New member Hello!

[Cynlite]

So true! Hang around here long enough and you'll find positive and negative comments about every surgeon. It's impossible for anyone to have a perfect track record plus, all of us have bad days, especially us patients.

[Dema]

Congratulations Stacy on the successful surgery, and feeling better since. Please keep us updated on your pain levels before and after surgery, this is helpful to those of us who have not had the surgery yet.
Thank you for sharing your experience & best wishes

[stacyg123]

Thanks everyone for your comments!

My throat pain is completely gone. No pain at all at the incision site or in the front of my neck period. Other than a lump swallowing occasionaly from moving my muscles around, that's pretty good. I am having nerve pain from my neck down my left arm. I'm hoping that is due to my nerves being set free after being compressed for 3 years. I am curious if anyone else had post op nerve pain and if so, when did it subside? Other than that, I'm doing well. I am taking my Nsaids and seem to really only need the pain meds at night due to lack of sleep and not being able to get comfortable. I'm a pretty active person so I think the hardest part of this is not being able to get up and do things. So, today I will finish watching shark week and probably eat a cinnamon roll, maybe go for a walk...

[colorado babe]

For a few months after surgery I would occasionally have a swallowing problem. It is normal but as I remember, it is scary.

Enjoy your cinnamon roll and walk. You're on the other side now and each day gets better.

[Cheryl0331]

not that it matters.

1. question for Bwink: how long ago did Dr. F. Phillips say that to you?
2. like Cynlite said: may be now he's finally come around and done some research.
3. or it could be that he didn't think it should be used until fda approved, and the trial lead him towards another option...

Be well and stay positive Stacy.

[Cheryl0331]

I too had some doctors that wouldn't even see me that are now doing adr under fusions. it's just more money here; so that is why I went to Barcelona. At TBI I couldn't get past the patient coordinator to even see Dr. Blumenthal. I guess if I had schedule an apt and drove down; I could have talked to him.

[stacyg123]

I really researched before I opted for ADR. His credentials were impressive as well as all of the articles and lectures that he has done. I felt extremely comfortable with my decision. I guess timing is everything. In 5 years we will probably be doing what Europe has been doing for the past 10-15! With time comes knowledge.

I am now 19 days post op and doing well. I am so grateful to have this forum. I have learned so many things reading through posts. It's nice to know you are not alone in your recovery.

I am basically just down to taking my Nsaids daily with an occasional narcotic at the end of the day to help with sleep or breakthrough pain. I do still have a "pulling" feeling from my neck down my shoulder/arm as if my nerves are being yanked-stretched. The pain down my scapula/shoulder blade is gone...yay! No headaches, and incredibly, the pain that I used to have in my lower back pre surgery is gone! It's crazy how connected everything is.

[bwink23]

Originally Posted by Cheryl0331

not that it matters.

1. question for Bwink: how long ago did Dr. F. Phillips say that to you?
2. like Cynlite said: may be now he's finally come around and done some research.
3. or it could be that he didn't think it should be used until fda approved, and the trial lead him towards another option...

Be well and stay positive Stacy.

1. He said this to me just one month ago when i was getting a second opinion on continued pain in my low back. Maybe he meant putting ADR's in the lumbar spine, but was OK with cervical? I don't know. All i know is what he said. Maybe he was put back by me going overseas to have it done, cuz he didnt seem to fond of European surgeons for whatever reason.

2. Seeing as this was recently, i doubt that is the case. He may have had ulterior motives for his comment, as i mentioned above.

3. Possibly.


I didn't mean to hurt feelings or anything. But some things shouldn't be swept under the rug. It appears his surgery was success and now the recovery begins, that i wish stacey well for. Single-level patients typically do really well these surgeries.