Well I had a neck and back injury back 9 yrs ago!  The pain has some what been pretty rough at times.  Well a few days ago I woke up to some really really nasty pain in my neck, shoulder
and down my left arm. The worse its ever been.  I have herniated and bulged disc from C4-C7 and  disc degenerative disease and spinal stenosis or some crap.  Well now I think something has gotten much much worse!  The idea of having surgery scares the shit out of me!  I wont know what has happened till I get another MRI next week, till then I am taking steroids and lortab !

Has anyone had any surgeries done to their neck or back ?   Did it help?  How long did it take for you to get back on your feet ?



This sucks ass !

I am a Cardiac/IV RN by trade, but I can tell you that every patient or person outside the hospital I have met that has had nuero surgery tells me this: You will either resolve the issue and develop a new one, or the initial issue will get worse. YMMV.

I don't ever want my back or neck cut on.....best of luck to you OP.

I have DDD, herniated two discs in my lumber spine and had a double discectomy about ten years ago.  
Prior to surgery I spent six months in PT followed by 3 spinal cortizone shots.  
The pain was so bad I would have let the doctor cut me open with a rusty spoon.

Surgery was the best thing I did.  When I came to in recovery I noticed no more leg pain.  I was out mowing my lawn (push mower) two weeks after surgery
Now I'm just dealing with the DDD which isn't much fun.

Yeah that seem's to be what I gather!!   Works for some and not for others!!  Ugh...

Had C5 and C6 fused in August of 2006. So far I have no problems with my neck.

Had surgery to repair a severely herniated disc at L5 - S1, three days ago. This injury is too early to tell.

Had C-4,5 fused in neck eight years ago.  Numbness and weakness to both legs prior to surgery along with pins and needles sensation prior to surgery.  Immediate relief post surgery. Six weeks off work post surgery followed by six weeks light duty.  I have titanium fusion.  Now, current job has me chin down focusing on close in inspection causing some regular neck soreness.  I have read and heard about complications of discs above and or below fusion site post surgery.  Suspect my disc below fusion is suffering some because of this new job.  Still would recommend going through it again.  I need a low back fusion too but can't afford time off.  I fell off roof of house in 1992 compressing spine causing all subsequent backhand neck problems.

I had a fusion C4-5-6 in 1995. I hurt so bad before surgery I would have paid someone to blow my head off with a shotgun.......The nerves from the spine to my little fingers felt like an electric wire glowing white hot 24/7 365.

Had the surgery, donated my own transplated bone from my hip and haven't looked back. I suffered 10 years in total agony before I was forced to have it. I wated 9 years 11 months too long.

The surgery is almost an outpatient thing these days depending on what procedure they use. If they use plates and screws and coral you'll likely leave the next day without even needing a collar.....Word of advice if you smoke STOP RTFN.....it interfears with the bones healing and many MD's here will refuse to operate due to the high failure rate smokers have healing.


Good luck

Blew the disc between L3-L4 18yrs ago. Complications from motocross !

Get the best possible spine surgeon you can. You should NEVER be able to directly get ahold of a good doc.

You should always be talking to their nurse or assistant. If you can talk directly to him, he's not busy enough and

you should pick someone else. If you want I can find out who the best doc is for you in your area, by asking the

nurse of one of the best spine surgeons in minnesota.

ya.. I had a little surgery done.. The cartilage between the vertabre was being pushed out and was bone on bone. The took a rob out and tossed it in a grinder with some supper putty and plastered it back in between the vert and rebuilt me. I am glad I had it done and dont think twice about it. Used to be if I picked up a 5 gal bucket of tools wrong I would be done for 3-4 days laid up. I played abit 2 hard in my younger days.. Dirtbikes, sleds, breakin in horses, fallin out of trees landin on my head, getting mowed over by cattle., yada yada yada. After I had the surgery I slowed down a bit but still try to climb a couple tree's each year to take em down among other things. I just watch what I do. If I start getting sore about the worst thing I did in my earlier days is sit down and try to ice or hot pack it. I will continue to walk around or move or take short breaks. Ohh and them Chiropracters.. I have never gone back to em and never will. Only a temp fix.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jDlTzi6ZxxQ/ToXIJkB5bjI/AAAAAAAACLg/Oa154jgb2iI/webexray2.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-sMl1jBKtiAI/ToXIJXTmGFI/AAAAAAAACLc/PzWlEJ4e9Dg/webexray1.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-QSSX8sXwKgY/SJm91rDaQaI/AAAAAAAABE8/mvf6Bc89ML8/s640/side.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-6QCSQ1ZfDjY/SJm93xFBioI/AAAAAAAABFE/rpaBUTikRtI/s640/back.JPG

LIttle surgery my ass. My L4-L5 discectomy scar looks like a little vagina on my back. Yours is a little more extreme.

Crash, you on any pain meds now, and are you collecting disability, or working a real job?

I had fusion at C5/C6 about eight years ago.  After the surgery, I felt fine for about 3 months.  Now the problem is back (C6/C7 disc now herniated).  I wouldn't do the surgery again.

I have 2 stories from both perspectives for you, make what you will of them.

Back in 2001 I had a lumbar herniated disc with sciatica, after having that I cannot imagine anything more painful.  Doc tried oral steroids, which didn't work at all, then a cortisone injection which made the pain go away for about 3 days.  My dad had the same issue several years earlier and he opted for the surgery, so I did to.  My case was pretty common, they just removed the bulging part of the disc, and didn't have to fuse vertebrae or anything.  When I woke up in the hospital the pain was completely gone. I have occasionally gotten some lower back pain since then, but a quick stretch fixes it.

I have a second cousin who had a serious upper back/neck injury back in the 80's or 90's.  She lived with the pain for a while and tried several options to try and fix it before she had surgery, but the results were about as bad as you can get.  It has caused several more problems for her since then, and she had to have a morphine pump implanted and still has pain sometimes.

These stories are pretty much complete opposites, but knowing how much pain I was in, if it were me, I would try the surgery again in a heartbeat.

ETA: I guess that's 3 stories, surgery worked for my Dad too.  He had more recurring pain afterward than I did, but he was a tall guy, and had suffered with regular back pain before his herniated disc anyway.

3rd day after being cut open I took my 1st steps and at the end of the week I was walkin up and down the hallway.. under meds. I stayed with the parents for a bout a month for more recovery and I was given them oxycottens or what ever. Was supposed to take 3 a day or somethin.. I cut 1 in half and that took care of me all day.. even though I was doing musical chairs every hour all night for about 2 weeks straight. I dont like pills unless I am in sever pain. The rest of the meds went into the burn pit. After I got out of my parents house I went back to workin on the farm but very light duty for awhile.. (running payloader and driving tractor). Other things happened and parents retirement so I helped them convert a barn into a house and clean up the property (7.4 acres) and I knew it was time for a carrier change. I have been working full time as a desk jockey for ISP support for over 5 years now and in the fall or spring I still help my old boss work fields, chop stalks, haul grain in the evenings. I refuse to take medication or use unemplyeement stuff as I feel I can always do something for a income rather then feed off the government. Last time I took a pill it was at a family reunian 2 years ago and my dumbass tried to get up on skies...fail.. so I went tubing with my sister and her knee landed into my face and knocked me off into the water. I took a tylenal? 800mg or something and downed a couple Beam & cokes that night and slept like a baby and next day didnt feel a thing. I know my limitations and dont exceed them.

I broke my neck at C5,6 and 7 and have the rods and screws like the ones above. Hopefully you don't have damage to your spinal cord, or the surgery does not cause more damage, that is the real issue. I will never walk again, but am trying to learn to live my life the best I can. I wish you the best of luck!

I thought I played hard in my days! Fly much? TSA? Hows the pain?

btw: OP my sis had a couple fused in her neck. Find a good doctor and do what you got to do. Life is to short not to live it.

Both my fiance and my best friend's mom had similar surgery , done by the same surgeon . C-5,6,7 issues , replaced with pig cartilage , fused and screwed and plated .

Friends mom came out wonderful , and she is loving life now . A very active retired lady ( hiking , ocean kayaking , hunting fishing etc )  

My fiance , on the other hand , was completely opposite results , she is now worse off than she was before , pain outa nowhere that brings tears to her eyes .
She's been on morphine and a truckload of other drugs since . . . . not pretty .

Other problems have popped up since , that the docs say aren't related , but I'm thinking otherwise .

She is miserable almost all the time , cant do shit anymore . . . . not even her gardening . Riding in my truck even is painful . She's put on about 75lbs and has been in and out of the hospital a half dozen times , once she was air-lifted to Mass General for two weeks .

In short , if it's one of those operations that cant be guaranteed to work , the kind where the odds are about even for a positive outcome , or not . . . . . then make sure you get a second opinion before you do this .