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#11
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02-06-2023, 11:42 PM
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 My Rank: MASTER GUNNERY SERGEANT Poster Rank:347 Manly Man Join Date: Sep 2017 Posts: 3,601 Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Quoted: 700 Post(s)
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Re: Cervical Spine Fusion
Yep, mine is on the right, just above the clavicle.
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#12
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02-07-2023, 12:08 AM
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 My Rank: LANCE CORPORAL Poster Rank:3201 Join Date: Nov 2017 Posts: 118
Contributions: 8
Mentioned: 6 Post(s) Quoted: 32 Post(s)
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Re: Cervical Spine Fusion
Yep, same for me. First scar you could barely see as they put it in one of the skin folds. Even after the second, you can only really see it when I have very recently shaved and it makes the scar stand out.
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#13
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02-07-2023, 12:10 PM
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 ★ Legacy Member ★ Poster Rank:119 Secret Agent Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 13,206 Mentioned: 6 Post(s) Quoted: 2787 Post(s)
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Re: Cervical Spine Fusion
I’ve got a fusion from T12 to L2. The damage was on the inside of my spinal column so they went in under my left lung and heart while neuro removed bone fragments from my spinal column. My fusion is on the side bolted in with 4 huge titanium bolts. I don’t get to join the neck fusion club but let’s say I’m a supporter of it anyway.  |
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#15
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02-07-2023, 08:23 PM
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 Seriously? Poster Rank:641 Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 1,364 Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Quoted: 8 Post(s)
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Re: Cervical Spine Fusion
I've had a lower back discectomy along with having a cervical discectomy with fusion. I have degenerative disc disease and it sucks immensely.  |
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#16
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02-07-2023, 09:51 PM
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 ★ OG Member ★ Poster Rank:622 Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 1,445
Contributions: 42
Mentioned: 10 Post(s) Quoted: 427 Post(s)
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Re: Cervical Spine Fusion
I was involved in a serious car crash. It took 5 years of pain management to finally have surgery. They would only do x-rays up to that point until I fought them to do an MRI. I think I still have those images somewhere. |
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#17
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02-07-2023, 11:36 PM
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| My Rank: MASTER GUNNERY SERGEANT Poster Rank:347 Manly Man Join Date: Sep 2017 Posts: 3,601 Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Quoted: 700 Post(s)
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Re: Cervical Spine Fusion
Mine was just from years of abuse to the body, combined with a connective tissue disorder. Did a lot of martial arts and boxing from my teens into my 40's. I had pain shooting down my arm constantly. The moment I awoke from surgery, pain was gone for the first time in years.  |
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#19
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02-08-2023, 03:08 AM
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| My Rank: LANCE CORPORAL Poster Rank:3201 Join Date: Nov 2017 Posts: 118
Contributions: 8
Mentioned: 6 Post(s) Quoted: 32 Post(s)
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Re: Cervical Spine Fusion
Yes, this exactly for me. This is almost my exact story in total (although the specifics probably differ). I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, along with stenosis, kyphosis, spondylosis, among other things at 24 when I began to have back issues. Four years later, I woke up one day and my neck felt stiff. Throughout the day, the pain set in and eventually went down my arm and my left thumb and index/middle fingers were dead numb. To the point that I could have held a lighter under them and not felt it. In that case, I had two severely herniated cervical discs and had my first two level fusion. At 38, I developed badly herniated discs in my L4/L5-S1 region. The likely precipitator was jumping at a concert (which is why I only do so now for Slipknot on Spit it Out  ). Eventually this lead to bladder incontinence and surgery. They did a partial discectomy, laminotomy, and foraminotomy.At 40, I developed a constant headache just on the left side of my head with a focal point right behind my eye. This was determined to be more herniated discs in my cervical spine that were pressing on my spinal cord. They fixed that with another two level fusion. Now at 42, they have diagnosed me as needing my left hip replaced. This was partly due to undiagnosed Leggs/Calves/Parthes disease that I had as a child. Not directly connected, except for the bone degeneracy I imagine. In the end, at least these are things they can fix. At least it is not as severe as having failing organs. It's hard to tell myself that sometimes when I am in a lot of pain (especially since I have developed allergies to NSAID's because of use), so for the longest time I only had Tylenol, steroids, and medical marijuana to fall back on. I refuse to do opiates except for right after surgery. Having said that, my hip specialists put me on Celebrex, which has helped a lot. While it is an NSAID, it operates on a different receptor than most. Even people with hypersensitivity to other NSAID's only react 3.5% of the time. So it is something for folks to look into if they are in the same boat as me. I still manage to work 40-50 hours a week and make time for my hobbies as well even with all the issues Sorry for the wall of text reply, but I thought that it might help anyone in a similar situation to know they are not alone and it doesn't mean your life is over  |
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#20
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02-08-2023, 03:18 AM
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| My Rank: LANCE CORPORAL Poster Rank:3201 Join Date: Nov 2017 Posts: 118
Contributions: 8
Mentioned: 6 Post(s) Quoted: 32 Post(s)
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Re: Cervical Spine Fusion
Surprisingly, yes. I was very concerned with losing range of motion. I can still rotate my head parallelly to my shoulders. It does get stiff/tense at the very end of this motion. I also have plenty of forward flexibility. Enough that I could headbang fairly well at the Exodus, Black Label Society, and Anthrax show tonight I attribute it to a great surgical team on both. I went to a place that specializes in just spines. I also think being very rigorous with the physical therapy played a huge part. That was highlighted by the fact that my second occurred right before covid hit. By the time I was 30 days out and could begin PT, I couldn't due to the pandemic. From Feb to July, I could barely move my neck enough to drive. Once I got into PT, I got all my range of motion back |
