BOOKED FOR DECOMPRESSION

[thenunn]

Hi all , well ive gone and done it , ive said yes to decompression surgery. Id had enough of this constant unrelenting pain . After the 2 rear end car incidents this year its got a lot worse, I have tried every conservative measure and nothing relieves it for more than the time im doing it re exercise, taking pain med doesn't even take the edge off,injections didn't work etc etc. So ive said yes. However Im still deliberating ,still thinking wait;still pondering. So im booked in but I may still cancel , anyone else done this ,said yes then hummed and arghed lol

[weathervane]

After years of severe shoulder pain i had the surgery, it took a number of months and physio to recover but i now have a pain free shoulder , so for me it was a success. I hope you have the same success and that all goes well 🌸

[thenunn in reply to weathervane]

Thank you weathervane when I read posts like yours Im pretty sure I should ..its just when you read bad posts. Im glad youre pain free it sounds like a wonderful place to be

[Hidden]

I was slightly different. No pain but numbness in right hand progressing up arm. Has tests diagnosed with myelopathy as disc material pressing on cord.

Signed consent form for surgery but had three month wait so did lots of conservative work hoping something would work, but in the end surgery date came through so in I went.

8 weeks now, I feel back to normal but still got to be careful as bones have to grow through cage. Will find out if thats happening at follow up.

Painful in the beginning but a lot better. Arm and hand still the same but not getting worse.

[thenunn in reply to Hidden]

Hi joeskid. Sounds like you had a fusion,what with the cage. When you say arms and hands still the same ,do you mean still numb ? That is my concern that I will go through op and recovery and still be in as much pain and immobility

[Hidden in reply to thenunn]

I had numbness in forearm and half my hand down to fourth and fifth finger in right hand but no loss of strength. Was told before surgery that those symptoms would lokely remain. Surgery stops progression.

I had no pain so was concerned that I would be after surgery. I've recovered from surgery and have no pain, just slightly reduced range of movement. Numbness is not the same, but hapoy I'm no worse.

It's important to understand the surgery isn't a way to reduce any current symptoms, it's to prevent progression and worsening of the symptoms you currently have. However once you have had surgery you might experience a reduction in pain after recovery.

In ACDF surgery the cage replaces the disc material, in my case the disc had collapsed but it was replaced with a cage that opened the space back to what it would have been with a healthy disc there, so a 1.5 to 2mm extra space.

If I were experiencing pain from crushed nerves say, this extra 'lift' could take the pressure off those, so some patients experiencing pain prior to surgery may over time get relief because of this.

They will never guarantee the outcome, I'm happy to have piece of mind that my disc is out and my symptoms can't progress.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Im glad you got sorted mate and the fusion as worked, I know you said that your symptoms were mild do you have a good chance of recovery , im having pre op 17 December as c3, is now Pushing out on to the cord which can happen when you have a fusion which mine was c4c5 as they can't move so it's added pressure on those above and below .

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I'm going to walton wednesday for 1st follow up. Hand still numb but feel how I did when diagnosed so considering going back to work.

[KidneyCoach]

I have multiple compression fractures from T5 through L1 lost 4 inches in height and have scoliosis due to bone loss. I can never have decompression surgery as my bone density is low and won't support it. So my bones will continue to deteriorate. If you have this opportunity grab it. There are people out there who will never get one. Blessings

[thenunn in reply to KidneyCoach]

Hi kidneycoach,im sorry to hear you can not have decompression,you sound like my neighbour .,he cant either. I know what youre saying ,I I should

[Krawlins]

Hi thenunn I was intrigued by your post, I had to have emergency decompression for L5S1 back in 2012, I couldn’t move or wee by the time they kept me in, was previously sent home to get worse.

I had not been able to move my left leg, I was in a foetal position for days, just stuck rigid cos of the severe spasm. I eventually was in hospital a week as surgeon on Easter holidays but when he came back he saw the MRI and said I needed the operation the very next day. I’d been thinking for weeks I’d never walk again but after the op I was truly amazed, it was like a miracle, I was no longer curled up, i got out of bed slowly and I could walk and weight bear again the very next day and went home the following day. It was so fantastic to walk again and wee for myself, I’d had a catheter since I’d been in hospital, I think I was very near to cauda equina symptoms as I had the red flag signs.

I hope if you go ahead you have a good outcome like me, I consider myself very fortunate.

My dilemma now is whether to go ahead with a fusion, I was given a 6 month open appt. unfortunately my bulging disc has slightly recurred so this would be the next surgery on offer, I feel just how you do now about this decision and cannot make up my own mind.

Best Wishes, Kay

[thenunn in reply to Krawlins]

Hi Kay ,thank you for your post..that all sounds awful what you went through ,but glad the op worked. Initially consultant said fusion and decompression,but I didn't want fusion ,anyway when I saw him last he said nhs had changed stance on fusion and at this point he would just be doing decompression..so I was relieved . I know Ive done everything I can to help myself so really need to try decompression,but I just keep thinking leave it a while lol.

[Krawlins]

Well that’s interesting what you say, I wonder what that really means, I definitely feel they are back-tracking with me having originally telling me I needed a fusion, now they’re all trying to talk me out of it, perhaps this is why. In the new year I am going to write to the surgeon and get a few questions answered.

You did the right thing by asking others for their outcomes on decompression surgery. For me it was obviously life changing but I suppose it depends how you are prior to such surgery. As long as you know it will always be available to you if ever needed then perhaps it will do no harm to wait and see, I was worried about this in case the NHS is privatised in the future and we might then have to pay for such procedures??

Good luck with your decision, you have my empathy, it’s a difficult one isn’t it

Kay x

[thenunn in reply to Krawlins]

Hi Kay, reading news articles recently ,I think its a lot to do with finance , however I do think its to do with weighing up outcomes against cost and that outcomes are not that favourable as once one part is fused it often leads to another needing the same.

I have my pre-op next week .

[Krawlins in reply to thenunn]

Good luck with your pre-op, is that the pre-assessment prior to the actual op?

I hope all goes well for you and I wish you you a good outcome and recovery, just follow their do’s and don’ts and I’m sure you will be so relieved afterwards and hopefully pain free too.

Might have known the fusion ops have a lot to do with finances, I can understand that but do worry if eventually the NHS does happen to be privatised that I’ll never be able to get the opportunity again for this surgery. I’ve decided I’ll write to the surgeon next year that way he can read all my thoughts on it and exactly what my issues are and make a more informed decision as to whether he thinks I could benefit. I never get this across in my appointments, on paper they might understand better.

Best Wishes to you

Kay x

[jlwinter]

Hi all

I had a cervical Discectomy back in 2010

Now 2019 my other levels has took the stress above and below my metal cage.

The cage is fused to the spine so this is permanently solid.

My other levels now is giving pain down my neck shoulder down to fingers on my left side I have very bad pain also my hand goes numb.

The operation back in 2010 did not really work as I had to wait 3 Years before they found out what the problem was as they was concentrating on a pinched nerve in my shoulder.

My pain was better after my op but numbness is always comes and goes

So my consultant seems to think because it was 3 years the disc in all that time was pressing on the nerve so he think that it could be nerve damage.

So now my other levels are gone seen my consultant and after mri s etc it shows the same problem now because of the fused cage already there and the stress from above and below levels replaced with more cages and spinal fusion these will be solid

So this making neck movement limited every time a disc is replaced with the cage so Iv had to wait as long as possible now before he do it again

Well Iv gone actually over a year and controlled my pain and numbness with my meds

I also have COPD and in July this year I was admitted to hospital and I nearly died so it’s now life threatening condition so I have to watch I don’t catch colds etc so when I

See my consultant a few weeks back

He knew about this and unfortunately they won’t do the surgery now because of my chest

So the only thing that has been suggested is to have injections in my cervical spine to ease my pain.

I hope all of you have luck of the procedure as every one is different

Good luck .

[Hidden in reply to jlwinter]

Hi there, im in exactly same boat as you I had c4c5 fusion in 2013 after being misdiagnosed for nearly 20 yrs, it left me with cervical myelopathy and as you say a cage puts added pressure on the other disc's either side as im waiting for operation on c3 as it's pushed out on to the cord , I have pre op 17 December hopefully it will be ok and I will be in early January next year Walton center Liverpool .

[jlwinter in reply to Hidden]

Hi I wish you all the best for your operation

I am disappointed as not been able to do the surgery now and have injections instead

Because I know the injections will work only a short time

Good luck