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john65pennington's avatar

I am about to have neck surgery. what should i expect?

Asked by john65pennington (29273points) March 7th, 2010

I have had two previous neck surgeries in the past. the last neck surgery required the addition of a cadaver part, to be fused into the C-6 – C-7 location of my cervical spine. this cadaver part has never healed and is now pressing on the C-7 nerve, causing a lot of pain down my left arm and fingers. a new part is going to be taken from my hip and will replace the old cadaver part. i have never had a bone part taken from my hip or anywhere for that matter. what can i expect from this surgery? should i be concerned? to be honest, i am just a little bit anxious. please tell me what to expect and the recovery time involved.

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6 Answers

wilma's avatar

Will the incision be in the front of your neck or the back?
Where were your previous incisions?
Obviously you will have the added discomfort of the hip surgery.
I have had spinal neck surgery, not fun.
I think your recovery time will depend a lot on your age and physical condition.

john65pennington's avatar

Age 66, in good health. had two previous surgeries, one in the front and one in the back. my doctor insists on a hard collar. why is this? other doctors(same procedure)use the soft collar. will i be able to walk afterwards and how long to wear the neck collar this time?

jbfletcherfan's avatar

Oh, my, I don’t have an answer to your question, but I certainly wish you good luck with this & a speedy recovery. Come back to us soon. (((John)))

wilma's avatar

I had no collar after my surgery. I’m not sure why the hard rather than soft. Walking was my therapy after surgery, started out very slow and easy. The hip procedure this time will probably affect your walking and could slow that process.
Good luck to you. I’ll be thinking about you and I hope it all goes well.

mollypop51797's avatar

Good luck my friend! :)

Dr_Lawrence's avatar

I wish you a successful outcome and a quick recovery, sir.

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