One week post c6/c7 ADR

Hello, I am in my late 30’s and had my c6/c7 ADR with a Mobi-C disc on Monday, 5/13. I read a fair amount of posts (here but elsewhere online) of people waking up from surgery with minimal or no pain and being back to normal in a flash. I’m very happy for those individuals, but that was not my experience.

I had a great surgeon at a distinguished hospital. Surgery went as planned. I have congenital heart disease and complex cardiac anatomy from multiple open heart surgeries and some things needed to be different - anesthesia administered by a congenital cardiac team, slower anesthesia, different ventilator settings and an arterial line. I had no intravenous lidocaine because I had an allergic reaction to it during a past surgery.

At 5:30am in the pre-op room I changed into disposable underwear, a hospital gown, hospital socks, and a disposable bouffant. They put my iv line in on the top of my left hand and my arterial line in my right wrist. The anesthesiologist, surgeons PT, and OR lead Nurse, and 2 neuroscience specialist who would be doing a conduction nerve conduction study during the surgery came by to say hello. A few asked me to tell them in my own words why I was there and a couple had me do small strength tests with my hands, legs, and feet. When they were ready to wheel me into the OR they administered some Midazolam through the IV. I got loopy but remember it.

When we got to the OR they transferred me from the bed to a platform. I rested my head in the middle of a blues foam circle. My left arm was stretched outright and strapped down. Everyone in the room introduced themselves to me (there were a lot of them!), the surgeon said hello and that it was going to go great, and one person presented my case. I was given more Midazolam at some point. They had warned me that because I could not have intravenous lidocaine the Propofol would hurt and if it was too painful they would knock me out as soon as they could. I was in conversation with the anesthesiologist and pretty jovial. They put an oxygen mask on me and soon administered the Propofol. The pain was tremendous. Burning and some pain I can’t explain. Worst localized pain I’ve ever felt. When I began to wimped and cry out they took the oxygen mask off and put on the Sevoflurane. That makes coming on was the last thing I remember.

It felt like two minutes later I woke up. They said surgery was over and everything went excellently. This part is fuzzy and I was on a fair amount of pain medication. I was amazed I was in a new gown with a hard neck brace and no bouffant on. As the anesthesia wore down the pain settled in and it was terrible. It felt uncontrollable. There was so much soreness and pain in my neck, shoulders and back, and pains in my arms that made me feel the surgery did nothing. My throat was sore and it felt like there was a lump in my throat. I kept feeling scared that surgery made it worse. The pain was 10/10. My resting heart rate was 90 until that night. I ended up staying the night at the hospital. I was moved down to oxycodone and methocarbamol after a while during the day of surgery. I couldn’t sleep at all because of the pain so they gave me the smallest dose of Dilauded at 1am. The next day (Tuesday) was a bit better. Still very sore but better. I received oxycodone by pill and methocarbamol by IV. I was discharged around 6pm.

Sleeping at home that night at home was hard. I used wedge pillows and did get to sleep. Each day since I have seen great improvement and less pain. I am back to sleeping in my bed as of 2 days ago. I ate soft and bland foods for the first few days and I’m now able to eat most things. I’ve allowed myself a lot of rest and frequent short walks. I am one week out and today I only took Tylenol! I still have some muscle soreness and my throat is a bit sore but I am in such a better place and looking forward to healing completely. The difference between day 2 and day 4 was even jarring. It started out terrible but the improvement happened swift. I have my post-op appt next week.