CHETNSUE
05-11-2004, 12:09 PM
This Is Exactly What Is Being Done. Can Anyone Help Me In Telling Me If This The Acdf That Everyone Is Talking About. I Am To Go Into Surgery On August 12, And I Think That I Have Started With The Anxiety Worries. My Appitite Has Slightly Deminished And My Stomach Aches, Also My Pain Is Not Getting Any Better. I Am On The Strongest Dose Of Hydrocodone And If I Can Sneak In A Flexiril I Do. Anybody That Can Help Please Do So With Some Suggestions.
Thank You.......
Thank You.......
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rgsmoose
05-11-2004, 06:12 PM
I had what you are apparently going to be getting. It's called either a vertebrectomy or corpectomy, which is all part of an anterior (from the front) cervical (neck) decompression surgery. You are having this because your spinal cord is being compressed (myelopathy) by osteophytes (bone spurs) growing on one or more of your cervical vertebrae. An ACDF (anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion) is part of the entire surgery. What you'll be having is actually called ACDCF - anterior cervical diskectomy, corpectomy and fusion. The surgery starts with the removal of 2 disks (for a one level corpectomy), followed by the removal of the main body of the vertebra. The empty space is filled with a bone (called a strut graft), either taken from your hip or from a bone bank. This is then usually covered with a metal plate to hold everything in place.
From the recovery standpoint, this surgery is very similar to an ACDF. You'll probably be in a hard collar for 12 weeks (at least that's how long my surgeon had me in one). I also wore a bone fusion stimulator for a total of 24 weeks. This is a small electronic device that stimulates the bones in your neck to fuse through small electrodes taped to either side of your neck.
All this sounds scary, I know. This is apparently needed because of compression of your spinal cord. In my case I may have waited too long, as part of my spinal cord is dead (called myelomalacia) and those nerves will not regenerate. So, if you need the surgery, get it done before the problem gets worse. I lived through it as have many others. Just concentrate on getting your problem fixed before it gets too bad. Good luck with everything and let us know how it goes.
From the recovery standpoint, this surgery is very similar to an ACDF. You'll probably be in a hard collar for 12 weeks (at least that's how long my surgeon had me in one). I also wore a bone fusion stimulator for a total of 24 weeks. This is a small electronic device that stimulates the bones in your neck to fuse through small electrodes taped to either side of your neck.
All this sounds scary, I know. This is apparently needed because of compression of your spinal cord. In my case I may have waited too long, as part of my spinal cord is dead (called myelomalacia) and those nerves will not regenerate. So, if you need the surgery, get it done before the problem gets worse. I lived through it as have many others. Just concentrate on getting your problem fixed before it gets too bad. Good luck with everything and let us know how it goes.
CHETNSUE
05-11-2004, 06:26 PM
I had what you are apparently going to be getting. It's called either a vertebrectomy or corpectomy, which is all part of an anterior (from the front) cervical (neck) decompression surgery. You are having this because your spinal cord is being compressed (myelopathy) by osteophytes (bone spurs) growing on one or more of your cervical vertebrae. An ACDF (anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion) is part of the entire surgery. What you'll be having is actually called ACDCF - anterior cervical diskectomy, corpectomy and fusion. The surgery starts with the removal of 2 disks (for a one level corpectomy), followed by the removal of the main body of the vertebra. The empty space is filled with a bone (called a strut graft), either taken from your hip or from a bone bank. This is then usually covered with a metal plate to hold everything in place.
From the recovery standpoint, this surgery is very similar to an ACDF. You'll probably be in a hard collar for 12 weeks (at least that's how long my surgeon had me in one). I also wore a bone fusion stimulator for a total of 24 weeks. This is a small electronic device that stimulates the bones in your neck to fuse through small electrodes taped to either side of your neck.
All this sounds scary, I know. This is apparently needed because of compression of your spinal cord. In my case I may have waited too long, as part of my spinal cord is dead (called myelomalacia) and those nerves will not regenerate. So, if you need the surgery, get it done before the problem gets worse. I lived through it as have many others. Just concentrate on getting your problem fixed before it gets too bad. Good luck with everything and let us know how it goes.
I APPRECIATE THE HELP. HE SAID IT IS THE C5 C6, C6 C7. I SUFFER FROM MIGRAINES AS IT IS AND I HAVE HAD WORSE ONES SINCE THE PAIN IS INCREASING. ALSO THE COLDNESS, NUMBNESS, SHARP PAIN THAT RUNS DOWN THE RIGHT ARM DRIVES ME NUTS. I THINK THAT IT WOULD NOT BE SO BAD IN THE HAND, HAD I NOT ALREADY HAD 2 SURGERIES ON THAT. IN A WAY I CAN'T WAIT TO GET IT OVER, AND THEN THERE ARE TIMES WHEN I READ WHAT EVERYONE HAS GONE THRU THAT IT SCARES ME AND I WORRY ALOT. I MEAN I KNOW THINGS WILL BE OKAY AND I WILL BE IN THE BEST HANDS WITH MY NS. HE IS ONE OF THE TOP SURGEONS IN THIS FIELD AND HE HAS SURGERIES NAMED AFTER HIM....SO I KNOW THAT THAT CAN'T GO WRONG.
From the recovery standpoint, this surgery is very similar to an ACDF. You'll probably be in a hard collar for 12 weeks (at least that's how long my surgeon had me in one). I also wore a bone fusion stimulator for a total of 24 weeks. This is a small electronic device that stimulates the bones in your neck to fuse through small electrodes taped to either side of your neck.
All this sounds scary, I know. This is apparently needed because of compression of your spinal cord. In my case I may have waited too long, as part of my spinal cord is dead (called myelomalacia) and those nerves will not regenerate. So, if you need the surgery, get it done before the problem gets worse. I lived through it as have many others. Just concentrate on getting your problem fixed before it gets too bad. Good luck with everything and let us know how it goes.
I APPRECIATE THE HELP. HE SAID IT IS THE C5 C6, C6 C7. I SUFFER FROM MIGRAINES AS IT IS AND I HAVE HAD WORSE ONES SINCE THE PAIN IS INCREASING. ALSO THE COLDNESS, NUMBNESS, SHARP PAIN THAT RUNS DOWN THE RIGHT ARM DRIVES ME NUTS. I THINK THAT IT WOULD NOT BE SO BAD IN THE HAND, HAD I NOT ALREADY HAD 2 SURGERIES ON THAT. IN A WAY I CAN'T WAIT TO GET IT OVER, AND THEN THERE ARE TIMES WHEN I READ WHAT EVERYONE HAS GONE THRU THAT IT SCARES ME AND I WORRY ALOT. I MEAN I KNOW THINGS WILL BE OKAY AND I WILL BE IN THE BEST HANDS WITH MY NS. HE IS ONE OF THE TOP SURGEONS IN THIS FIELD AND HE HAS SURGERIES NAMED AFTER HIM....SO I KNOW THAT THAT CAN'T GO WRONG.
CHETNSUE
05-13-2004, 03:54 PM
I Need To Know For Those Who Have Already Gone Thru What I Will Be Going Thru, How Do I Relax And Get Some Sleep And Have Normal Eating Habits. I Am Noticing That Nothing Is Now Normal And I Am Even On A Major Countday (86days) Till The Day Of Possible Relief....