CERVICAL DISK SURGERY

I had the same surgery a few weeks ago and they put in a fibre cage to replace the disc, is this the same as yourself? What did they replace your disc with? I was told the same do not lift more that 2kg and i can't tilt my head back to take a drink as there feels like there is an obstruction. As for the pain its not bad and i am going back to work next week.

Take care
Samara
SCOTLAND

I HAVE 2 MEDAL PLATES AND 2 SCREWS AND BRACET IN THERE I CAN DRINK OK IT DOESN'T BOTHER ME WERE THEY PUT THE DISK IT IS JUST MOSTLY IN THE FRONT BUT I DONT GET TO GO BACK TO WORK FOR ABOUT 4 TO 6 MORE WEEKS AND CAN NOT DRIVE OR ANYTHING.HOW LONG WAS IT BEFORE YOU COULD MOVE YOUR HEAD OR EVEN DO ANYTHING AT ALL.

I could move my head after a few days, although not a lot of movement, i couldn't drive for 3 weeks, even now i only drive short distances as i cannot turn my head fully around to check my blind spot on the motorway. Were you operated on through the front of your neck? I have no pain around my scar but still have some pain at the back of my neck where the implant is and also if i over do it, then some pain in my shoulder and arms. My job is in an office so i have decided to return and see how i get on. What do you do?

Everything is still limited at the moment, but i am hoping it will improve over the next few weeks or months.

Sam

Well i am having a lot of pain all the way around my neck and in the right side of my face at times. There is quite a bit of pain in back and arms. Having trouble with feeling as if i am choking all the time. I am a waitress i wait on 21 tables that i have by myself. I am going back to school to get my ged and then to collage i hope working on it. thank you for your help.

I am 43 and had a cervical disc replacement at C6/7 for right arm pain 12 days ago. I had this done in Exeter. I had an overnight stay and woke up with no pain at all in my arm (great relief after 4 weeks of awful nerve pain despite being completely drugged out !!)

My disc has been replaced with an artificial mobile disc rather than with an attempted fusion using bone graft, carbon cage and metal plates and have therefore had no restriction put on movements apart from avoiding excessive neck extension.

I'm sure it is normal to have a feeling that you have a golf ball stuck in your throat while swallowing due to the expected swelling which will occur around the surgery site and the fact that the surgeons will have been slightly pushing your oesophagus sideways to get access to the front of your throat. Bleeding occurring after the surgery will have no where to escape and will add to the swelling and that feeling in the throat that I suspect we have all had. Luckily, mine seems to get less noticeable each day.

Not having had any pain in my neck itself pre-op meant that i was prepared for my neck to be more uncomfortable than it had been after surgery, but I have been pleasantly surprised at how little discomfort and stiffness I have had. I stopped all my painkillers 1 week post surgery and have stared going back to exercise - have managed a leisurely 5 mile run and have been knocking tennis balls around with my kids.
I'm going to get back to cycling on a turbo trainer this week but will stay off the roads until at least 4 weeks post surgery in case of an accident. (I managed to get this disc prolapse 6 weeks after a high speed crash on my bicycle while competing at the UK 1/2 Ironman race in June and my wife wouldn't forgive me if I had another accident and did my neck again!)

With a bone graft replacement or a carbon cage replacement, the intention is that the bony vertebra above and below the removed disc will fuse together through the carbon cage or bone graft and this is actually unlikely to ever actually occur before about 3 months. That's why they are usually held with a plate and screws as well as the cage with bone graft - the plate hold everything still while the bone heals. Without a plate in place, i suspect there would be some movement in the bone graft or between the cage and the bony vertebra and this may delay or even stop the fusion occurring.

Anyway, I hope this info is helpful.
I am by the way a Consultant orthopaedic surgeon myself - but I don't do any spinal surgery and have been a relatively passive patient and listened to what my expert colleague has had to say about the various techniques available. I very rarely operate much above the pelvis and do mainly hip surgery.
Bensdad