posted 05-12-2003 05:41 PM            

I found it interesting that about 2 months after my surgery, my surgeon's nurse and his PA both left to take jobs in other places. I think this surgeon is pretty good, but his bedside manner bites. After my 2 month checkup, I asked for more pain meds and his new nurse came in with the prescription and said something along the lines of: "What is wrong with you? You shouldn't be in pain any more. Taking these pain killers is addictive. Are you sure you really need them?" Let's say this is the first time that I ever really considered hitting a woman (I won't dignify her with the term 'lady.')

Has anyone else who has had ACDF's experiences long term aches and pains, or should I just go check myself into the Betty Ford Clinic?

posted 05-12-2003 06:39 PM            

I'm only 10 weeks postop now and still have a lot of PAIN. I'm better than a week ago but not back to preop yet. At first, my NS accused me of doing too much. I told him that wasn't true, and then he said I might have a new herniation. I don't know if I do or not. All I know is that I still have a lot of pain, particularly down my spine today. Sometimes my arm hurts worse--in the same place as before surgery. I'm in PT now and am hoping that will help. I've only gone a few times so I can't say yet.

It makes me blue to hear that you're still having problems 8 months out. I'm not sure what you mean by "sore." From your post, I'm guessing it's not the good kind of sore one gets from working out but rather a painful type.

As for me, I'm doing what I'm told by the NS and PT and trying my best to get better. NS told me that the pain should be all gone by now. That makes me worry a lot that there's still something wrong in there. I guess you know what I mean by that. I sometimes think that maybe it just takes time to heal; but, as I said, the NS doesn't think that's true.

As for the meds, I don't think I could function without them. I don't want to find out. Too bad that nurse had to be such a jerk about your meds. Not everyone is a drug seeker, but I think medical professionals get hard-hearted because they see so much of that.

Are you better or worse than preop or just about the same?

posted 05-12-2003 06:48 PM            

I hate to tell you this, but I had no pain in my arms or anything when they found the herniations. I was having problems getting up out of chairs and climbing steps.

Keith -

I had thought about grabbing the doctor by the gonads so he could feel my pain. And it would have been nice to see that nurse pass a coconut without a stool softener. Ain't I a stinker?

posted 05-12-2003 07:55 PM            

Now I'm not taking any painkillers, but just finished with a series of three epidurals and they aren't cutting the pain. So I can relate.

I'm glad so many of us are fortunate enough that they feel the surgery moved them forward, and their pain is either gone or diminished. At least my doc and his nurse never hit me with the addiction stuff-it was always just take what you need. I'm sure if you kept saying you ran out too fast, there would have been an issue, but otherwise, no.

Have you done any PT or massage? The latter might help with the pain and muscle spasm you may still be experiencing. PT, if done correctly, can also be beneficial.

If the pain is severe enough, or in new areas, ask for some new testing to be done. When I had the pain return, they did an MRI again to check the fusion and it was sound. I just developed some new problems

That's about it for suggestions from this quarter. May you feel better soon!

posted 05-13-2003 12:24 AM            

I have been pain from the time I first was injured in 1989. I had a C5-6 microdiskectomy (natural fusion), but I have always felt very stiff and achy (check out my earlier posts, or the one I just wrote to falcoop for the short story). Now, almost 5 weeks post-op for a "biggie" three level ACDF, I really still want about 1 to 1 1/2 percocet a day. Some day I don't have any, or I take one ultracet.... but this is an old injury, and it's not going to go away immediately.

Yet I keep feeling guilty for wanting and taking these meds, because in the literature the NS's office sent out prior to surgery said that refills for pain meds would probably be in smaller amounts, because the aim was to get the patients off pain meds. That's all well and good, but I'm so retentive! They actually gave me a huge Rx for percocet when I had my 2 week visit! So I don't think I should make myself suffer unnecessarily.

I have found that in general, the more intelligent these docs are, the worse their bed-side manners. Some of these guys are just so brilliant! But they can be miserable human beings to us peons. Choose wisely!
wr

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• 12/29/89 C5-6 Microdiskectomy (no fusion)
  
• 4/9/03 ACDF C4-7 with plating and donor bone