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

[pinkytmd]

Awesome! Thank you so much for the positive out look. I as well went down in the canyons 3 years ago with major injuries as well as a fusion on c6 & c7!  I refused to give up and be a slave to pain pill! I got back on my bike kawi zx6r and love to ride!  You find a way to deal with the pain and keep moving!  Just rode the waves on my boogie board for the first time in 3 years it was awesome.  Going to learn hiw to surf this summer as well. Looking forward to ski in the winter and msbye learning to snow board as well. Btw in 47 and plan in living the rest of what time I have left doing whst I love to do having fun .
thank you again you are awesome take care :))

[flea999]

Why are doctors allowed to continue this butchery??? They have accurate ways to measure knees for personal fit replacements, they have 3D programs to view the heart ect. Why isn't there any computer program to accurately measure a persons cervical spine before they are allowed to hack away on us and ruin our lives? These doctors can be callous people who have cheated on exams, done date rape, made fun of people and bodies as they progress through the medical system. When they are finally established they are exclusive except to their peers. They stroke each others egos at conventions and in published articles, while we are cast aside and left to die or live in misery, after the insurance money is collected. Am I not correct about this? Really I am the walking dead thanks to my incompetent, greedy, egotistical, lying  surgeon.

[philnoir]

Anatomically, the optic nerve is nowhere near the spine, which makes it difficult to correlate your spinal fusion with vision changes.

My vision began to fail in my late 30s from presbyopia and I began to required correction about age 40.

Could this be what's going on with you?

[flea999]

Hey, you're the first person that I've heard of who also has eye issues. My eyes deteriorated really fast after three level fusion (C7-C3), but I still can get by with strong drugstore glasses. The thing is, that my eyes change from day to day. It seems to depend on what I have had to turn, twist or pull on, resulting in some of the non-fused vertebrae shifting. Sometimes my vision is very blurry, but might change later in the day. I read about a kid who actually became blind at one point, but with an adjustment to his spine his vision returned. Could be bunk, or phony promotion for Chiropractors, but I tend to believe it because of the situation with my own vision. All of the doctors who I was brave enough to tell about this, didn't seem to believe a word that I said!! My neck is fused so far back in a curve that to stand upright like I used to I would be looking towards the sky. The fusion wasn't even necesary, as the real problem was slipping at the level just below the three level fusion.Ego made the surgeon do the deed. He killed me, I'm just not dead yet. I can only sleep a few hours a night at the most, and the deterioration from this and constant pain from the crummy position of my neck, has worn me out and turned this VERY healthy person (except for slipping at T1-C7) into a miserable person with constant, new little health problems that stack up added to the neck and make life tough to want to continue with sometimes.

[AL_Gigi]

It is great to hear someone is having such sucess! I'm glad you are doing so well.  

For me, I have had severe migraines since 3 yrs old and finally diagnosed at 40!with Chiari, which I had surgery to fix (no disrespect to anyone else, but I was in and out of hospital in less than 48 hrs and back to work in 5 days). I had C1 removed, 1/2 of c2 and decompression. Supposed to be in NICU for 4 days, but I did so well I came home early. Headaches and cerebral hypertension, seizures, etc, Gone! Then exactly 365 days later, girl funs red light and we hit her. Even with seat belt head snapped forward. Headaches returned two fold! So, C3-C4 fusion in Nov. still not a big deal for me at that time, but headaches continued and bulging discs at other discs. 3/17/14 this year had C5-C7 plating, discectomy, fusion (now about 7 weeks later).

Of all of the surgeries I have had and migraines (broke my nose and reset it myself in 1999, so I don't consider myself super sensitive to pain), this surgery has by far been the most painful and hardest to recover from. I work part time from home for an hour or 2, but that exhausts me. Neck spasms are so bad I have stood in hot shower and cried, which is NOT usual for me. Doc says everything ok, just multi level is more difficult, but I wanted to see if anyone else has had this much pain. I am still taking pain meds, but try to save for night so I can sleep, (NEVER taken pain meds for more than 1 day in my life) I walk everyday, have followed docs orders to T and still cannot hardly move.  Last appt, he thinks I will be out of work at least part time for 18 weeks or more!  Jeez. Not released to drive yet, and still and hard collar during day and soft at night.  

Am I crazy? Am I just being a cry baby? Holy cow but this hurts!  Oh, and am 49, but zero health problems and non smoker. Only good news has been I have only had 2 migraines in 7 weeks, which was one if main reasons for surgery.

Any suggestions? Does it get better? Thanks for letting me vent!

[jerryslucky1]

thats right i also am having alot of pain in my neck from c5 and c6 surgury