Neck and Shoulder pain after C5-6 fusion.

[Roonie5038]

A little over a year ago, I had C5-6 fused. With a plate and screws inserted. Since then I am having trouble with pain in the neck and shoulder area just below the fusion area. I wake in the morning with a headache then turns to pain in lower neck and shoulders.
I have talked to the neurosurgeon who did the surgery and he shrugged his shoulders and said I have no idea and sent me back to my neurologist. He gave me a series of injections in both shoulders and the pain stopped for a couple days but then came right back. Then we tried message therapy, it helps but only for a short period. And I have tried changing my pillows on my bed and sleeping in different positions and nothing seems to help for long term.
What can I do?
Thanks
Maureen

[Trace643]

Hello People: First i would like to say that i feel very sad to here about all the pain you good people are in and also i wish things had turned out better. It seems to me about 95% of these C/5, C/6 surgeries only cause more problems. I too am scheduled to have surgery on my C/5, C/6 in 2 weeks and after reading these posts i am ready to run out of state!!!!! weeks of PT and pain management has helped me some but i have the pain and numbness on my right right side on and off.  It is very bad on cold days. I really will have to put more thought into this surgery because i have already been out of work for four month's and some of you people never make it back!!! I am so confused right now? Any advice would be appreciated.

[Ralph116]

Wow I came here expecting answers and seems to be none. I like everyone else here had same cervical fusion surgery, had same reaction by the doctor that did it and 1 year later still having so much pain as described by all of you. I have a wife, 8 kids and that's the only thing holding me onto life cause at times I can't handle it. Meds work ok for about 1 hour and then it's just coping with the pain. I went to another doctor and I've had several procedures including burning the nerves on my neck and shoulders on each side and still no releif.  Last week this doctor referred my to another specialist in Emory Hospital as I believe he ran out of options.  On top of this message and my family are trying to survive the bills to run a home, doctor bills cause insurance *****, and because I've been denied disability twice now my wife works 2 jobs and we are still behind . Please if anyone has answers please, please help. I just feel at times I don't need to be here and maybe my family can use my insurance money to survive the financial situation I've put them in. I'm not suicidal nor depressed as it may sound , but if you are not going through this you won't understand.  I was anot active person who provided for my family and on daysome off I spend time with the family and always looked for a reason to update my home. I can't even play or pick up my kids like I used to and my 6 year old daughter ask if I will ever get better and better able to pick her up like I used to. With this said anyone reading this and I'd thinking of doing this type of surgery just forget it and try other options if you can. I poor my life out there to see if anyone has answers.  
Rafael Rodriguez
***@****

[Ralph116]

Sorry for the typo as I'm using a phone and it just types what ever it wants to and there's no edit on this site. Ok so where it says message it's mess me and my family.  Then it bleaped  insurance s. U c. K  s. Then instead of it was anot is I was always an active person who provided for my family and on days off I looked for a reason to update my home.

[KAFIII]

Over 20 years of cervical issues.  Fell in the military, left untreated for six years.  When fusion surgery done, had a 90% compression of cord.  Post surgery was like a switch flipping... no pain, headaches, arm tingling, dizziness, shortness of breath, blurry vision, etc... etc... as I suffered many others.  About 8 years passed and I started to feel the same as I did in 1992.  Went to Neuro, conservative treatment... (believe this is the wrong course of treatment in most cases once a herniation is found).  Waited 2 years for 2nd fusion C5/6 after dealing with increasing issues and loss of feeling in my right thumb and right arm/hand swelling.  Post surgery, NO CHANGE or relief.  Filed for SS, fought with Neuro for corrective action, told to "learn to deal with it", eyesight changes due to age, pain meds don't work, etc..  Gave up in 2010 after denial and retreated to conservative treatment, PT, Isometrics, self limited my activities.  Needless to say, now 5 years later everything is worse.  Grinding, headaches, numbness, memory, thoughts, etc...  In May 2015 confirmed C5/6 Fusion failed, bone bank chip riding my spinal cord, artifacts all around area, ostephytes at nearly every level, clefts at several levels, though I am not a candidate for surgery.  Have been unemployed/self employed as I need to rest every few hours or so.  Any heavy exertion requires me to sleep.  If my neck pops, electrical shocks down my back and legs, toss and turn through the night due to neck pain, arms going "dead" etc...

Seeking legal representation, but most say I have no case, though I have metal hardware with only 3 screws confirmed failure this year, and now the office colleague of my past neurosurgeon telling me I am not a candidate for corrective surgery???  

Complication is my heart rate and pressure routinely spike, respiration rate is low to near 10 per minute waking me at night, headaches are non stop, ear aches daily, pain non relenting, and I feel as though I will not wake one day or move the wrong way and become paralyzed or dead.

Thus, if you have any grinding or popping at your fusion level, chances are it FAILED and you should not wait.  Go to another office and get a CAT w/myelograph or MRI.  If it failed, it needs to be taken care of and the lack of care by your previous Neuro can be addressed in court for malpractice.

From all my research and investigations, THEY are not monitored and use unnecessary X-rays to say everything is OK and secure.  Only the CAT or MRI will show the damage.  My past did a swimmer's X-ray at the last to tell me everything was fine and in place.  NO detail, or ability to see the fusion actually failed, but I now read X-rays and saw the "darkening" line where the fusion was failing.

Best to all, and do not "Learn to live with it" as you give away the life you could have had.  I did not play baseball or football with my kids after 2006.  Stopped going to amusement parks, don't lift my grand children up, all because of the pain and fear I have.  And I continue to give up more things I use to do because I can't or fear the possible outcome.

[jrjohnso_98]

I have read almost every blog on this sight from 2013. What I am hearing is that neck fusion is not a viable solution to herniated disc for C5-C6 area. So my question then would be, should you just live with the pain in your neck, arm and hands with minimal opiates (tylenol only)? I've been to two neurosurgeons. They both consider fusion as the option for me (ruptured disc in C5-C6). In wreck in 2011. Now, its 2015 and getting burning pain in left arm and have had pain in my neck previously. Still have mobility in my neck. Is there anyone that has had a positive experience with neck fusion??? I'm seeing no benefits to this on this site.

[jgbounds]

Amen, I hear that!!!

[KateH37t]

You might want to see a neurologist to rule out some other problem. Don't want to scare you, but MS can do that. I have three people in my family, some related by marriage, who have it and it's different for all of them. Most people can get on meds and do okay, they can still get around and work, etc. Worst part is the fatigue in a lot of cases. Your neck can cause shoulder arm head and neck pain or tingling in arms. Legs, feet, vision sounds like something else.