1 Year Update!! Hey everyone! Surgery day, September 1,2021, was exactly a year ago today, so I wanted to give a quick update on how things have gone. C5-C6 cervical artificial disc replacement
I hope you realized how valuable this testimony is to people like me who are on the verge of having to make that decision. I truly appreciate this. Thanks.
Hello there! To cut the story short, i was diagnosed in 2012 with cervical spondylosis by plain xray and started with physical therapy. On and off on it. Until 2019 when pain in my neck went down to my shoulder and right arm. MRI showed disc bulges at c3 to c5 with dessication of the other cervical discs. Still not a candidate to surgery as told by another spine surgeon. This early January the pain is there all the time in my arm and there is already paresthesias but not so much weakness. I had a mri again and showed the same stuff but this time it is worse esp at c4 and c5 with herniation. I was offered two discs replacement using the prestige LP. I decided to have it finally done in November (i scheduled that date). There are 3 cord level compressions and i just wanted to be more freer by having that surgery. I am a pathologist who devote much of my time with microscopes and computers for a living. Having discs replaced will provide mobility. Thats prime and foremost reason. My hobby is also fine woodworking which entails neck flexion. I just want to enjoy this life until the end. Thanks much for these videos. I will watch the other videos you uploaded earlier.
Thank you so much for your videos. I’m having my MRIs on Wednesday. I have C3-6 broken from an accident 36 yrs ago. I am very confident with my chosen surgeon. Just hope my recovery is as quickly and completely as yours was. Again, thank you for alleviating some of my concerns.
Thanks I had C5-C6 disc replacement Oct 20th. I am a Nurse Practitioner and after 2 years I just said it's time to do something better. I did my research and prayed I could get a ACD replacement vs other older option. I am not quite 2 weeks post-op but glad my surgeon was able to perform replacement. BTW I have Nuvasive Simplify as my artificial disc selected by my surgeon.
Hello looked through all your conversation & found your surgeons info. So never mind & think you for helping others. I hope Dr Wang will help me I'm older than twenty six years old and I want the Medtronic prestige LP cervical disc replacement system. But just have to see how it plays out.
I appreciate these videos. I have watched them all. There isn’t enough first hand information available out there. I have gone through most of what you have and am also having some other neurological symptoms. I’ve seen two doctors. A neurosurgeon and an orthopedic. They both agree I need a fix now but like you one said fusion and the other said disc replacement. Both were adamant about their opinion and for the same reasoning. That I’m so active. All that did was confuse me. I’ve spent lots of time looking it from any angle. I’d probably be fine with both but have decided on the disc replacement. My question,finally, is did you consider other brands of disc replacements. I know you got the Premier LP. My neuro uses the same thing. The other uses the new Simplify. They are completely different. Did you look into this at all? It did you just go with what he was using? Thank you!
Thank you for generously sharing your experience, progress, and feedback. Your kindness and altruism in doing so are truly appreciated. As I have an upcoming two-level ADR surgery scheduled in a week, your videos have been an invaluable resource. They have tremendously helped maintain a positive mindset and ease some of the anxiety surrounding the procedure. Your willingness to document and share your journey has been incredibly helpful to me during this time. Question i wanted to ask is do you or did you have any regimen / routine post op to strengthen your neck or keep your neck healthy? e.g. exercise, diet, supplements, etc. If so, I would greatly appreciated if you could share details. Thank you!
Thanks for the kind words. Post-op I really didn't have much of a routine, though I did go to physical therapy a few times a week for muscle strengthening exercises in the neck and upper back specifically. Good luck to you!
Hi Wojciech. First, thank you for taking the time it takes to posts these videos for us to watch. I'm also from Florida, so both University of Miami and Cleveland Clinic are close to me (I'm currently at Cleveland). Did at any point in your decision process did you seek out a second opinion from another neurosurgeon other than the one that you ended up having your surgery ? I went to see a neurosurgeon and he is recommending the Nuvasive Simplify device or another whose name I can't remember now. I think I don't have all the info I need at the momento to pull the plug on this surgery.
My pleasure! I had two appointments, one with Dr. Wang and the second with Dr. Cantor, who is an orthopedic surgeon in Fort Lauderdale. I was comfortable with both, but I went with Dr. Wang as I felt more at ease having a neurosurgeon perform the surgery. My best advice is to obtain as much information as you can from your appointments, and ask questions! Bring a list of questions or concerns you have. At the end of the day this is your life so you need to be comfortable with whatever decision you make, and with whomever you decide to perform the surgery if you decide that route. Good luck to you!
Thanks for the information! I've watched a video of Dr. Wang speaking. He's quite impressive. I'm in Pennsylvania, but just might contact him for a second opinion. Do you know if they do MRI reviews via upload of files?
I appreciate you providing your perspective along the way here. Its really valuable, thank you! How many opinions did you get on needing the surgery? Right now, I am in a place where I have different surgeons telling me that I should or should not go through with it (yet). Were you put in that position of it just coming down to you? How sure were you when you decided to go for it? In my mind, I imagined it to be a clear answer. But it seems to be more complex than that, and very much down to my own decision at this point.
I only received two opinions, but definitely recommend talking to a few. It is up to you what procedure you are most comfortable with. One surgeon recommended the replacement, and the surgeon who ended up operating on me said if it was him needing surgery he would do a fusion but the decision is up to me. At the end of the day it's your life and you need to be comfortable with your decision and what you feel is best for you based of the different opinions. Good luck!
No limitations with rotating, but maybe slightly limited side to side (moving ear towards my shoulder). It just feels like if I try to stretch too much.
Good afternoon my friend I just had the same surgery as you 56 surgery did replace how long it took you to be normal again took you 6 months or a year how do you recuperation was slowly fast and change your life
Hi! I am an amateur bodybuilder. I am a little worried about working my traps by doing shrugs after I am cleared to workout after the surgery. Do you do shrugs when you workout? How does it feel with your neck now? My surgery is in 2 weeks and can’t wait to see results like yours!
I don't do shrugs, but that's just because I don't lift that much with my workouts at the moment though I certainly could. My neck muscles do get tight from time to time from poor posture and the like, but you shouldn't have any issue with lifting after surgery. Good luck on your recovery!
Feeling good! Really only some muscle tightness in my trap but doesn't affect me day to day. I haven't looked into that yet but maybe in the future, thanks!
I last had imaging done in June (which was about 9 months after surgery), and everything looks the same from my 6 week scan. I took meloxicam and Tylenol after surgery daily for a few weeks. After that I took it as needed for muscle inflammation.
I am adraid of adjacent segment disease I also prefer ADR over ACDF . I am fused from T1 TO L3/4 I have a herniation somewhere around c5 c6 neck is piercing when i sit for too long started off as carpal tunnel syndrome feeling then cubital feeling then ear ache arm pain my teeth my feel sensitive for a split of a second i actuallt touch the sensirive area in my neck and feel the sorness . i want to try grade 4 laser therapy , prp first . i am afraid of chiro because manipulation like that can damage the cord or vertebral and carotid dissection. how painful was the surgey upon waking and also what are the risk of the phrenic and vagus or long thoracic nerve getting damaged?? i am scared and sad
Have to decide if I want a fusion or a discectomy replacement. The fusion surgery is able to be done from the back but the disc replacement can not be done from no where but the front of the neck. I find myself at a crossroads because I am a worshiper at church and my fear with doing the disc replacement is that I will lose my voice. Please keep me in prayers😪🙏❤️ I want to be free from all this pain😪🙏🙏🙏 I just don’t want to lose my voice🙏🙏
I based my decision on the surgeon and just followed his lead. He primarily uses Prestige LP for his ADR's. In my opinion it's best to have the surgeon use a device that he's most comfortable with.
After my 6 week appointment I had no restrictions. My doctor just recommended slowly increasing activity, but I began running, going to gym, and biking after 6 weeks.
How are you doing now in Dec 2023? Hope you are doing well. I have been struggling with c4-c5 herniation for the last 4 months and feel like everything is falling apart around me.
@@wojciechg792 thank you! that's great. I recently got a bad stinger injury with impinged nerve, possible disk problem and I had signficant weakness on that side when I tried going to the gym a few days later. Waiting for a neuro appointment at the moment.
Quick questions. Any difficulty swallowing? Do you feel the disc inside your neck and did you get the Prestige artificial disc? Sorry for so many questions. Thank you.
Hey there. Just after surgery I had a sore throat for maybe a day but never had difficulty swallowing. I had pad thai the night after surgery and ate normal foods from then on. I do not feel the disc at all and never felt like there was "something there". Very normal. I do have the Prestige LP device. No worries at all for the questions!
@@wojciechg792 thank you again. I've tried every conceivable conservative treatment. But not getting better. They're telling me two-level replacements (c5/6/7). It's just seems scary getting this surgery, and not knowing the longevity of these artificial discs. I appreciate your time. Take care.
Thanks very much for your info. I been dealing with cervical disk herniation for a year and all your advices and surgery experience are really valued for my future decisions. These videos are so valuable. Thanks
@@aarongoff1111 If you're having nerve issues stemming from C5-7 then I would consider it in your case. The surgery has given be my life back and would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Good luck!
@@aarongoff1111that is the thing I wish it could last forever which it could just like the titanium rods in my back but I am afraid of neck adjacent segment disease
Hello what was the name of the surgeon that did the surgery for you his First and last name & location state info so I can look him up on the Medtronic web site. The surgeons I’m talking with are trying to push me to the ACDF Fusion & I don’t want to be fused. Please help need your doctor’s info so I get my cervical Disc c5&c6 taken care of.
Hi buddy i had my surgery 3 weeks ago and i still have nerve pain in my arm... its frustrating... i want to be able to train again eventually... its depressing
@@wojciechg792 yes the physios are telling me that it may take some time for nerves to settle ... however i see that so many people here on RU-vid got the same surgery and say that the nerve pains they had went away immediately after surgery... so it's depressing
I have some issues in my cervical spine. And I have three herniated discs. My recovery journey video is on my channel. You can check that out guys. I my recovery has just started, fingers crossed.
