just had vertebrae fused

[zendisney]

I just had c5 anc c6 fused... Is there anyone out there who has had this surgery?
I was hoping when I heal I can go back to riding roller coasters and such. I am on major restrictions right now, I am not allowed to lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk. I listen to the doctor because I want to heal. I just wonder what life after this will be like...

 

[mechurchlady]

Never had back surgery.
My bad disc is t something around where the bra strap is located.
I can give you lots of hugs and prayers though.

I can tell you how I see things. Your future could be that of a grumpy old lady always in pain and blinded by the pain so as to never see anything good any more but I think you will have a bright future ahead of you. Adapt and move on is what I try to do and get by with a little help of friends. Enjoy prime rib dinners with family and fresh berries straight from the field. Enjoy the sunsets and laughter of little children.

I hurt a lot at times but I am online helping people and do a bit at a time around the house. No three hour cleaning sprees but short spurts. No matter what happens you can have a rich and wonderful life. I love roller coasters but for me the parks are about food, people, pretty flowers, art, and so much more. I would love to ride Indiana Jones and the Rock n Roller Coaster but dare not. Those rides are history for me but not the good food, CMs spoiling me, the little girls dressed as princesses, the boys playing, the wildlife on the lake, the colours, the sounds and smells of the parks.

Big hugs and prayers and chocolates
Laurie

 

[honugirl]

I'd say it's really up to your doctors. Personally, if I had fused vertebrae, I wouldn't take the chance. Did they put lots of hardware in there? If they did, you might be OK. Many of the rollercoasters do have warnings that people with back/neck issues shouldn't ride.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

As honugirl says, most coasters have warnings saying don't ride if you have back or neck problems. Definitely talk to your doctors before you try going back to any of the rougher rides (this includes things like Star Tours).

That said, I do have back & neck problems and ride coasters (unknown neuro condition where I have poor core muscle strength leading to back and neck pain and while not horrible trunk control, not good trunk control), however I'm careful about what I ride. I try to only ride coasters with both an over the head restrain system (not just a seatbelt) and some sort of head/neck support and metal coasters, not wooden. The absolute best coaster for this I've found anywhere, actually, is Rock'n'Roller coaster because I'm short enough (5'4") that the seat comes all the way up my head and the speakers give a little bit of positioning support so my head isn't doing too much side-to-side. I know others who hate it, though, so it's really a personal preference and what works for you. I'd say "start with smaller coasters/rides", but it's not necessarily that simple. I can't do a lot of the "easier" coasters and rides because they don't have what I need to ride comfortably.

Really I suspect it will come down to what your doctors say is safe and what risks and pain you're willing to put up with.

Good luck!

 

[cmesq61]

Do whatever your doctors say to do. I had T3 to L4 fused many years ago. Basically the better part of 18 months recovering. Tried a few roller coasters over the years. Just not good for me--I always feel it afterward. But everyone is different. Best of luck.

 

[buffettgirl]

uggh.. hopefully it all works out for you. I have bulging/herniations between c4-5, 5-6 and 6-7 and degeneration, without any spinal cord compression, so I'm not in any pain most of the time unless I throw it out and then all bets are off.

I'm weighing my rollercoaster options carefully right now.

 

[RNMOM]

My DH had C 4-5-6 fused in 2005. You should not plan to ride roller coasters or do any other activity that might cause any injury even though you are fused. Some of those might be horseback riding, skating, skiing, anything where you could have a serious fall. You need to ask your surgeon's office to make your restrictions clear to you. Let yourself heal and take care of yourself so you don't have further problems.

 

[maryserv]

Carla,
I've read others answers and mine is not going to be the same. I had C5-6-7 fusion with cadaver bone and titanium instrumentation in October of 2004. We already had a trip to Disney planned for either December or January. I'm certain that I didn't ride any coasters, spin rides or anything "jerky" for that trip. I eased into doing different things over the years, and worked hard to not do the things that probably made my neck not great before my car accident (the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back).

One thing that I make sure I don't do is carry heavy loads on a shoulder. That includes my purse, I now use a lightweight backpack purse. For a long time I used a cheap rolling suitcase to bring home work, and carry other things. Now, I can use a book bag, but if it is heavy I carry some of the load in the other arm or carry the whole bag in both arms. I use a head set for the telephone (no more cradling the phone between neck/shoulder). This surgery plus all of my other "adjustments" went very well.

I actually ride some roller coasters now, but not the "crazy" ones. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is about as wild as I get now, but I have done Space Mountain a few times within the recent past. I wouldn't try to do anything that could possibly dislodge your fusion until your neurosurgeon pronouces you completely fused and you don't have any pain. That could take a while. I would also encourage you to find non-drug ways to alleviate pain. It is easy to become dependant on the pain meds and muscle relaxants. Best wishes to you, let me know if you have more questions! Mary

 

[SteveMouse]

Above all, use good judgement. I have one the most-fused backs on the planet (quite literally- there's ONLY movement between 3 vertebrae all others are permanently fused) due to fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva- that ever-so-rare disease -esimate: 2500 people worldwide, but no one really knows- that literally grows a second skeleton- see www.ifopa.org for more info. I ALSO have a spinal fusion.

One month after my fusion (I was about 13 years old), I was bicycling downhill in the Colorado Rockies going about 30 MPH with a steel rod in my back. I do a bunch of things that probably aren't well-advised, including ATVing, going on small boats (I had a near-disaster 2 years ago in Samana, Dominican Republic on a cruise excursion).

I have a major fear of falling (that's actually a VERY good thing, given my underlying medical issues).

Anyway, I'm cautious about rides at theme parks, to say the least. I WILL go on:

Test Track
Big Thunder Mountain (no last car for me)
PoC
MS
KS

I WON"T go on:

RnR
ToT
Space Mountain (I'm not even sure I could get into the cars)
Splash Mountain

I made the determination about what's on my "doable" list VERY carefully and with the assistance of some VERY trusted friends who knew my limits exceedingly well, had specific criteria to look for, and were pretty conservative about my health.

You may want to consider erring on the side of caution, depending on your prognosis.

-steve

 

[maryserv]

Above all, use good judgement. I have one the most-fused backs on the planet (quite literally- there's ONLY movement between 3 vertebrae all others are permanently fused) due to fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva- that ever-so-rare disease -esimate: 2500 people worldwide, but no one really knows- that literally grows a second skeleton- see www.ifopa.org for more info. I ALSO have a spinal fusion.

One month after my fusion (I was about 13 years old), I was bicycling downhill in the Colorado Rockies going about 30 MPH with a steel rod in my back. I do a bunch of things that probably aren't well-advised, including ATVing, going on small boats (I had a near-disaster 2 years ago in Samana, Dominican Republic on a cruise excursion).

I have a major fear of falling (that's actually a VERY good thing, given my underlying medical issues).

Anyway, I'm cautious about rides at theme parks, to say the least. I WILL go on:

Test Track
Big Thunder Mountain (no last car for me)
PoC
MS
KS

I WON"T go on:

RnR
ToT
Space Mountain (I'm not even sure I could get into the cars)
Splash Mountain

I made the determination about what's on my "doable" list VERY carefully and with the assistance of some VERY trusted friends who knew my limits exceedingly well, had specific criteria to look for, and were pretty conservative about my health.

You may want to consider erring on the side of caution, depending on your prognosis.

-steve

Steve,
I think that you are illustrating the very extreme side of spinal fusion... I can identify a bit because before the surgery, one is in such pain that they can't/don't want to do anything (I couldn't pick up my 2 yr old son), then after surgery, hopefully pain is mostly gone and they WANT to do things (I tried to go back to work 1.5 weeks after my fusion). I would definitely say to find the balance.

Carla, the most important things that I hope you get out of this is that there is life after spinal surgery, especially if you are prudent, ask questions/listen to where you are in your recovery, and listen to your body. Ask about what exercise you can do when and follow through with any rehab you are assigned. Don't be afraid to ask the docs questions. Tell them if you think something does or doesn't "feel right".

 

[Earstou]

I had a C5-6-7 fusion with a titanium plate and cadaver bone.
Personally, I would not ride any roller coaster. I've heard of people "breaking" their fusions, so I'm very cautious. I also have other health concerns, so for me it just isn't worth risking a roller coaster ride. I would also avoid Dinosaur, and ToT.
I ride Star Wars and Splash Mountain once per trip, I do feel these are somewhat risky for me, but take the chance anyway. I have no problems with Test Track.
Definitely ask your doctor, he can give you the best guidance. I emailed mine with descriptions of the rides I wasn't sure of and he told me which he thought I should avoid.

 

[maryserv]

uggh.. hopefully it all works out for you. I have bulging/herniations between c4-5, 5-6 and 6-7 and degeneration, without any spinal cord compression, so I'm not in any pain most of the time unless I throw it out and then all bets are off.

I'm weighing my rollercoaster options carefully right now.

I meant to ask you earlier: are you seeing a chiropractor and or PT/OT? If you know you have these issues, I sure would not risk anything. Even picking a book up the wrong way can throw you out (I know, I used to do it before my surgery when I was much younger).

 

[anonymousegirl]

I had a fusion of C6-7 done with a cadaver bone and titatanium plate back in 1996. I have ridden all the major rides at WDW except for ToT (I don't like drops). I won't do Primeval Whirl again; it was waaaayyy too rough. Space Mountain is iffy, RNRC, Splash, TT, and EE are no problem. Need to sit near the front for BTMRR.

But the person you should be asking is your doctor. If he okays it then start slow (don't do what I did, which was falling head over heels down a flight of stairs just 18 months later) I figured if my fusion survived that, I could try a roller coaster.

 

[debbido71]

I had a 2-lvl ACDF at C5-6 & C6-7 with hardware on January 8, 2009. We are planning on going to Disney at the end of September but I do not think I will go on very many rides at all. I am very fearful that I will need surgery again and since I am only 37 years old, that is just not my plan. lt doesn't help that I also have degenerative disc disease so there are other areas of my spine that are not great to begin with. It is just not worth it to me to risk it.

I actually go back to my neurosurgeon tomorrow for a 4 month post-op appointment. I plan on discussing this exact issue with him. I will let you know what I find out.

I have more fun watching my kids have fun anyway! Disney is magical no matter what you do there!

 

[debbido71]

I just got back from my 4 month post op appointment and the Neurosurgeon said, no roller coasters or jerky rides for one year. After one year he said because of the titatanium plate, I will actually be 110% of what I was before. Therefore he said I will be able to do what ever I please as far as rides. I was very surprised but it is good to know. Just thought I'd share for all of my fellow cervical fusion friends.

 

[FancyO'Nancy]

This has been a very interesting thread for me. My DH had 3 or 4 (can't remember, bad wife!) of his vertebrae fused together...used a synthetic bone & titanium pieces. He had to have it done thanks to a military parachute accident. His first surgery was last spring and he just had another one this past March to pull out the hardware. He isn't recovering from the surgeries and the docs can't figure out why. We've done so many tests, visiting specialists, he's on so many drugs just to keep his pain at a bearable level.

That all being said, we are going to Disney in 10 days with our 3 kids. I have enlisted the help of 2 family members to help out while we're down there. Hopefully we will all be able to have a good time, even if it means he has to spend half the day laying down in our room. I doubt he will even want to ride anything jerky but I am going to show him this thread just in case he feels the need to do something he's not supposed to be doing.

 

[maryserv]

Synthetic bone??? Is it one of those cool new synth discs? I would love to have been able to do that instead of cadaver bone. (I would never do my own hip bone, I've heard horror stories from that). Bummer that he had to have hardware taken out. I wonder if they used the wrong size?

It is true, watching the kids (whether your's or other's) is one of the best things about Disney! Best wishes about finding out what in the world is going on!

 

[maryserv]

"I just got back from my 4 month post op appointment and the Neurosurgeon said, no roller coasters or jerky rides for one year. After one year he said because of the titatanium plate, I will actually be 110% of what I was before. Therefore he said I will be able to do what ever I please as far as rides. I was very surprised but it is good to know. Just thought I'd share for all of my fellow cervical fusion friends. "

Yay! I'm glad you are doing so well! One year zooms by. There may be rides you don't ever choose to ride again, but there is always something new to do!

 

[HopperFan]

DS had C1/C2 Spinal Fusion. Used bone graph and some titanium wires.

We did not allow him on Coasters for about 6 years until every checkup came back good and solid. He has been riding them the last 6 years with no problems, but we did start very small and work our way up.

Individual decision of course, but I certainly wouldn't attempt to ride one for many years and only after repeated test results show a good and solid fuse.

 

[bagpiper]

I have also had C5-C7 ACDF back in 2007. My first trip to Disney was 7 months later and I was very careful.

It takes at least a full year for the fusion to take so be very careful even if you feel better. If you screw it up you will have to have the surgery again. I have been back to Disney several times since and I still won't do anything risky.

My initial recovery was really long and I had lot of problems with swelling and nerve issues. I had to stay in the neck collar from September to December (originally I was told it would be less the 4 weeks)

Resting at home may seem easy but walking all day in the Parks may seem 10x harder.

I would wait until you feel better before traveling, make sure you are out of the collar and have no complications. Some people heal faster then ever.

Good Luck