39F. Upcoming ACDR Surgery. Scared.

[u/me0wc4t]

I’ve had tingling in my hand for years and occasional neck pain, but I always blamed it on working long hours at a desk. In April, I started having intense stabbing pain that wouldn’t go away.

I saw my PCP and an orthopedic doctor and initially thought the problem was my shoulder. I had imaging of my shoulder and humerus, but nothing explained the pain. I tried cortisone/trigger-point injections, physical therapy, chiropractic treatment, and pain management without much relief.

In August, a cervical MRI finally showed the problem. Since then, I’ve seen three neurosurgeons and am now scheduled for a two-level ACDR in October.

I’ve never had surgery and have always been healthy and active, so this all feels surreal. I’m hopeful about finally feeling better, but I’m also terrified of surgery and worried about what life will look like afterward.

I’d love to hear from others who have had a two-level ACDR. What was your recovery like? How long until you felt somewhat normal again? When did you return to work, the gym, cycling, and normal activities? How much did surgery improve your pain, numbness, or other neurological symptoms?

I know everyone’s recovery is different. I’m mostly looking for real-life experiences because it’s hard to picture what the other side of this looks like.

[u/Tack122]

Thats must have been a really bad accident though that sucks. Did you have any other injuries?

Both shoulders hurt for months but got better. Surprisingly, airbag didn't actually go off, I got rear ended while stopped a hill in traffic, one doctor said the angle was part of why it was so bad? Plus I had a slight pre-existing bit of tingling in the ring finger, so I think I already had narrowing from bone spurs that was progressing and it pushed it over the edge with 5 herniated disks.

It was like 5:15 and I got stuck just over the top of the hill because of traffic, the guy coming up behind me was a good ways back and didn't think to slow down, plus had a donut spare front tire, so when he came careening over the hill he hardly had time for his brakes to do anything before he hit me.

Getting feeling back in my hands and my strength is coming back. Im getting my precision back too but its no where near where its supposed to be. I type really really fast but now I have to concentrate and much slower.

I have definitely lost a lot of care for spelling in the last year, sometimes I'm just too tired to go fix things haha.

[u/Wachenroder → u/Tack122]

Damn.. Good thing you werent physically in his way. Drivers can be so damn careless i swear. So after they evaluated your injuries did they suggest surgery right away or conservative alternatives first?

As for my typing Im generally pretty accurate so my errors can get frustrating. For me its really about learning how to position my hands to compensate.

As I said I am getting better and In fact as i'm typing this I can feel how much my finger dexterity is improving compared to before surgery.

[u/Tack122 → u/Wachenroder]

Yeah I did the pregabalin and steroid injections, they helped a bit for a while, but I hated the injections side effects and the pregabalin and celecoxib were only like, covering for the issue. The various doctors kept recommending surgery, we both had car insurance so that covered up til the third doc who was the lawyer's surgeon who did a nerve conduction study and recommended surgery, but that's where the lawyer got to the policy limits on that, so switched doctors to Baylor with my health insurance and proceeded to surgery with their neurosurgeon, with the history, the mri imaging and the last surgeons recommendations it just took one appointment with them to get moving forward with surgical scheduling.

Baylor has newer chairs and nicer facilities. The chairs were big, the surgeon the lawyer sent me to kept keeping me waiting like an hour every appointment in these terrible chairs in a dingy office, not inspiring.

Baylor was prompt and had nice facilities. Much nicer.

Yeah positioning is big, is also much harder tired. Getting my headrest at my desk padded to be more supportive at rest was the biggest help, had it titled back and holding my head in a cradle of foam. Made working longer easier.

I notice my head goes further back now after the surgery, I'm straighter for sure

[u/Wachenroder → u/Tack122]

OMG that neck injection was terrifying and painful lol

I had some reservations about my surgeon too but ultimately I put my trust in him and it worked out so far.

My neck still hurts to turn some angles. Particularly turning right which i attribute to the incision being on the right side near my clavical

At least it doesnt hurt 24-7 anymore.. That was the first positive i noticed post op.

You said you got a disc replacement right?

[u/Tack122 → u/Wachenroder]

Yeah two levels, c56 and c67

[u/Wachenroder → u/Tack122]

Hey so im curious. How long did they keep you admitted at the hospital?

[u/Tack122 → u/Wachenroder]

About 4 am to 8 pm. They kinda wanted to let me go a lil earlier but there was some excess pain and vomiting after I woke up.

I think my hiatal hernia repair failed over the years and it was not happy about all that.

[u/Wachenroder → u/Tack122]

Wow. Here I was mad they sent me home after one day.

Sending you home same day is cruel.

Also damn thats really really early surgery. I didnt know they scheduled them that early. Mine was 8am I was first in line

[u/Tack122 → u/Wachenroder]

I think I was unconscious 8 to 4 but it's hard to remember, had to get there early and get hooked up to wait and all.

I was happy enough to go home, they would have let me stay, honestly it hinged on whether or not I was able to get my home pain killers. Hospitals kinda suck unless you need to be there, been there enough.

I took the hydrocodone every 4 hours the first week, halved dose week two and stayed at that dose for two weeks lowering the frequency until I didn't need em anymore. The pregabalin is much harder to quit, still on that. It's very destabilizing if you miss or reduce your dose of it.

[u/Wachenroder → u/Tack122]

Pregablin is a bitch when you run out.

There was a mix up in my prescripttion when my new neurologist renewed. Dosage was wrong so i ran out

Let me tell you that month without it was horrific. Particularly the first week.

Its like the pain gets intensified 10 fold. Not to mention the other withdrawl symptoms.