Faile Fusion or Normal Healing Process?

[JMRIZZ]

I would an opinion as to whether my symptoms are a normal healing process or if there is a failed fusion.  I had a three level anterior cervical fusion on 8-2-07.  I felt great after surgery,  One month into the healing I awoke sharp neck pain and total arm numbness on the right and tingling on the left side.  I immediately called the surgeon and was given  a dose of anti-inflammatory drugs.  I still have on and off tingling in the hands and neck pain.  I am scheduled for x-rays and a visit to discuss this, but I WANT to know what I should be prepared for before I speak to them.  I have already been told that this might be normal to have pain if the nerves are coming back to normal signals.  I would like to know if anyone else has gone through the same thing and whether or not I am doomed with a failed fusion surgery as so many others have expressed. Thank you for your responses. Jo Ann

[LLWB]

An actual failed fusion is when  your bone fails to grow over and around the fusion area. There is a defference between that, and the fusion being unsucussful in controlling your symptoms. I still have left hand and arm tingling and some finger numbness. I still get a lot of pain from right neck muscles after driving. But, the fusion itself was a "success". Yeah, right. But if I remember correctly your problems were long standing? The longer you wait, the greater possibilty of permanent damage. I still think you are getting ahead of yourself on worrying about failure. But NOT the new immediatel pain. Of course that needs addressed immediately. It takes 6 weeks for fusion to start showing up on X-rays, mine was barely visable at that time. Even at 3 months it was not complete. Takes up to a year...Good luck, don't do to much!! Hopefully you just slept wrong and the anti-inflammatories will help.