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New Member Introductions If you just joined, please introduce yourself here. Please add a signature describing your spinal history (use the "User CP) and ask us how we can help you get started.


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  #1  
Old 10-05-2020, 01:53 PM
jmunjr jmunjr is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 2
Default Newbie here, about to get ACDF - told disc replacement isn't an option

Hi everyone, I hope my post is appropriate.

I'm 51 and have a congenital fusion at C5-6 and a lifetime of sports and in particular Crossift in 2012 caused a bunch of herniations, particularly at C5-6 and C6-7. PT and steroid injections, mostly PT, helped the problem get a lot better within a couple months and more or less stabilized since, though like an idiot I still continued doing Crossfit until 2016. In 2017 I noticed long drives started causing neck pain on the left side and in 2018 after I started working on the PC again for really long periods (programmer), I really started having issues, and the past 16 months have been constantly painful and difficult, with numbness in the arm, though not detrimentally so. Since 2012 I have gone to 3 or 4 doctors about this and they all said disc replacement was not an option due to the advanced nature of the disc degeneration, among other things. I am scheduled to have C4-5 and C6-7 fused on Wednesday.

So this is sort of a last minute inquiry to see what people think, if that is even allowed. It seems no matter which doc I see they tell me disc replacement is a no-no, and they all do that surgery. I have felt like it would be unwise to try to find someone who will do it. It also makes sense that doing ADR on two separate levels would be kind of difficult, particularly in getting the alignment just right, but that's just a guess.

I have numerous MRI results and reports. Do people here even look at them?

Anyway, I meant to write this last week but didn't get approved right away and was away from the computer for a while. Thanks again.

P.S. - one other thing is the PT people a year ago believe I have an elevated first rib causing some of the shoulder and arm issues. My doc isn't convinced but said that could be the case. Regardless, I do have numerous issues that are strictly neck related, so the surgery should still help me.
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  #2  
Old 10-09-2020, 04:11 PM
Cheryl0331 Cheryl0331 is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 890
Default My personal experience

Doctors here that tell you adr is jot an option; is because they do not do them and haven't been trained to do them.
Did they even telly you why adr wasn't an option?!
__________________
54 yr old female 5'7" 147 lbs. non-smoker conservative treatments failed
2007 fusion @ C4-6 peek cages, failed due to long term use of cox-2 inhibitor
2008 revised C4-6 donor bone, plate & screws
2009 fusion with Roi-C @ C3-4
2015 MRI & CT mjr ddd @ C6-7, segmental kyphosis at C7-T1, 2-level M6-C prosthesis by Dr. Clavel Barcelona Spain
2019 H.O. formed behind M6-C @ C6-7 left nerve rt & in spinal canal.
2020 Revision C6-7 to a CP-ESP prosthesis by Dr. Schmitz Dusseldorf Germany
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  #3  
Old 10-09-2020, 10:03 PM
jmunjr jmunjr is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 2
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cheryl0331 View Post
Doctors here that tell you adr is jot an option; is because they do not do them and haven't been trained to do them.
Did they even telly you why adr wasn't an option?!
Yeah they all do disc replacements too. MY degeneration is/was really advanced and I have issues in the facet joints, so they would still be moving around and causing pain with a disc replacement, and there would also be continued bone growth. I ended up getting the fusions. They are low enough that I shouldn't see too much loss of range of motion. I'm just hoping the adjacent discs don't become too problematic any time soon.
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  #4  
Old 10-10-2020, 03:03 PM
Cheryl0331 Cheryl0331 is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 890
Default Facets

Yeah, degenerated facets are usually a deal breaker for most adr surgeons.
__________________
54 yr old female 5'7" 147 lbs. non-smoker conservative treatments failed
2007 fusion @ C4-6 peek cages, failed due to long term use of cox-2 inhibitor
2008 revised C4-6 donor bone, plate & screws
2009 fusion with Roi-C @ C3-4
2015 MRI & CT mjr ddd @ C6-7, segmental kyphosis at C7-T1, 2-level M6-C prosthesis by Dr. Clavel Barcelona Spain
2019 H.O. formed behind M6-C @ C6-7 left nerve rt & in spinal canal.
2020 Revision C6-7 to a CP-ESP prosthesis by Dr. Schmitz Dusseldorf Germany
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