neck/back surgery

1968FormulaS340 said

I had C4/5 and C5/6 fused in my neck. My right arm was going dead (pressure on the nerve) Got to the point where it was not strong enough to lift 5 pounds.

I was fine one day...... Got up one morning, yawned and stretched, then bang... Felt like I pulled a muscle in my neck and shoulder.

Herniated discs, bone spurs, you name it, I had it. After reading the MRI report the doctor asked "What did you do?"

Then she told me....... "You need a new neck."



Long story short......... Had surgery about 3 weeks after my diagnosis. It immediately fixed everything.

I was off work about 3 months because of lifting, pushing and pulling restrictions. (but this will depend on the kind of work you do, if your job is less physically demanding you could be back to work in weeks.)

Click to expand...

My story is similar but different. Took a bad fall off my new porch and whacked my head on concrete. neck and head hurt like h and my left arm also. It turns out the bones in my neck, which have been bothering me quite a while, had severe arthritus and the fall caused some nerve damage so my left thumb and forefinger were numb. The doc replaced 3 neck bones and screwed them together with a plate and 6 screws. Shoulda done it years ago. Neck is fine now but sometimes it clicks and hurts, guess the other bones are having to take up the movement and they are unhappy.

But the nerve damage is still there and the left arm is still evaporating away. Must be something else wrong. Then again I can still ride the dirt bike and drive the tractor and the rod so all is not lost.

I was back at work the next week - it was amazing how fast that recovered. The scar was the worst part and it is now almost invisible. Been a year. Do not be scared about that neck operatipon. Not sure about a back though.

Be careful about who you let do the operation. My surgeon had his neck done and the guy who trained him did the work. Used the wrong sizebones and it had to be re-done. Different guy did the rework.