surgery

[shellkay1212]

The short version is this:
C6 stenosis
C4-C5 bulging disc

The plan is this:
ream out the hole so my nerve is not being mashed
Remove disc, replace with cadaver bone - screws-plate

The question is this:
Will this hinder my activities in the long term?

[jessmarimba]

Back surgery is really very individual. But I know several mountain bikers who have broken vertebrae in that area that have been fused, and most have returned to ride again.

[shellkay1212]

YAY! I am determined for sure. I watched Ride Across the Sky and some lady had a rod in her back and did Leadville. Heck, I can do Indiana for sure then!

ANd road bike...I'm hoping the angle of my neck when I ride won't be a problem.

[jessmarimba]

Haha. She and her husband actually own a cross-country ski area near Leadville - I'd really like to meet her! I've got my lower thoracic (T11-L1) screwed together from a bike wreck, too. It isn't fully fused so there are things I'm not allowed to do, but I'm getting to the point where I barely notice it. I imagine the cervical vertebrae are a little different but you can probably retain most of your fitness while you recover since you'd likely just have a neck brace, right?

[shellkay1212]

They didn't mention a neck brace. They said I could begin walking right away. I can swim after the incision heals. And biking on one of my more upright bikes after a couple weeks. I can live with that.

I asked if I would be able to triathlon this summer. She said: could you do it before?

I thought: AHEM!!! YES!

But, I can't let it go and risk permanent nerve damage. oi.

[snapdragen]

The short version is this:
C6 stenosis
C4-C5 bulging disc

The plan is this:
ream out the hole so my nerve is not being mashed
Remove disc, replace with cadaver bone - screws-plate

The question is this:
Will this hinder my activities in the long term?

I had this done two years ago -- c4-c5-c6. Piece 'o cake OK, maybe not...but you should be able to get back to your normal activities, barring any complications. Dogmama has had cervical spine surgery also.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=27555

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=28236

Feel free to PM me with any questions, I'll be happy chat with you about it.

[Bike Chick]

I used to ride with a woman that had that done. She used a more upright stem on her road bike because she said it was too difficult to use a flat stem after her surgery. That was the only limitation she had AND she had her surgery many years ago. I'm sure medical science has advanced a lot since then.

Good luck to you Shelly! I know you must be nervous

[OakLeaf]

One of my roadie buddies had a lumbar fusion. He was back riding within 3-4 months IIRC. Within a year got a new bike because he wanted a much more aggressive riding position than he'd been able to tolerate before the surgery. It was about two years before he felt he'd reached maximum recovery.

My dad is one year out from lumbar fusion. He got some relief from it, but he was really disappointed at first because he had had instant relief from the cervical fusion he'd had about 15 years earlier (maybe longer than that). I THINK he's glad now that he had the surgery, but it was at least three months before he felt he'd received any benefit at all - and one of the things that the surgery did was make him and his doctors realize that not all his symptoms are the result of nerve root compression. (In his case, neuropathy is a side effect of medication.) It's true he's older and in poor health, but he's actually quite active for his condition - he has a backpack that he uses to carry his oxygen tank on long walks, and while I wasn't present for most of his PT, that's the sort of thing he's usually very motivated about.

So ... YMMV. Good luck, whatever you decide.

[NbyNW]

Just wanted to wish you good luck, hope the surgery and healing goes smoothly.

[Dogmama]

I have a very small amount of limited movement, but nothing to impede riding. Make sure that you faithfully do your rehab exercises.