@Superlyte27 Glad to hear you are doing well. Another victory for spine surgery!
Diving post ACDF spinal surgery
- Thread starter divingscorpio13
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I have cadaver bone and a titanium plate holding C3-C4 together. The cadaver bone is used as spacing and to provide a substrate for ossification to develop, the titanium plate is used for initial stability during the ossification/healing process.
The wedge of cadaver bone is sterile, but I understand why it might sound creepy.
-Z
Unfortunately this is not uncommon. With the vertebrae fused it causes the vertebrae and discs above and below the fused segment(s) to bear more stress which often leads to their deterioration and the need for further fusions...this is much more common with lumbar segment fusions due to the weight bearing nature of the lumbar spine but it is not uncommon with the cervical spine as well...good posture, strength, and flexibility of the cervical spine can help prolong the time it takes for the deterioration but the fusion creates a bio-mechanical change that is really unavoidable.
-Z
OP
divingscorpio13
Registered
I thought I would give a quick update post dive trip.
As I stated originally my surgery was July 23, 2018 and on October 13, 2018 I spent 2 weeks in the Cook Islands diving Rarotonga and Aitutaki which was phenomenal!
Raro was a giant stride off the back of the boat which was no trouble at all but Aitutaki was a back roll. Since it was such a high drop I decided to float my gear and drop into the water and put it on in the water. Worked great! Didn't miss a dive and was able to get 12 dives in!
I did about a 9000’ 4+ hour cave dive on Saturday. No issues. I’m pretty happy. Highly recommend Dr. Ramirez in Orlando
tcpip95
Contributor
Got the ACDF done Tuesday morning. No pain in the incision area, but my back truly feels like I have been beaten with a bat. I have some mild pain on the inside (on the spine itself) where I believe the actual drilling/shaving/shimming took place, but it's nothing compared to the muscle pain that I'm experiencing in my shoulders and middle back. MUCH worse that my 1st ACDF.
The doctor told my wife that they had to orient my head/neck in a certain position - and kept it there for quite awhile apparently - in order to do the work. The on-table time was 1 hour and 20 minutes. I'm at Day 3+ right now. No neck pain, but my back is killing me. I'd torn the muscles in my back when I was younger; that's exactly what this feels like.
The doctor told my wife that they had to orient my head/neck in a certain position - and kept it there for quite awhile apparently - in order to do the work. The on-table time was 1 hour and 20 minutes. I'm at Day 3+ right now. No neck pain, but my back is killing me. I'd torn the muscles in my back when I was younger; that's exactly what this feels like.
It gets better. Promise
I remember after my surgery 15 years ago the most uncomfortable thing was wearing a hard plastic cervical collar for a month. Not sure if you are being put through that same torture. Good luck, things will get better!
I realize I'm reviving an old thread, but I don't see a need to start my own. I had a freak accident at a trampoline park playing with my 13 year old grandson weekend before last. I fractured and dislocated C6 and fractured C7. My C6 was dislocated 6mm out of alignment, which doesn't sound like much until you realize how little room there is in your neck for your nerves, arteries and spinal cord. My neurosurgeon was able to repair everything with a combination of ACDF C6-C7 fusion and traction. I spent 6 days in the hospital but am back home and on the mend. The only noticeable result currently is tricep and hand weakness in my right arm. I'm looking forward to when I can get the collar off and start PT so that I can hopefully regain what I've lost.
I've had quite the run of bad luck the last 8 months. Last August I broke my left clavicle in a bike accident and missed 2 months of diving. Before these two accidents I had never broken a bone in my life.
I'm grateful that the damage was as minimal as it was. According to my surgeon and trauma docs, 1-2 more mm of dislocation and I might not still be here. I could be paralyzed, fully or partially, or I could have had a heart attack or stroke due to nerve or artery damage. God is good!
I hope to be back in the water in 2-3 months, but I'm not going to push it. I plan to let my body recover and when it's time, I'll be back out there.
I would love to hear from others who have returned to diving post ACDF. I have read the experiences above and they are very encouraging!
I've had quite the run of bad luck the last 8 months. Last August I broke my left clavicle in a bike accident and missed 2 months of diving. Before these two accidents I had never broken a bone in my life.
I'm grateful that the damage was as minimal as it was. According to my surgeon and trauma docs, 1-2 more mm of dislocation and I might not still be here. I could be paralyzed, fully or partially, or I could have had a heart attack or stroke due to nerve or artery damage. God is good!
I hope to be back in the water in 2-3 months, but I'm not going to push it. I plan to let my body recover and when it's time, I'll be back out there.
I would love to hear from others who have returned to diving post ACDF. I have read the experiences above and they are very encouraging!
Three cheers for Papaws who still jump on trampolines. Sorry this happened. Since recovery from this (and any) surgery can vary from person to person, I strongly recommend that your surgeon be front and center in the conversation.
Best regards,
DDM
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