Recovering from a C6-C7 neck fusion..... FrankenPhil

Anterior Decompression and Fusion of C6 C7 vertabrae

I am writing this blog from the comfort of my parents house while I recover from a "Anterior Decompression and Fusion of my C6 and C7 vertebrae" (in my neck).  The operation took about 5 hours and I was under general anaesthetic for about 6 and a half hours.

So how come I needed this? Well, an exuberant youth when I used to race motorcycles. I had many accidents while racing and took it as part and parcel of the job in hand. We all crashed, we were all pushing and finding the limits of the machinery we had at the time. Sometimes you got hurt and sometimes you walked away with nothing but your pride dented. Unfortunately for me I remember this accident as it left me with many injuries. I crashed at Cadwell Park in a Supersport 400 National Championship meeting.  It was at "hall bends" where there is no run off and I ended up in the tyre wall face first with my race bike in tow at around 70mph.  Not a pretty site you can imagine. The list of injuries not including my neck and back were broken femur, damaged ligaments, internal bleeding, severe concussion, broken toes and fingers and a broke collarbone.

Well over the years my neck was hurting more and more. I had a job as a commercial diver so lifting tanks and working with heavy chains and propellers and scrubbing boats and fighting tides were all very strenuous on my neck and shoulders.  About 7 years ago my neck seized. I had prolapsed a disc which had crushed my nerve which fed the left side of my body. I spent 6 months in some of the worst agony I had every been in. The pain can only best be described as a continuous electric shock on a nerve in your teeth but down the entire left arm. The pain never let up, never went away with pills and caused me to very quickly loose my mind and go into despair. I have broken may bones in my body and had some pretty painful accidents in my time but nothing compared to this. I saw a surgeon but by the time I saw him he decided the bulge in my disc was slowly reducing. Armed with this knowledge he decided not to operate.

3 years after the same thing happened again while working the hull of a ship in Southampton docks. Again this was another 6 months off work in lots of pain but it was not as painful as the first time. I also knew better how to manage the issue. I was left with continuous pins and needles in my left hand.

Then about a year ago my neck always ached a bit...but I noticed pins and needles becoming stronger and stronger, then also a loss of strength followed, next I started to loose dexterity. I'm left handed and writing became difficult, as well as playing the guitar...it was like I no longer had the coordination. I felt week. I saw the surgeon for a third time after some more MRI scans and he decided I needed to really speak to a spinal surgeon.

So I met with the spinal surgeon who agreed I could benefit from the surgery. It was until they agreed to operate I began to think about what they were actually going to do to my neck to try and fix the issue.  I started to look into it and not sure I like what I saw.  At the same time I was aware that things were deteriorating in my left arm and so something had to happen soon.

I read a lot about people who had this operation and the after effects and also had been told before hand that it was a very painful operation and recovery. Well this blog will hopefully let other people in my situation know what to expect and what it is actually like.

I will blog it as it happens here... just keep scrolling down for updates.....

Day One (Operation Day)

I went in in the morning after not eating since 8pm the night before. I had to be there for 7am. I was the first to go into theatre as usually your on the high priority list. I signed all the paperwork answered all the questions correctly and had spoken to the anaesthetist.

This is what I was in for: They were going to take out the old damaged disc. Remove "spurs" off the top and bottom of the vertebrate's they are working on and wish to fuse. They built a titanium cage which was filled with donor bone and my bone from the spurs they took of my vertebrae. Then they put some clamps in opened up my spine and slotted in my cage. This is then held in place by a metal plate with four screws in the neck.  Just so you know... all of this is done through the front of your neck...not the rear. So expect not to have much of a voice when you wake up.

So I awoke from all of that. The video above isn't exactly what I had done but pretty close. I had an internal titanium cage inserts in mine.  When I came round I was in my own hospital room. I was a little uncomfortable but nothing crazy. I had morphine in my drip and it wasn't long before I lady with a cart of pills came round to drug me up more.  About 3 hours after I was realising that swallowing was difficult and my soar throat was leaving me unable to speak. They did explain to me that all my vocal box and oesophagus had been moved out of the way during surgery.  The actual neck scar didn't hurt at all but my neck was very sore but totally manageable with the drugs administered. I slept a few hours that night but generally was awake but comfortable.

Day Two (Released from hospital)

Yep you read it right. I was happy, they were happy and I had already got out of bed and walked. No neck brace needed. Just stood up, no pain no difficulty in doing so. I was given antibiotics in heavy doses due to the fact it was spinal surgery. I had a hiccup which really hurt but it obviously moved something as I soon got my voice back.  I was happy to eat my meals and drink fluids.  These were all conditions of my release.  Eat, pee, walk and talk, pooping would have been a tick in all boxes but I hadn't. I had the drain in my neck removed. That was an uncomfortable feeling but not painful.  My parents collected me in the evening from hospital and we drove home. The drive home was a little uncomfortable and I had to stop every sort of 20 mins to get out and walk. That night I managed about 3 hours of sleep and I had to sleep upright.

Day Three (Home comforts)

So living back with my parents huh.... well the main reason for this is so they can look after my 16 month old terror who has already punched my directly in my neck.  Keep the beast away from me I yelled but really inside I wish I could just pick her up and hug her. This is kind of the problem. I feel good enough to lift her...but no lifting for minimum of 6-8 weeks. Doctors orders.

So what's my day like? Pretty good considering. I'm tired more than anything. The neck has a lot of movement already and I don't feel very restricted. I fell that generally I am good in one position for about 20 mins before I need to change again. The physio at the hospital told me to keep moving. Not to tense up. Relax as much as one can and keep your neck free.  I'm walking about a lot in the house. But not for long. Pretty dizzy with the tramadol and cocodomal tablets I'm on. High as a kite should I say.

I swallow water poorly today and started chocking. The coughing was extremely painful. It felt like someone was taking a sledge hammer to my neck from behind. So far the most painful out of all of this experience.

The day past quickly and I managed a little sleep in the afternoon in a chair. (That coughed tired me out). Slept again in an upright position at night but stayed awake mostly playing on my PlayStation 4.

Day 6 (Bit more pain today)

I slept last night and woke up in an awkward position. I couldn't really get myself up and I had seized up. My pins and needles in my hand were really kicking off again and I struggled to get upright. All day I have hurt because of this one awkward sleep. I don't even want to go to sleep tonight because of this.  They did say good days and bad days and for 10 days a lot of extreme pain. The extreme pain is not the case though.

Day 10 (Out to see a friend)

Okay, the last few days have not been great. Ever since I slept awkwardly my pins and needles in my arm and hand have been pretty bad.  I'm tired. Today was great though as I finally went out to see a friend of mine. It was great to get outside and stand and chat in a friends garden while all our children played.

Neck pain is really no longer an issue. I still take my pills as I feel pretty stiff and my shoulder is hurting a lot.  I could come off them I think and maybe will do in the next couple of days. Plus the pills cause severe constipation from which I am suffering right now.

My stitches which are dis-solvable are slowly going. My neck looks fine considering.  I'm more than happy with the result of the neck wound. No infection and has caused no pain. I still have it covered with plasters they gave me in hospital. They gave me 6 of these waterproof plasters so I can have a shower. You will feel great directly after a shower. The warm water just releases so much tension in your neck and back plus it feels so good to be clean.

Day 12 (Not sure how I feel)

Well it is still early days. Last night I slept for a full 8 hours. I woke up a little stiff and uncomfortable. I really took a long time coming round and getting my bearings.  My pins and needles in my hand were thumping away but generally I felt that my muscle aches and pains were a lot lighter than previous days. I can now fully turn my head left and right and look completely up and down. I don't feel any range of movement has been compromised really. On extreme down looking I can feel the plate pulling on the lower vertebrae and it's not painful just feels weird.  Did not really bother with pain killers today either.  Did in the morning but my next lot was at 9 at night. Off to bed now feeling that I am mending within but not sure if these pins and needles are a good sign now. We will see!

Day  18 (Improved a lot)

Stitches dissolved bar one. Neck healed nicely.

Well it has been 18 days since I went in for the chop. I am now sleeping all through the night. I still
occasionally take some pain relief before I go to bed to help with the sleep and maybe once or twice during the day if it is a bad day. Still get those good day bad day things.  Generally though I feel I have all the movement back in my head and neck. I can fully look up and look down, right and left. I am not too uncomfortable although I feel a little seized up in my shoulder blades.  I am a lot more mobile and can pick stuff up of the floor now.

Unfortunately I still do have pins and needles in my hand. It is always there but sometimes it is a lot stronger than other times. I cant pin point as to what makes it worse or not. Sometimes just a weird movement can cause it to go throbbing mental.  Sometimes though I do feel that my pins and needles are a little less than when I originally went in with.  The problem with nerves and nerve damage is that it takes so long to heal so it becomes hard to know what is irreparably damaged or if it is in the process of being repaired. The fact that my pins and needles fluctuate leaves me to believe that they are still trapped a little but definitely repairing slowly. I hope so anyway.  No other news. I really feel much much better from the operation itself though. I could easily work in  an office by now if that was my job. Still cant lift though. Not for another month until I see my surgeon. Thats it for now.... Another update will not come for a while ;)