Is This Normal?? - Spinal Cord Disorders Message Board

bw67 · 08-21-2006, 09:05 AM

hey.

question- I had the two level acd friday...

is it normal for me to still have the same arm pain that I had before the surgery?? or should it have provided IMMEDIATE relief??

I feel like I've read that it takes time for the nerve to get reacclamated, but I thought I'd go straight to the source and ask the people who've been there!

The doctor let me take the brace off to shave today, it was like Christmas :-)

thanks

bw

bdh7 · 08-21-2006, 09:29 AM

Hi...for what it's worth, (which probably isn't much

), I also had the same arm pain, along with a lot more pain in my other arm that I didn't have pre-op. It felt exactly like the c6 nerve pain, and for the first week or so was really bothersome. I posted here "Can anyone explain increased nerve pain after acdf?" or something like that. It has died down, although I haven't really noticed any improvement in my left (bad) arm over pre-surgery pain/numbness. I saw my ns last week (I'm only two weeks post-op today), and he said give it till October or November to see what the full results will be. As others have said, nerves take a long time to heal, and there was a lot of controlled trauma going on during surgery. It would certainly be a good idea to talk to your surgeon about it at your post op appointment. I guess not all of us wake up immediately feeling better, which is what I expected, too. I do have some other issues with my shoulder, though, and going into this, we didn't know how much was neck related and how much was shoulder/brachial plexus related. I'm still hopeful for some improvement with time, though! Take care...hope your healing goes well.
Donna

PNo · 08-22-2006, 10:04 AM

What you are feeling sounds pretty normal. Some people have such pronounced pain that they do feel what they call "immediate relief" when they wake up. But for most it appears there is an improvement and then gradual lessening of the pain over time. Remember there is inflammation and swelling inside where they did the surgery, it is too early to get worried at this point. Keep resting and do what they told you and hopefully you will improve every week.

After my first acdf C4-6 i think it took around 11 weeks to get complete relief. I am recovering from my second sugery C6-7 and it is now 15 weeks out and I am still having pain.

laranol · 08-22-2006, 06:32 PM

I think there are different kinds of pain that heal differently. I woke up with the heavy ache in my shoulder gone. And while I'll occasionally feel a shoulder twinge if I am doing too much, it really never came back. I also had a lot of numbness/weakness/shaking in my hand. I didn't see marked improvement in that for a week or two. I still feel it a bit but it's definitely better. I can sign my name again! From what I understand, nerve root damage can take a lot longer to heal, depending on how severely and how long the nerve root was affected. Good luck!

Kissa · 08-22-2006, 08:31 PM

I was fortunate in that all my pain went immediately away, I think the reason for this is that I did not hesitate in having my surgery. There has been a great deal of discussion in the possibility of permanent nerve damage if one waits too long before having a decompression. Did you actuall suffer with pain for extended periods before actually having your surgery?

Like any surgery, it does take time to heal and pain to subside, additionally each person is different. I wouldn't give up just yet, give it some more time, your pain should subside over time.

Good luck
Barbie