I know that seems to be a silly question to ask on a gaming forum, but I know we tend to skew a little bit older here so I figured I'd ask as the possibility of someone else having had the surgery is much higher, that or they might know somebody who has.

Anyway I'm having a Anterior Cervical Fusion at the C5-C6 level on the 1st of July and should hopefully be home by my 30th birthday on the 3rd for recovery barring any complications.

So I'm just wondering, if anyone has had the surgery, what should I be expecting recovery wise? How long before I should be able to tell if it worked or not? I know recovery can be different for everyone so I'm just looking for others experiences and any advice they might have. Not afraid of the surgery, just curious as to whats waiting for me on the other side of surgery. Hopefully this will bring finality to the numbness I experience in both hands. Thanks for reading! :)

I have no experience with the surgery but I hope it goes well. I've had issues with my neck since I was very young due to an accident - it's not as severe as your issues I'm sure but even the relatively minor problems I've found limiting occasionally.

Best of luck.

I never had surgery in all my life, I never even experianced a broken or fractured bone.

My body has so far been unscared by serious things.

You mean your face always looked that way?

...Well there was that time where my brother threw a ruler at my eyebrow and it pierced my skin, so I had to go to the hospital to get stiches and I was 5-6 years old when that happen, but the scar healed and my eyebrow is covering it.....yeah.

My brother did a few years ago, however that was specific to a condition he's had since birth, he was in a neck brace a good six months after surgery. It fixed his neck issue right up though.

Best thing I can tell you is that this is something your doctors can and really should tell you. They'll give you a much better estimation of what's ahead based on your particular case.

Other than that I really hope the surgery helps!

Honestly, those are questions for the doctors to answer. In light of that, write down any questions you might have - it's easy to forget this stuff when you're face-to-face with the people who know.

One thing to ask about is the side effects from any pain meds they give you, and how to combat those effects. Also ask about interactions with other meds. Ibruprofen, NSAIDs, Acetaminophen, etc all have their own little hazards post-surgery, so make sure you're taking the right kinds of OTC stuff.

And good luck with the whole thing.

I've been through surgery before, but not that kind of surgery.

My best wishes for you for a good and fast recovery, zmagnum! Good luck! ^_^

I actually have such a bad neck that this was one of the options we were looking at, but thankfully the specialist said it was not a good option. You're a helluva lot younger than I though, so if you're slated for this surgery, then it must be necessary. I had a friend that went through it and it was a very successful outcome. But listen to what your doctors tell you. This is the best piece of advice I can give you. Don't try to do too much afterward. Just follow your doctors' advice and you'll be fine.

I've never had to go to the hospital. The only "serious" injury I've sustained is when I was eight, when I was flipping my pocketknife in the air and catching it. I missed.

Never had neck surgery before but I did have to go in for hernia surgery when I was 16. All I have to say is good luck and hope recovery goes well for you.

I could spare some if you want. For starters - elbow, some mysterious bone in wrist and foot - make your pick ;)

I get very rarely sick, but have had to through unnecessarily many broken bones, teeth, ear damage and such. Most of them thanks to others, like the ear damage thing which is probably the most unpleasant thing as its there 24/7.

Enjoy your limbs and organs while you still have them :p


OP:

Good luck with the surgery - luckily ive so far passed mine just fine, but the hospital food almost did me in. Maybe its better in US..

Some sage advice I will most definitely heed, thank you for your advise. I'm glad to hear from people who have had or know of people who have surgery like this. I'll be talking with my doctor about the few minor questions I have left before I go under the knife. I feel good about this and it needs to be done regardless of the risks as my situation will not be improving otherwise, PT and Cortisone injections are long since gone helping.

Thank you to everyone who have responded.

Edit:
As long as there are Jello squares and cheese I'll be fine. :)

An update: The neck fusion was a Success!

So I ended up having the Surgery on the 17th of July instead of the 1st so a little bit more than one month ago. My surgeon fixed my c4-c5 as well as the c5-c6 we had originally discussed.

Still on some restrictions like not lifting more than five pounds but I feel great, no more numb hands or migraine like headaches related to the damaged discs, still a bit sore in the neck and shoulder area from time to time but that will go away with time from what I'm told.

I can attest that after dealing with the pain for 15 years after I took a head to head helmet collision in a pop warner football (A.K.A Gridiron) league practice drill, it's honestly the best risk I've taken in my life!

Anyway thanks to the wonderful folks above for the great advice I received prior to the surgery, it helped put my mind at ease before said surgery. ;)

Excellent news, mate! Good luck with the rest of your recovery.