Wednesday, May 18, 2016

ACDF Surgery

Dr M & I @ my post op checkup (I'm standing on a stool)
Seven months after ACDF of c5 - c7 (Anterior Cervical Discectomy & Fusion) I am still relieved of a lot of pain!!!!!! Yes, it's true! Ever since I woke up from surgery I could tell my arms & hands were so much better! See, my spine was being squished in my neck because of 2 severely herniated discs. This surgery helped immensely.

I still have Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibro, TMD, Arnold Chairi 1 & other spinal herniations, but it's so much easier to manage without that heavy armor feeling I always had. Glad to report I have full movement of the neck & I don't ever feel the titanium plate & six screws in my neck. I no longer have the heaviness and extreme pain in the shoulders! YES! And I no longer have the numbness in my arms and hands, meaning I can drive again and hold things without dropping them! I can stand more than before and I get up a little easier from sitting.

Did 1 month of neck & back therapy after surgery. Seven months later, my back, hips and ribs aren't much better, but I'm not giving up. I'm still unable to get through a full day without needing to stop & rest for hours & then try again later. But I'm definitely on the road to recovery and better health!! It'll take a long time but good health is worth it.
Wore neck brace for 3 mo's
So the next step for me is to lose some weight. Not being able to move much for years definitely adds on the pounds! Plus I know losing some extra padding would help relieve some pressure off my joints. I've been pushing the stretching and walking daily. It's extremely difficult, but I'm confident that if I stick to it and stick to eating right, it'll all come in due time.

Neck scar healed perfect
To help in my new journey, I've embarked on a weight loss / get healthy challenge with my mother-in-law & brother-in-law. Our family and friends are the best support groups. So for about a month now, I've been working on changing my old, bad diet habits. Now I try to drink more water & I'm eating so much healthier, again. I'll have to start taking pictures of my healthy foods to share with you all!

Eating easy veggie tofu stir fry
As you can see in the photo, I have a scar on my neck now. I love the scar! It's a constant reminder of what I've been through, how lucky I am, and it keeps me focused on getting even better.

Stay tuned for my next Easy RA food post! I have lots to share :)

PS - I highly recommend Dr. Edward Mkrdichian with NorthShore University HealthSystem.

eat healthy & drink more water, baby! cause you're worth it!