Posts: 119 ✭✭hwr5ytu356


    Great to hear that you are doing well. It gives me hope !

    I've got an MRI in 2 weeks but I think my symptoms (and more specifically the change in them over the last 5 years) has more or less made up my Surgeons mind.
    Im excited at the thoughts of not have nagging neck and shoulder pain / irritation ruling my life. It's at the stage were it's impossible to plan things in advance as I never know how I am going to be on any particular day.

    In the US alot of people end up with hard collars for a while, do you know if that's common practice here?

    Thanks alot.


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    #20
    xElDeeX
    Registered Users Posts: 142 ✭✭xElDeeX


    hwr5ytu356 wrote: »
    Great to hear that you are doing well. It gives me hope !

    I've got an MRI in 2 weeks but I think my symptoms (and more specifically the change in them over the last 5 years) has more or less made up my Surgeons mind.
    Im excited at the thoughts of not have nagging neck and shoulder pain / irritation ruling my life. It's at the stage were it's impossible to plan things in advance as I never know how I am going to be on any particular day.

    In the US alot of people end up with hard collars for a while, do you know if that's common practice here?

    Thanks alot.

    Hard collar never mentioned to me anyway. Good luck with the MRI and hopefully you will get some relief from surgery if that's the route you go down.


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