Important:- Cervical Spondalosis ACDF Surgery
Posted , 5 users are following.
Symptoms are neck ache tingling pains down one arm or both arms legs getting weak & pain in the feet when walking.. if you have these symptom you need to act quickly!
Firstly it is very important to get the correct diagnosis, don't be messed around by your GP as I was initially, if you are worried about your condition ask your GP to send you for a MRI. It was 2012 when I had my surgery ACDF [with internal plates & screws to stabilise my neck] following my MRI scan I saw an Orthopaedic Surgeon who told me I needed surgery he proposed a laminectomy, I was doubtful about this procedure & the fact this was not a Neurosurgeon, I asked for 2nd opinion & I then saw a Neurosurgeon, he told me that I needed a different procedure, but for some reason I did not like this consultant & his arrogant attitude, so one pondering I remember a friend who had successful spinal surgery a few years previously & I remembered the surgeons name, so I decided to phone his secretary [long story short] I had a 3rd opinion with this neurosurgeon & he straight away told me "its a good job you have come to see me", he went on to say if you had had either of the previous proposed procedures you would have finished up worse off than you now, I was totally shocked, he told me I needed a far more complex procedure which involved removing a spur also fusion on 3 vertebra & a plate & screws to support the rest of my badly worn vertebra..i went onto have this surgery & recovered very quickly, this was over 5 years ago now & I have not had any problems with my neck since.
Moral of the story is, you must get the right neurosurgeon "A Good One" who is going to do the very best procedure possible, if you are not comfortable with the him ask for a 2nd or even a 3rd opinion.
I still find it hard to believe that 2 senior consultants were prepared to do surgery that would have made my condition worse. I put it down to partly the NHS budget & also carelessness on the behalf of the first 2 consultants.
The surgery I eventually ha,d ACDF, was a much longer procedure & obviously more expensive to the NHS.
1 like, 17 replies
mike09523 Greebo64
Posted
Good for you getting more opinions and finding a sympathetic ear.
My story is what happens if you fall out with an arrogant neurosurgeon still agree to have the op only for it to be cancelled three times and then find that the operation is now irrelevant as the complete cervical spine needs fusing.
Mike..
Greebo64 mike09523
Posted
Hi Mike
When are you having your surgery & where ?
if you need fusing then you will also need the plate & screws to stabilise your neck, fusing takes time to set & can lead to slippage if not stabilised...check this out before you have the surgery
mike09523 Greebo64
Posted
An accident in 2011, falling off a stepladder and hitting rhs of head, took until March 2013 to be diagnosed with cervical stenosis with spondylosis and myolepathy at c4 5 6 7 and bone spurs at c5 6 7.
Now having bad problems with both legs and lower back, also have bladder sphincter problems.
I/we have decided to leave well alone as I also have severe anxiety and depression.
Mike
Greebo64 mike09523
Posted
Hi Mike
I am so sorry ton hear of your suffering, i do hope you get the correct treatment you need for all your problems,
Please be very care full with your decision about your neck it can lead to paralysis, if I had not had the surgery I was told that I would .eventually be paralysed from the neck down.
About my recent appointment, it appears I did not get the sympathetic ear I was hoping for, they are still trying to fob me off, they even suggested I go to a different hospital where there are no Neurosurgeons only basic spinal surgeons..."its unbelievable".
How can they expect anyone to suffer in constant debilitating pain, & I have even offered to pay private for the correct procedure myself but they are still being awkward. I am now left with trying Physio' & if that does not help a chiropractor. Regarding your bladder I have the same or similar problems brought on by trapped nerves, I have to wear a pad all the time.
Good Luck my friend
wendy23615 Greebo64
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Greebo64 wendy23615
Posted
My Neck ACDF Surgery was a total success in 2012 no problems with my neck since...my recent problem is with lumber stenosis + of the spine [ lower back]
The neck operation I had to have otherwise I would have eventually been paralysed from the neck down so there were no arguments there...it had to be done & I am very great full to the surgeon that did the did the surgery, however I did have 2 previous consultations with 2 different spine consultants both of which proposed inadequate surgery, I was very worried about these 2 consultants I just had that gut feeling something was not right & so asked for a 3rd opinion with a neuro consultant that had been recommended by a friend, he told me tha the 2 previous consultants had got it wrong & the surgery they were proposing was no where near adequate & infact I would have finished up worse off if I had gone ahead with them, he went ot to say I needed far more complex surgery to sort my neck out which I had & I repeat no issues since with my neck
PS... the operation was a 2 hour + when I came around from surgery I felt great no pain at all just a large plaster on the right side from of my neck & my neck was just a bit little stiff, in hospital for 3 days, 5 weeks later I was back driving my car & totally cured
wendy23615 Greebo64
Posted
ah thanks for getting back to me.
my email is if you have time to send more info
I am curious what your situation was before the acdf? were you in an accident and what were your neck diagnoses ie stenosis, bulge discs, ddd or djd , instability ?
and what were your symptoms before the neck surgery that made you decide to get it? were you debilitated in any way from doing things you like to do and for how long?
I have had issues with it for a long time but have been too afraid to do surgery because got conflicting surgeon opinions even though my MRI's look fairly bad some thought do it others thought not. I don't handle anesthesia and chemicals and trauma well so was concerned what sort of after effects I would get.....but I am starting to wonder again if maybe I would handle trauma better if got neck fixed that it may have created ultra sensitivity in me from being in pain all these years etc
any info appreciated
oh also tho it makes me wonder now that your lower back is having troubles if the fusion on top created an imbalance lower contributing to lower back issues?
Moderator comment: I have removed the email address as we do not publish these in the forums. If users wish to exchange contact details please use the Private Message service.
Greebo64 wendy23615
Posted
No M y neck fix has not caused any in balance its mainly stenosis that's the problem in both my neck & lower back.
Neck symptoms before the surgery was, aching neck, pins & needle pains running down my arms especially my left arm & weakness in my legs, & pains in my feet...the surgery involved removing 3 vertebra, in place they inserted 3 cages which had ground bone inside [which was from the bone vertebra removed] also removed a bone spur that was crushing my spinal cord, & because most of the remaining vertebra badly worn they fitted a plate around 5 inches long with screws to stabilise my neck...it all sound a touch horrific but its as bad as it sounds..it gave me my life back.
PS... before the surgery the neuro sugeon told me my neck was the worst he had ever seen.
all the best
wendy23615 Greebo64
Posted
Greenbo thanks so much for the info. It does sound like very difficult process but so excellent you found it very helpful! I am curious if you were in a car accident or how you think the degeneration happened?
btw I didnt realize I couldnt give you my email but if there is anything you dont want to share publicly please feel free to private msg me---I don't know how to do that on here or I would do that
Greebo64 wendy23615
Posted
No one knows what caused my problems
But I have a good idea what the main cause was.
it all started off some years ago with mild Arthritis & then in 2008 I was put on Statins due to the onset AF [atrial fibrillation] I started having the neck pain & back pain about 12 months after this medication was prescribed but did not link the 2 until 2015, when my GP recommended I came off the Statins for 3 months to see if there would be any changes...& there was a big change, my arthritic pain especially in my back started to ease a lot, so I decided not to take the Stations any longer, & six months down the line I started to feel like new man, when peaking to my my neuro surgeon about the improvement he did say that Statins can cause these problems [it called myopathy] & even colleagues of his had stopped taken them for similar reasons...So I am certain that the Statins were the main cause of my neck & lower back deterioration......I have 3 older brothers who never had the same condition as me, neither did my mother or father or any other family members..
after stopping the Statins I was just left with some occasional facet joint pain on my right side but not severe pain , I had occasional injections for this which really worked well & got rid of the pain for quite a while, but to be fair & knowing now what sciatic pain is like , I could have managed without the facet injections...
it was while I was feeling very well last year around August time that I decided to clear out the garage something I would not have attemted before, & I lifted a heavy object I wanted to get rid of & that I should really not have attempted, but I did not think much of it at the time, [my job when working involved heavy lifting] but in hind sight it was really really stupid of me to do & this was what triggered the sciatica that I now have in my lower back & the bilateral leg pain, this has been going on now for 5 months, it has got a little easier over the past 3 weeks due to exercising.
There has been some bad publicity regarding Statins & then a counter reaction probably from the medical profession..in my opinion & experience I would not recommend them at all, if you have high cholesterol or a AF & you are prescribed Statins I would seriously advise trying other alternatives than taking, in my personal experience & opinion, that awful drug which could potential have serious side effects
wendy23615 Greebo64
Posted
ah thanks for sharing your story. yes I have heard negative about statins as well. a friend's husband I think had heart and memory issues. I know it has negative effect on coenzyme q10. I can relate to frustration of when a medical intervention for one thing causes a problem in another area.....its like whack a mole.
Greebo64 wendy23615
Posted
coenzyme q10 & whack a mole.., these terms I have never heard of...I think you could be giving me some advice..
wendy23615 Greebo64
Posted
hey there greebo--oh sorry. not really advice I am just saying I think I understand a little bit. I live in the states, and "whack a mole" is just a saying in some parts --like when you do one thing to try to fix a problem, like taking the statin, but then it creates another problem as a side effect like what happened to you. I guess moles come up out of one hole in the group and you hammer it down and then the bugger pops up out of a different hole.
coenzyme q10 is a nutrient you can get at health food store or online and a doctor I saw recommended it for folks that took statins as he believed the statins create a deficiency of it. but of course the best thing to do is ask your own doctor you trust so you can be sure or look up research.
wendy23615
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oops meant to say hole in the ground not hole in the group
I think 'whack a mole" might have been a game, maybe that is where the saying came from
wendy23615 Greebo64
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greenbo---wondering how you are doing if you found any resolution? if you can find someone who practices frequency specific microcurrent in your area that might be worth a shot if you haven't or can't do surgery. it can not only help with pain but sometimes be healing. if you search the term and the name carol mcmakin you will find their website and can look up if any practitioners in your area. there is also research about it on the website and carol wrote a book called "the resonance effect". there is also a group on facebook called "friends of frequency specific microcurrent" where you can get info on it.
wendy23615
Posted