Neck surgery

maer
maer Member Posts: 4
edited 25. Jan 2020, 09:59 in Living with arthritis
Hello. Has anyone on here had surgery to remove the pressure off their spinal cord. I have four discs that have deteriorated through arthritis and one of the options I have been given is surgery involving fusion of the four discs. I am aware of the risks and the fact that I will lose mobility in my neck but wondered if anyone had had this operation and how they fared. Thank you

Comments

  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,764
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi maer and welcome.

    Sorry, no. Lots of surgery: none on neck. My neck's all fused itself though. It's good in that it doesn't hurt now but bad in that I have virtually no movement in it.

    My advice would be to listen carefully to what your consultant is saying. If they sound at all reluctant it's usually not a good idea. Of course, they have to list downsides and warn of dangers but that's routine before all surgery. 'Would you have it done?' might be a reasonable question to ask.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • Mike1
    Mike1 Member Posts: 1,992
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Would love such an operation if it negated the pain in my neck, even if I was left with no mobility, however my neurosurgeon stated that he would not operate as there was too great a risk of paralysis and that was that!
  • Saltmarsh
    Saltmarsh Member Posts: 42
    Surgery on the neck is extremely serious. A friend had it and it did work, but the long postoperative period was so terribly hard that she wished she'd never had it. Do bear in mind that the head is incredibly heavy. My own cervicle discs are out, but I would not contemplate surgery unless actually advised to do so. Best wishes.
  • Trish9556
    Trish9556 Member Posts: 702
    I was due to have an ACDF last September to assist with inability to move my neck more than half way between front facing and toward left shoulder, pain, nerve issues related to pins and needles pain and numbness due to arthritis in C4-C8 since 2013

    Luckily my surgeon discovered that my left vertebral artery was in the wrong place which would have meant he would've gone right through it when making his incision literally days before surgery.

    Unluckily they now don't know how to deal with my neck and have been referred to Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford. I haven't yet found out what action is being taken but have had a phone consultation just before covid 19 struck do they know what I'm going through.

    I would love to know how you get on. Go with your gut and your surgeon, only you know your pain and good luck. Trish

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