Has anyone had cervical disc replacement surgery?

[themom]

Hi.  I've been diagnosed with multilevel degenerative disc disease c-4 through c-7.  I'm now 43 years old.  I've been waiting 3 years for disc replacement surgery to be a little more mainstream treatment.  I'm interested in hearing anything about this procedure for the C-spine.  I'm considered a surgery candidtate for c-5/6 and c-6/7 levels.  Thanks, Jolene

[Mande131]

can anyone recommend an experienced surgeon in CA or AZ for cervical disk replacement?
Thanks

[Lolita789]

I had a 4 disc cervical fusion 4 months ago, and seem to be getting worse,   I feel good when I first get up in just a few minutes,  my left hand goes numb, and I have difficulty walking I just go stiff in my lower body,  The Dr. told me it could take up to a year to heal,  seems to me more like a spinal stenosis...

[Shadowlucky]

Hi lawdog, I had c5-6 ACDF with plate in March, and after eight months, the pain was worse in the exact same place it hurt before the surgery.  I have been checked with x-rays several times and surgeon keeps saying everything looks fine!  That makes me so angry because I feel as though he doesn't care or acts like I am complaining for no reason.  I was told before surgery that if I did not have it done and was in a car accident or fell, I could be crippled forever because of the compression on the spinal cord.  I feel so distrustful because after insisting over and over that something is wrong, I told him I wanted a CT.  He ordered an MRI and the results came back not normal.  bulging disk at c6-7 and nerve root impingement in c5-6 again.  Radiologist says he can't tell for sure if it is a recurrent hernation to C5-6 which is why I had the surgery or bone spur.  So when I gave it to the surgeon, he wanted the computer disk as well.  Then he says it is fuzzy and he wants me to have another one with a radiology department acrossed the street from him.  Said it was a better MRI machine.  So I have it done and when I call with disk and MRI completed, the surgeon's office makes me an appointment for almost a month from the day I had it done.  I get so angry that he acted like it was such a big hurry to have the surgery done and now he doesn't care enough to get me in right away to let me know of the results.  I do know one thing, after I do have my appt with him, I will get a second opinion.  I am tired of living in pain and I can honestly say that I feel the man doesn't care.  He's got his money.  Now he wants me to disappear.  The pain has become so debilitating that I am thinking of quiting my job because I suffer daily and it is worse every day.  I have been off for Christmas break for a few weeks and feel a bit better since I don't have to move, bend, lift, push and pull constantly day in and day out, so I realize that if I didn't work, I could have some kind of life.  Right now, my life is get up, go to work, come home, hit the couch, go to bed.  I waken several times through the night in pain.  It's just becoming more than I can bare and I don't know what else to do.  I've done physical therapy for 14 weeks, I've had many epideral injections.  The pain relievers help but I am always just chasing the pain and living to work for insurance just so I can afford to go back to the doctor.  No fun, no enjoyment in life, no quality of life anymore.  Just surviving.  I know your pain, lawdog and sounds like you have the same problem.  I had pain before the surgery, but it is now must worse then before.  I wish I had lived with the pain then.  At least it was not as bad as it is now.  :(  Hope you find relief or an answer to this.  Please let me know if you do.  And I will let you know how the second MRI turns out when I get to go see the surgeon again.  

[Shadowlucky]

Hi, I had same surgery and after seven months, the pain was worse in the exact same place it hurt before the surgery.  I have been checked with x-rays several times and surgeon keeps saying everything looks fine!  That makes me so angry because I feel as though he doesn't care or acts like I am complaining for no reason.  I was told before surgery that if I did not have it done and was in a car accident or fell, I could be crippled forever because of the compression on the spinal cord.  I feel so distrustful because after insisting over and over that something is wrong, I told him I wanted a CT.  He ordered an MRI and the results came back not normal.  bulging disk at c6-7 and nerve root impingement in c5-6 again.  Radiologist says he can't tell for sure if it is a recurrent hernation to C5-6 which is why I had the surgery or bone spur.  So when I gave it to the surgeon, he wanted the computer disk as well.  Then he says it is fuzzy and he wants me to have another one with a radiology department acrossed the street from him.  Said it was a better MRI machine.  So I have it done and when I call with disk and MRI completed, the surgeon's office makes me an appointment for almost a month from the day I had it done.  I get so angry that he acted like it was such a big hurry to have the surgery done and now he doesn't care enough to get me in right away to let me know of the results.  I do know one thing, after I do have my appt with him, I will get a second opinion.  I am tired of living in pain and I can honestly say that I feel the man doesn't care.  He's got his money.  Now he wants me to disappear.  The pain has become so debilitating that I am thinking of quiting my job because I suffer daily and it is worse every day.  I have been off for Christmas break for a few weeks and feel a bit better since I don't have to move, bend, lift, push and pull constantly day in and day out, so I realize that if I didn't work, I could have some kind of life.  Right now, my life is get up, go to work, come home, hit the couch, go to bed.  I waken several times through the night in pain.  It's just becoming more than I can bare and I don't know what else to do.  I've done physical therapy for 14 weeks, I've had many epideral injections.  The pain relievers help but I am always just chasing the pain and living to work for insurance just so I can afford to go back to the doctor.  No fun, no enjoyment in life, no quality of life anymore.  Just surviving.  SWEETS000 please let me know how things turn out for you.  Take care

[Smiley2000]

Hi there,

I apologize for only replying now.  I somehow missed your post.

I trust you had successful surgery and that you are feeling so much better!  I am now almost 3 years post-op from my fusion and life is good!  I do have a lot of limitations when it comes to doing things with my kids (not advisable to jump on an air pillow and foofy-slides or try and peppa kids on shoulders!) but other than that I have had a very successful fusion.

Hope to hear from you again.  Take care,

[divinekn]

I just had a three level surgery (2 artificial disc replacement at the C4-C5 and C5-66 levels and a fusion at C6-C7).  Before the U.S. only approved one level disc replacement which is why a lot of people were going to Europe.  When I first saw my neurosurgeon for my initial consult, I was told I could only get one disc replacement using Prodisc-C and the other two fused. Needless to say, I was not feeling the fusion.  I'm in the military and I was going to fight my case to get sent to Europe to get multiple levels as opposed to nearly my entire neck fused.  This past August the U.S. FDA approved Mobi-C, a two level device, or surgery allowing two levels.  That is the device I ended up getting 18 Dec 13.  In 2 days I was just cleaning and reorganizing items in my house like a mad woman. I think I was afraid that if I laid up in the bed I wouldn't heal quickly.  And my best friend, who was my caretaker, was leaving in a few days and I wanted to be able to do for myself when she left.   I have had to slow it down because this is not what you're supposed to do after a major surgery such as this.  I was just hard headed.  There is soreness and pain from the fusion level still and muscle stiffness, but so far so good.  The only thing I'm still dealing with is not being able to sleep on my back.  Because the trachea is moved over during the surgery, it feels like my throat closes up on me and I wake up gasping a little for air (kind of like sleep apnea).  SO I make sure to sleep on my side until I start physical therapy.  Also, I'm experiencing some acid reflux.  Hopefully, that goes away.  But overall, I'm doing well and even driving a little bit, but not at night.  I don't feel comfortable trying to turn my head for traffic at night just yet.