Pain reduction after surgery

[ceejay]

Four years after my MVA I finally found a doctor who gave me a clear picture of the problems
in my neck.I have severe spinal stenosis due to cord compression from c3-c6He pretty much offered me the option of a laminoplasty

The disks at those levels are herniated or bulging

Some days the pain gets to be pretty bad Lortabs only help take the edge off


I guess my question is to what extent does surgery help control the pain

For what percent of people will surgery help with pain I have heard alot if

of figures

[kennethhoff]

Ceejay,

I think it is a question that is very difficult to answer. Because everyone's issues are so different, as are our bodies, recoveries, etc... no one can really say. Some people who are perfect candidates for a particular surgery fare no better or worse, while others do great. I have found that even if you did a Google search and found that 90% of all laminoplasty surgeries alleviated their associated problems, well then 10% didn't. There is no clear cut answer.
So with that said, the thing you may want to think about is your functionality, your ability to have a decent life (even if you can do only less), your physical and emotional health, etc ... You alone will have to weigh the risks vs. benefits of any possible surgery based on these and other factors, and then decide can you continue living the way you are. How bad does the pain interfere with your life vs. how much can be managed.
If you do decide on surgery, find the absolute best doctor you can, even get multiple opinions, have the correct tests done, find a doctor you trust who has alot of experience in the surgery you wish to have, find out about the recovery processes, etc ...
When you've done all this, and are truly comfortable with the decision to have surgery, then, and only then, are you ready.
Finally, a very good video about ADR (though it can be seen for other surgeries) was made by Harrison and is available through this board. It goes through all the thoughts of 6 or 7 surgery patients and what they went through and their decision making. The link is:

A miracle, of sorts...

Good luck on whatever you decide!
Ken

Originally Posted by ceejay

Four years after my MVA I finally found a doctor who gave me a clear picture of the problems
in my neck.I have severe spinal stenosis due to cord compression from c3-c6He pretty much offered me the option of a laminoplasty

The disks at those levels are herniated or bulging

Some days the pain gets to be pretty bad Lortabs only help take the edge off


I guess my question is to what extent does surgery help control the pain

For what percent of people will surgery help with pain I have heard alot if

of figures