Neck sugery and pain

pescadoman

pescadoman

Randy
Silver Member
I know I could find a forum that deals with surgery specifically, but I am a pool play and want to hear from a player.

I herniated c6-7 and have 2 Epidurals in my neck that have done nothing. I go in for another on the 25th and if it doesn't help I'll probably end up under the knife.

I tried playing at first and it was painful, now I just can't play at all. For the first time in 17 years I went to the pool hall and didn't even try. It is hard to explain the affect this has on me, but I hope someone here will understand.

I'm looking for someone who has been through something like this and can give me some advice.
 
hi
I had surgery on July 19 at c4-c5-c6, i spend several hours a day playing pool, I have less pain than before, it went very well and i recommend
surgery.
best regards
 
rch said:
hi
I had surgery on July 19 at c4-c5-c6, i spend several hours a day playing pool, I have less pain than before, it went very well and i recommend
surgery.
best regards
Click to expand...

Which procedure? Currently my surgeon is recommending removing part of the disk to abate the herniation, not a fusion.

Sorry, I should have been more clear.

The doc moved me from Percocets(which she thought would hurt me at 8 a day) to delaudid. The delaudid screw me up real bad.. sweats, nausea.........
 
My advice is try the surgery if you have a top surgeon and they say the odds are good the pain will improve, with a second opinion confirming that so you don't have to take pain pills.

I have multiple crushed vertibrae and collapsed disks and can't afford surgery and don't have insurance. Pain pills tore up my guts in no time and now I have more trouble than I started with, and would have been better off living with the pain and not trying to live a more active life for that time. There really isn't anything much worse than pain pills for many reasons, and that comes from a guy with constant severe chronic pain which for the most part I just live with. When I can't stand it I use medical marijuana and it has been a lifesaver but has it's downsides as well, not everyone wants to be stoned or in pain, it's a tough choice but at least it doesn't eat you from the inside out.

After several years off pills I've kind of gotten used to the pain, do move and do much less, and can't play nearly like I used to, but my stance and approach to the game has compensated and you learn to adapt. I tend to play more leagues now so that I only have to do a game or two a night and less tournaments.

But you can only adapt if you stay alive and you can still digest food and keep it down etc etc...

My mother had similar crushed vertibrae and she had hers pinned so they no longer move, she lost range of movement but pain did decrease dramatically. She's also had a lot of trouble from side effects of pain meds, not just eating up her insides but they made her a compulsive shopper for a while, and those were supposedly non-narcotic of some kind.
Watch out for all that stuff... Even just acetaminophen or advil or whatever, in time that all takes it's toll and the last thing you need is more problems.

I'm ok with less pool and less physical activity and no pain pills now, but life is much more limited than it used to be. That's just life though... I wish I could tell you which surgery is better but since I couldn't afford either I have no experience there.
 
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Have you tried standing more upright, so there is no pressure on your neck vertebrae? Sorry for your injuries. It's impossible to play pool when you hurt. Back/neck surguries should always be a last resort. Be sure to get at least a couple of different doctor's opinions. Good luck with whatever helps you!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
pescadoman said:
I know I could find a forum that deals with surgery specifically, but I am a pool play and want to hear from a player.

I herniated c6-7 and have 2 Epidurals in my neck that have done nothing. I go in for another on the 25th and if it doesn't help I'll probably end up under the knife.

I tried playing at first and it was painful, now I just can't play at all. For the first time in 17 years I went to the pool hall and didn't even try. It is hard to explain the affect this has on me, but I hope someone here will understand.

I'm looking for someone who has been through something like this and can give me some advice.
Click to expand...

You need to do everything you can to allow yourself a chance to get better without surgery. Stop trying to play pool, and stop now. Do not try to play again until your physician specifically advises that you can do prolonged and repetitive neck twisting and extension without risk of worsening your condition.
 
pescadoman said:
Which procedure? Currently my surgeon is recommending removing part of the disk to abate the herniation, not a fusion.
Click to expand...

they put four prostheses and remove part of the disks, because of compression of the nerves.
after 2 months I never had pain, and as I said I've been playing several hours a day. should have done this earlier. do not take any medicine.
best regards
 
Not Dead Ted said:
You need to do everything you can to allow yourself a chance to get better without surgery. Stop trying to play pool, and stop now. Do not try to play again until your physician specifically advises that you can do prolonged and repetitive neck twisting and extension without risk of worsening your condition.
Click to expand...

That is pretty much exactly what I have been doing.

Have you had some experience with this?

I don't mean to offend you, but I had no clue what it meant to feel like this.....until I did.

I've always been a very athletic person. Extremely agile for my age. Now that is gone, along with my income and social life.
 
Oregonmeds said:
My advice is try the surgery if you have a top surgeon and they say the odds are good the pain will improve, with a second opinion confirming that so you don't have to take pain pills.

I have multiple crushed vertibrae and collapsed disks and can't afford surgery and don't have insurance. Pain pills tore up my guts in no time and now I have more trouble than I started with, and would have been better off living with the pain and not trying to live a more active life for that time. There really isn't anything much worse than pain pills for many reasons, and that comes from a guy with constant severe chronic pain which for the most part I just live with. When I can't stand it I use medical marijuana and it has been a lifesaver but has it's downsides as well, not everyone wants to be stoned or in pain, it's a tough choice but at least it doesn't eat you from the inside out.

After several years off pills I've kind of gotten used to the pain, do move and do much less, and can't play nearly like I used to, but my stance and approach to the game has compensated and you learn to adapt. I tend to play more leagues now so that I only have to do a game or two a night and less tournaments.

But you can only adapt if you stay alive and you can still digest food and keep it down etc etc...

My mother had similar crushed vertibrae and she had hers pinned so they no longer move, she lost range of movement but pain did decrease dramatically. She's also had a lot of trouble from side effects of pain meds, not just eating up her insides but they made her a compulsive shopper for a while, and those were supposedly non-narcotic of some kind.
Watch out for all that stuff... Even just acetaminophen or advil or whatever, in time that all takes it's toll and the last thing you need is more problems.

I'm ok with less pool and less physical activity and no pain pills now, but life is much more limited than it used to be. That's just life though... I wish I could tell you which surgery is better but since I couldn't afford either I have no experience there.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your input and I can relate. The pills are reeking havoc.

My employers insurance will pay for whatever I want, done by whoever I want.
 
rch said:
they put four prostheses and remove part of the disks, because of compression of the nerves.
after 2 months I never had pain, and as I said I've been playing several hours a day. should have done this earlier. do not take any medicine.
best regards
Click to expand...


Thank you for your reply. I ran out of meds and felt guilty about asking for more and had the worst night of my life.

It wasn't withdrawals, I just couldn't get comfortable.

I didn't have side affects until they switched me to Percocets, then Dilaudid(which really messed me up)
 
pescadoman said:
That is pretty much exactly what I have been doing.

Have you had some experience with this?

I don't mean to offend you, but I had no clue what it meant to feel like this.....until I did.

I've always been a very athletic person. Extremely agile for my age. Now that is gone, along with my income and social life.
Click to expand...

Herniated discs can drop a strong man like he is a sack of potatoes. The good news is that almost everyone gets better. Sometimes it takes surgery, and even with that it may be a while to become pain free.

Whatever treatment path you choose, make sure that your physical therapist and physician approve before you start playing pool. As Scott said, playing more upright is a good idea, as this places much less stress on your neck.

Good luck.
 
I herniated C4-C5 (or maybe C3-C4, can't quite remember) and had the surgery. My surgeon opted for removing the offending part of the disc as opposed to the fusion method, after reviewing the MRI. His opinion was to try and use that method whenever possible and practical, since there was no fusion, and less risk to the vocal chords and related areas. (According to him, the fusion method would go in from the front, whereas the other method went in from the back of the neck.)

What my surgeon hadn't counted on was the bone spurs he found when he went in to do the surgery. They weren't apparent on the MRI. That complicated the surgery. Likely my recovery, as well.

Still, I'm glad I had it done. This was nearly 10 years ago, and I still have some occasional pain or discomfort in that area, but its FAR better than the pain before the surgery. I can do pretty much anything I did before, for the most part. I wasn't a pool player back then (I dunno if you can call me a pool player now, either :grin: ) so I can't give any perspective in that area.

If you have a surgeon you trust (you did check him/her out, right?) you probably ought to have it taken care of.
 
I had the fusion done, they went in from the front, and I am happy with the way I had it done. The doctor I had was very good. I am sure you were having the pain I had before I had it done, the pain was so bad I could not sit or stand, my wife would bring my meal and put it on the coffee table, and I would sit up and take two bites, and lay back down because the pain was so bad. The ride to the hospital was so painful, sitting there, but something had to be done. I remember waking up after surgery, and for the first time in months, not feeling that awful pain, especially in my arm, and thinking it was the medication they gave me, and when it wore off the pain would come back. Knock on wood, the pain never came back, once in a while my arm aches a little and my fingers tingle a little, but no comparison to what I was going thru. I hope you are feeling better these days.
 
pescadoman said:
I know I could find a forum that deals with surgery specifically, but I am a pool play and want to hear from a player.

I herniated c6-7 and have 2 Epidurals in my neck that have done nothing. I go in for another on the 25th and if it doesn't help I'll probably end up under the knife.

I tried playing at first and it was painful, now I just can't play at all. For the first time in 17 years I went to the pool hall and didn't even try. It is hard to explain the affect this has on me, but I hope someone here will understand.

I'm looking for someone who has been through something like this and can give me some advice.
Click to expand...


A few yrs ago I was diagnosed with stenosis of c2-c3 and could not play pool my doctor recommended a pain clinic for shots but there was a long wait period - Having had accupuncture for a facial nerve disorder (trigeminal neuralgia) I opted for accupuncture . After 10 - 12 treatments the pain was reduced considerably and I can play. I have some occasional neck pain but it is nothing like it was before. My condition was not as bad as yours. The accupuncturist said that he could only try to alleviate the pain.
 
Years ago, I had a c6/c7 fusion done with cadaver bone and a plate screwed into the spine for stability. Pick a good doc and get fixed. John
 
I want to thank everyone who took time to give me advice. I go in for 3rd shot Thurs, then I'm going to get more opinions.

I'm like Jekyll and Hyde on the pills. I sometimes lose hours, meaning I can't remember doing things. I made a rude post on here I can't even recall...
 
there is a guy on my pool team that had neck surgery two weeks ago. He was ready to play within days. He had the surgery in between sessions and didn't miss any pool at all and we were in playoffs.
 
pescadoman said:
I want to thank everyone who took time to give me advice. I go in for 3rd shot Thurs, then I'm going to get more opinions.

I'm like Jekyll and Hyde on the pills. I sometimes lose hours, meaning I can't remember doing things. I made a rude post on here I can't even recall...
Click to expand...

All very bad signs, good luck. I hope you get out from under the pills before dr jekyll likes them too much or ends up full on addicted.
It can cost you your entire life and lifes work before you know it.
 
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sdbilliards said:
there is a guy on my pool team that had neck surgery two weeks ago. He was ready to play within days. He had the surgery in between sessions and didn't miss any pool at all and we were in playoffs.
Click to expand...

Can you tell me which surgery he had and who his doctor was? You're not that far from me and I can see anyone I want. I'm seeing another doctor on Weds for a second opinion and plan on seeing at least one more.
 
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