[tpm]

MJC Wrote:Tpm,
Thanks for the wave....sending one back to you right now. Hope you are feeling better. You may want to start another thread .......

Look for my new thread MJC

[Pooh]

Tweety

I have a bulge at c6-c7 and so far have not had surgery partly because of wanting to get the shoulder done first hoping that it will help ease some of the pain in the neck and maybe some of the migraines as well. Again I must point out mine is not herniated at this point.

But I have also had lots of problems over the past couple of years with tos and problems like what badboy does as well. lower back pain - problems with both shoulders (and I know that I need surgery on both but starting with right first), spasms in the middle back, and migraines that break through even though I take preventative medication on bad pain days.

So we all know your fears about surgery. But the question is what do you really want? If you want - you can always seek a 2nd opinion and see what a different neurosurgeon says. In my case - doctors believe that some of my neck pain may be relieved by shoulder surgery - i.e. referred pain type of thing from the shoulders.

But bad boy is so right - people can't tell if we are in pain or not - only we know when we are in pain. And to be honest with you - if someone asks me if I am havinga good day or bad day - since some do know I have problems - I tell them honestly.

[tweety00]

I tell  customers at work that "im here" when I hurt and if its  good day then you see me joking around with customers ...

cant say I do alot of that with employers ..... Always watching  to see if im breaking restrictions since I get asked about How can you do that ...." sit and tear  box apart ".... didnt know using my arms is against any restrictions ..open both ends and fold it down (how does that hurt back or neck )

Hubby pissed me off I havent told anyone at work about surgery ... but he did .... so now hq....... im sure knows even though gossiping can get you wroteup lol .......

[Babebahn]

I hope all goes well for you! We will be here for you to help you through the recovery period.

[tweety00]

update After talking to nurse it looks like this wont be happening untill july at the earlist ..... hoping pt might help ...... just afraid that continuing same job at work will only make it worse
At the spine center they have you sign a paper that you can only get restrictions etc when you see doctor ... or refills .. so
Im checking out all different things that can be done first ... waiting on the reports and mri xrays to be mailed to me and referring doctor ..

All adjusters Lie ( sorry but I feel alot better now )

[ONEILLCLAN]

I just had this surgery on 4/17/07. The first couple days was terrible. I have a problem with nausea. I told the surgeon before surgery. He tried me on phenagran but it did not help. It took two days and four IV later for them to get in under control. I also had the hip to deal with . My hip is still swollen, I have named the small lump area a goiter since that is what it reminds me of. The pain in the arm and shoulder area is better. The numbness is gone. The first week sucks, can't sleep with collar. I am weaned off the collar now, Thanks Be To God. I hated that thing, felt like it was choking me. I still have a hard time swallowing pills, choke easy. My head and shoulders felt like they had been in a vice. All the pain pretty much is the first week. Good luck, God Bless.

Oneillclan

[snowbear]

tweety...about a year ago I had C5-6 and C6-7 fused with cadaver bone and hardware. Most of the sleep I get is in the recliner because the pressure on my neck when I lay down seems to flare everything up. Still get horrible headaches but not as often. Tops of shoulders always ache, burn, and feel heavy. I haven't seen the neurosurgeon for quite awhile so I don't know if I'm finally fusing or not. Tingling in the fingers is gone most of the time...once in awhile I still get the tingling but not anything like b4 surgery. I have one of the neck pillows that jayne mentioned so I'm going to have to try using it while I lay down. The reason jayne asked if you're a red head is becuz they tend to have alot of scar tissue...jayne has complications becuz of it. If I had the opportunity to go back and choose surgery or not, I would still choose the surgery. Best of luck to you and know we're all pulling for you.

[jayne]

I would not choose the surgery if I could go back and knew what I know now...scar tissue has made it worse

[HAPPYHIPCIN05]

punk Wrote:YOU ARE AWESOME FOR PUTTING SO MUCH TIME INTO THIS RESPONSE
Tweety, while I'm not a cervie I am a nurse who's had some experience with these kinds of procedures. Being scared is natural...I was when I had my laminectomy in 01-06!! Still scares the hooey outta me when I think about the fact that I've probably got at minimum of 2 surgeries left to get all of this fixed!! LOL
It's a fairly straightforward procedure that they do these days. Sometimes they don't want to keep them overnight but we nurses do our best to find something, anything to keep them just so we can observe them for any problems that could possibly arrise! Wicked, aren't we?
The incision will be fairly well hidden...they usually try to hide it in a fold or something like that. You'll have a dressing that's rather bulky when you wake up. I know that some of my patients said that they felt like they were being strangled. That's because there's swelling going on and the fact that we had an ice pack place there to help with that. Some have said though that the collar, while not fashion conscious, did help them greatly because they felt as if their head was going to fall off!! LOL It's not, but that's what they said it felt like!
For nurses, our greatest fears for the immediate post operative period were, other than the anesthesia risks/complications, bleeding, severe swelling, throid complications and the risk of the patient over-doing it!! Of the times that I've had patients of this nature....I didn't have any major complications that would cause the Dr. to get out of his cozy bed!! LOL Our concerns were usually able to be fixed by some critical thinking and/or a phone call. The biggest problems that we faced were low blood pressure after the surgery, nausea (which we were able to fix with a does of IV medication), and pain. More often than not, the latter two were the most prevalent!! It's easy for me to sit here and tell you not to worry, it's a piece of cake....but that's not fair, I'm not the one going under the knife so to speak. I can tell though, that if it were me....I'd be equally as scared as you, even with my background and knowledge to draw upon. As humans, we always find the worst possible scenario and dwell on that.....that's just the way we are!! LOL
It's also been my experience that while they say you'll be good as new in 4-6 weeks....it's more realistic to think that it'll be more like 8-12 weeks. That's just how the body works. So, if things are slower than what the Dr. stated on the phone today....don't be alarmed...everyone is different!!
All you need to do is follow the Dr.'s instructions to a "T" and be sure to ask any question that you don't know the answer to!! It's their job to inform you and answer all of these...they should never get upset or angry with a patient. Even though they do many, many of these procedures...they sometimes loose sight to the fact that this is your first time!!! Hopefully your last, too!!
Whenever I had to do the patient teaching I always told them, no matter what the procedure, that the pain pills are given to you for a reason...don't be afraid to use them. If you use them in the manner in which they were prescribed you shouldn't have any problems. Take a pain pill before you leave the hospital...noting the time. If they don't offer you one...ask for it!! Then take them every 4-6 hours (however they're prescribed) for 4-5 days. Then start tapering down to only when you need them. Reminder: The second day post-op is always the worst for some stupid reason!! It seem that the day you have surgery and the next you feel good as new...then WHAMMY!! it sneaks up on you and puts you on your butt!!!!!!!! Don't get alarmed over this. This is your body's way of saying, "OUCH, someone did something to me and I've got to fix it!" Reason being, that's usually how long it'll take for the greatest part of the anesthesia to wear off!!
Make sure you stay hydrated after surgery. It's easy to just sleep off the pain pills and everything else they've given you during the course of your surgery. Constipation could become a problem. Hydration will help this as well. If it were me, I'd take a couple of stool softeners the night before your surgery and then everyday afterwards for about 2 weeks. This way you won't have to strain to have a bowel movement. Straining after a surgery like this isn't something you'll want to do. If you've never been constipated, this isn't the time to see what it's like!!! Trust me on this one!!! Between the lack of activity and pain medications this can become a real problem. If you've never been constipated then when you do get that way you won't recognize it because you'll feel as if you're having a heart attack!! You'll find it hard to breathe, chest pains, sweating and all of that!! Then when you go to the ER because you're scared to death that you're dying they'll do all the cardiac tests as well as some x-rays...then they'll come in and tell you, essentially, that you're full of hooey!!!! LOL It's not funny, but afterwards it is!! Then they'll give you as many enemas as it takes to get you started...then you'll be sent home again!!! So.....BE SURE TO STAY HYDRATED!!!
Good luck.....hope this helps a little. I realize that I didn't give you much of a patient's viewpoint, but I was able to give you the nursing side!! The nurse at the hospital will give you more in depth details of what to expect and such. If she doesn't....ask her...it's her job to do this and if she doesn't then she's not doing her job!!!!