recovery timeframes and finances - Spinal Cord Disorders Message Board

ryankswife · 12-20-2004, 10:30 AM

hello everyone, my husband is having ACF with plate on c 5-6 and 6-7 this Thurday after years of worsening pain. He is 29, doesn't smoke, and is in otherwise good health. The neurosurgeon says he will probably be able to return to a desk job in six weeks when the collar comes off, but no strenuous activty for 6-12 months or longer. The problem is that he is a police officer in a very small town where they only have one cop on duty at any given time, so they don't have desk jobs, so he is out of work the doctor says until the fusion really starts happening. How long was it before people saw good fusion and you were cleared to do sports and similar activities? And financially, how did people survive in the meantime? I'm worried that social security will say he's not disabled because he can do a desk job, and that unemployment will say he doesn't qualify because he can't return to his job because of disability. We have two small children (a toddler and a newborn), and I don't know what to do. Is there anything we can do when he comes home to speed up the healing process? Has anyone else been in a similar situaton? Any replies and support would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

aspen2cody · 12-20-2004, 03:42 PM

I am lucky in that I had short term disability insurance with my company that would pay my full wages up to 6 months. I went back to work light duty after 2 months. I only had 1 level fused. It would have been better if I had waited 3 months before coming back on light duty. I cant resume my regular physical activities for 6 months post surgery. I dont want to scare you but there is a small risk that anyone that does this surgery and works a very physical job cannot return to thier previous activities. Make sure his employer has sick benefits and for how long and can he return to a desk job while he heals. Everyone heals different I do know a girl that returned to her desk job in 2 weeks after surgery with no ill effects. She is doing fine. I had lots of shoulder problems associated with my neck which has made my recovery slower. I wish you the best. I know if I had 2 small children it would be a diffucult decision. Have you had 2 or 3 opinions on this surgery, 29 years old seems so young for this surgery. I am 44 years old and have been very very active all my life, this stops everything for awhile which has been very depressing for me. Good Luck and I wish all the best.

ryankswife · 12-21-2004, 07:33 AM

Dear aspen2cody, thank you for your kind thoughts, I will try to answer your questions. First, we have had about three other other opinions, two said he needs surgury right away, the other said wait if you can deal with the pain. He just can't deal with the pain anymore, and he is on so much pain medication he is either miserable from the pain or loopy on the meds, it's very rare to have a good day anymore. At his last appointment with the neurosugeon, his weakness and numbness had increased so much from the last visit that they wanted to do emergency surgury the next day, but we asked for a few days to get some plans together. Nobody seems to know why this has happened so early in life for him. He did go to military college and then the army, so he did a lot of physical exertion when he was younger and they think this might have something to do with it. We are hoping that because he is so young that he will recover quicker, but I guess you never know. We will cross that bridge when we come to it. He has about three months worth of sick time and vacation time that he can use, but his job doesn't offer anything else, and his department is so small that they don't have desk jobs, so he can't come back to work until he can resume all his normal activities. You said that you can't resume your normal activities for six months post surgury - does that mean you can run and play contact sports and heavy lifting? That is what he needs to be able to do to go back to work. I think with savings and me working overtime we could make it six months. What have other people experienced with this? I will try to read more on this site about recovery times, but most of what people talk about is returning to desk job type work. Are there any others out there who went back to physical jobs? Thanks again - Suzanne

aspen2cody · 12-21-2004, 11:39 AM

Most NS agree that the 6 month timetable is when most people can come back to heavy lifting and physical exertion activities. There are NFL football players playing today that have had a single level fusion. Kelley Washington wide reciever for Cincinnati Bengals and Mike Alstott of the Tampa Bay Bucs. They too waited for 6 months to begin working out with heavy weights. Usually after 3 months you can begin with 10-15 pounds sometimes Ive heard people allowed to use up to 25 pounds. But each month you can increase very slowly and by 6 month you can gradually increase to heavy lifting but being very cautious. Such as good technique and staying away from certain exercises that put in bad position. It would be good to talk to PT that specializes in patients that work with cervical fusion patients. That would be the best case scenerio. The actor Keanu Reeves also had a 2 level fusion.
Heavy lifting overhead caused most of my neck problems. I did start walking the day after surgery and increased the time every day until I was walking a mile. I am 3 months and I am on the stairclimber for 30 minutes and the treadmill at an incline for 30 minutes but no lifting.

I know what you mean about the drugs I was on them for 2 months before surgery. I dont remember the last month before surgery. I dont even remember being in pain or the doctors appts. I just remember he said I needed surgery and I scheduled it month ahead.

A friend of mine had the surgery and he is back doing everything he did before. He plays scccer and works at the same plant I do. He had a single level.

I just want you know there are very successful outcomes to this surgery and 6 months is usually the time frame most docs say you can return to all the activities you did before with some caution. At least every thing that I have read. Some people it takes a lot longer to feel like themselves.

You have probably looked into everything, but there are a few doctors that preform minimally invasive surgery on the neck. One is in Pittsburg, Houston and one in California that I know about. There is a former NS that believes in 20 min of skilled relaxation twice a day along with a strict diet, wearing a collar no tobacco and no heavy lifting for 6 months. To avoid surgery. Im not recommending any of these I just want you know of everything thats out there. I would have liked to have known everything I could have before I had the surgery.

I think I will be fine after my shoulder heals I dont have any numbness or weakness in my arms just pain in my shoulder when I raise it along with pain in my armpit from time to time.

Your Husband is lucky to have a wife to be looking out for him that will make the recovery process much easier. Good Luck and God Bless You