Here it goes...ACDF scheduled for 3/26...advice? - Spinal Cord Disorders Message Board

monarog · 03-08-2007, 05:15 PM

Well...saw the one NS who I most like, trust and respect out of a myriad of docs I have seen. Herniated C6-7 about 1.5 years ago, then 6 months later ALL the weird neuro crap hit. It has taken almost one full year since then to get to the bottom of it all, though I thought it was my neck the whole time. Crazy how messed up body-wide it can make a person. Anyway, he showed me clearly on my 5 week old MRI that the disc is flattening the cord. He says 95% of all my symptoms (I won't bore you again) point to the compression. He writes the other 5% of weird symptoms off to "domino effect" and that nerves are a strange beast and complex. I still feel a bit frustrated with the medical community, as when the neuro stuff hit last April, my MRI at that time appeared like the disc was improving, so people just passed me around and acted like it was all in my head. I still don't understand why they won't look closer at symptoms, weighing in the fact that the MRI is looking at soft tissue, that moves, they only get the snapshot for that particular instance.

Anyway...ACDF on C6-7 scheduled for 3/26. I am now, of course, freaking out a bit. But...I have been so sick over the past year that I'm also hopeful, if that makes sense. I will see him a few days prior for the final questions etc., many of which I didn't ask the other day as I was a bit in shock with my MRI results and how bad it looked. I know it's cadaver bone, don't know about instrumentation, collar, driving limitations etc., will get all that next time. I am okay with the cadaver bone idea. My big thing is being so on the verge of the ADR stuff. The only thing I know is that C6-7 is dicey and often not able to utilize an artificial disc, depending on the case. I couldn't afford a trip to Europe anyway. I have a friend going through FDA approval right now with a large teaching hospital to have cervical ADR done. I, on the other hand, have had so many terrible neurological symptoms - I just can't analyze it anymore. I need to move forward. I appreciate all of the support and feedback from this board. Mona

bw67 · 03-08-2007, 07:38 PM

Sorry- I didn't mean to post!

best of luck

BW

rob_zzz · 03-08-2007, 10:19 PM

good luck with it Monarog - glad to hear that you've found someone to help you. Re ADR vs fusion - probably the most important thing is having a good surgeon that has a good success rate with their particular preferred choice of neck surgery and does a good job of decompressing your spinal cord.

SKZ · 03-09-2007, 07:35 AM

GOod Luck Mona,
I found the hardest part to be waiting for the surgery. (although mine was cancelled once due to a big blizzard). I hope you dont get too anxious waiting.
Sue

OhioGolfer · 03-09-2007, 08:41 AM

Mona -- I won't wish you luck, because luck has nothing to do with it. ;-) The waiting and anticipation/fear are the worst. I am just 30 days into recovery from ACDF at C4/5 and C5/6 with donor bone and plate. As with any surgery, there are moments where you wonder why you did it, but really the recovery has been much better than I anticipated. I am in a study for ADR, but got randomized to fusion. No big deal -- ACDF is a tried and true remedy, especially at the cervical levels. There will always be something new and different right around the corner. If we keep waiting, we will never have the treatment!

You will do great. Keep us posted.

Jeff