Has anyone here had neck surgery?
I am 67 years old. I have had Sjogren's since 2006 and RA since 2017. I am about to have a cervical fusion done on 3 levels and also relieving a pinched nerve due to chronic pain.
Does anyone have experience like this?
I would love to hear any experiences any of you may have had with neck surgery. I am pretty frightened by it and would appreciate your prayers. Physical therapy, traction, tens unit, massage and injections did not work. Have been in pain since last August.
@manthI I never had neck surgery per se, but I do suffer from bad neck pain due to my RA. Some days my body also throws in some neck muscle cramps, just for fun. Surgery is always daunting, and seems so huge and overwhelming before it happens. Once the surgery itself is over, though, and you are on to recovery, I always feel as if things are never as bad as I imagined. Keep on keepin’ on, DPM
Thank you Daniel. Since I asked the question, I have postponed my surgery due to the fact that I am so frightened about not being able to recover because I deal with so much fatigue every day. I am going to go the pain management route first and see if that helps. I am also hoping to get back in physical therapy. The chronic pain is no fun but you are right, we must try to remain positive and take each day and carry on.
Thanks, Manthe
Hi Mantha. It is completely understandable to be concerned about the prospect of surgery. I do know that we have community members who have had neck surgeries and benefited from them. Our contributor Kat has had neck surgery and did a series of videos on surgery tips. Here is the first one (you will notice the surgical collar on her neck): https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/video/surgery-tips-part-1/. If you click on her name below the video title you can get to her other videos and articles. Wishing you the best and know that this community is here for you. Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team)
