Spinal Fusion ans The Dis :)

[niftywench]

Greetings!

First I really would like to applaud everyone who runs this section of the boards. I feel 99% ready for our upcoming trip which will be my first since I underwent a spinal fusion and disc removal 2 years ago. The one thing I am wondering is - if anyone here has had a similar surgery and if they have any rides to recommend that can still be enjoyed even with three vertebra fused together. I also live with Diabetes and Fibromyalgia but well like I have those situations under control.

Thanks so much - i'm so thankful for this place!

Rock on,
Jenne the Niftywench!

 

[momofkids]

My husband had lumbar fusion several years ago. The one ride he went on that he wished he had avoided was Space Mtn. Most of the time his back is really good so he didn't think he would have problems. After that he didn't go on Big Thunder Mtn, RnR, or Splash. I think if you avoid most of the roller coasters, you should be okay. He did do EE, and that didn't bother his back. It is really hard to say because everyone is different.

 

[niftywench]

Thanks, Robyn! my Spine MD had said something very similar about everyone being different. my surgery was cervical so he's more worried about my neck flailing around. Thanks for taking the time to respond, I really appreciate it!
Jenne

 

[BeerMe]

My wife had similar surgery in 2010 (3 disks fused, pins and other instrumentation inserted) and it took her a couple of years to recover to the point where she can do most things she wants to do. She uses pain patches which help a great deal. She doesn't ride any "thrill" rides like EE or SM but she has ridden Star Tours without difficulty. She is able to walk without any problems although when we went over Christmas in 2010 she was in a wheelchair. We went for 3 weeks in February and we averaged 4 miles a day and we are going for a month in October. October will be our 5th trip since her surgery and all-in-all she rides just about everything she ever did. Good luck to you on your trip.

 

[Denine]

Greetings!

First I really would like to applaud everyone who runs this section of the boards. I feel 99% ready for our upcoming trip which will be my first since I underwent a spinal fusion and disc removal 2 years ago. The one thing I am wondering is - if anyone here has had a similar surgery and if they have any rides to recommend that can still be enjoyed even with three vertebra fused together. I also live with Diabetes and Fibromyalgia but well like I have those situations under control.

Thanks so much - i'm so thankful for this place!

Rock on,
Jenne the Niftywench!

There are a lot of rides that can be enjoyed with a fused cervical spine. I would stay away from the roller coaster type rides though. They can be very jarring. My lumbar spine was fused a long time ago and I can pretty much go on whatever I want.

 

[cynzilla]

Just be forewarned that Toy Story Mania has a pretty vicious whip around the turns that maybe a bit jarring for a cervical fusion.

 

[SteveMouse]

If getting up from low places is a problem, I'd avoid Splash and Space. Big Thunder isn't a problem and has good opportunities for bracing.

Test track also can be a little challenging to get out of.

I've not tried RnRC.

 

[niftywench]

thank you all so very much!!

 

[ChristineNic]

DH has a cervical fusion. The only ride that he avoids at Disney is Space Mountain. He rides all of the other thrill rides, including BTR, Mission Space Orange, RRC, ToT, Test Track, and EE.

Note: I'm not recommending that you ignore any warnings (like my DH). However, I am emphasizing that you don't go on Space Mountain.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

Have you tried calling the surgeon who did your surgery and getting his or her opinion? If he or she is like my neurosurgeon, the answer will probably be pretty conservative, but they might not be. I do know people who were cleared for pretty much any ride they felt they could do 2-3 years after a cervical fusion. It really depends on where the fusion is, why you needed it, and things like whether there are any other parts of your spine that have problems.

I have a very high cervical fusion (c2->my skull) so I don't know how that translates to a lower cervical fusion. I'm just short of 2 years out. I haven't been to WDW since my fusion, but I know I'll definitely stay away from any rides with relevant warnings that also don't have any head or neck support (and probably a couple that don't have warnings, but I won't ride or am not sure about). I can give you the rides that I am not sure about or won't ride in the future. I'm also not listing rides I've never ridden. Hopefully this will at least give you an idea of what I mean in terms of rides.

Rides I Won't Ride Ever Again:
Space Mountain
Test Track
BTMR
Spaceship Earth (I got stopped on the backwards section once and it was too much for me to want to risk it again.)

I might ride:
Expedition Everest
Safari (with either my hard neck brace or soft collar just in case)
RnR
Splash Mountain
Mission Space (probably just the Green Side, but it wasn't a ride that felt like it knocked my neck around and I'm a sensory seeker in ways that had me loving both sides)

That's not every ride in either category, but I hope it gives you a sense of how I evaluate for myself. I'm 5'4" so there are some rides that give me enough support, but might not for someone taller. I definitely agree with the advice to stay away from Space Mountain no matter what, though. I last rode it 5 years before my surgery (did not ride on my most recent trip) and it gave me a 4 day migraine from how much it whipped my head/neck around.

 

[niftywench]

thanks again for the wonderful input! WheeledTraveler - thanks for your post - My surgeon said "just don't ride anything that warns people with neck and back injuries not to ride" but my new spine specialist is now doing research after i emailed her about my trip. She feels that i should be able to do a few things, the easygoing stuff..we'll see and I'll share her list here just in case anyone else has questions in the future. thank you so much!

 

[scdak]

I would be cautious about deciding on Primeval Whirl in AK, that ride really bangs me around alot and I end up bruised every time. I am Pooh sized, ride with my best friend who is also Pooh sized and although we feel secure in the ride, we still move around alot, I can only imagine how much regular sized people get slung around! But we laugh ourselves do death when we ride it. I did not ride it 6 months after a lesser procedure (lower back laminectomy ) last fall but hope to eventually ride it again.

 

[Earstou]

Another ride I would caution you against is Dinosaur. I found it to be quite jarring and will never ride again. (C3-5 fusion here!)

 

[BeerMe]

Another ride I would caution you against is Dinosaur. I found it to be quite jarring and will never ride again. (C3-5 fusion here!)

I'll second that - my wife has never been able to ride that ride after the first time.

 

[I Love Pluto]

C3 to C6 fusion -- No issues with Toy Story Mania. I look down (using neck) when the TSM vehicle whips.

I avoid anything that looks like a coaster, drops like Tower of Terror, or has the word Mountain in its title. There is really so much to do at WDW that I don't really feel limited.

 

[niftywench]

Thank you all! I have not been a big thrill ride girl since i was a kid so i'm good on those rides. I have always enjoyed Buzz Lightyear, TSM, Pirates, and my MD cleared me for almost all of my favorites. He said of my list of favorites to please not ride Test Track and he's going to get back to me on Star Tours. no Dinosaur but yes to everything else. he's now working on Universal (we're heading there as well).

 

[BeerMe]

Good for you

 

[KPeveler]

Pretty much everybody before and he has mentioned the major rides to avoid with the fusion (though I am not sure what level yours is at). I am fused C2-Occipital (skull), so I need to be very careful to avoid the very jarring rides. That being said, I still would not have a problem with EE or Test Track. In WDW I would not ride BTMRR (though I still ride it, knowing that my neck is going to hurt for the rest of the day so I saved for last), definitely not Space Mountain.

Though this is a WDW thread, I live close to DL so I just wanted to give any other spinal fusion people a heads up to avoid the Matterhorn, although Space Mountain in DL is very smooth, as is California Screamin'.

When I ride TSM, I do what a PP suggested and looked down, kind of tuck my neck, whenever the ride car starts moving. The car is jerky, but it's a weird kind of side to side jerky.

Though I do not have a lower back fusion, I do have problems in that area as well as fibromyalgia, and what many people have reported as their biggest problem was continually needing to sit on hard benches, especially those with no backs. If it is at all possible I suggest carrying some kind of cushion for benches in shows and even some rides, wherever it is allowed. Continually having to sit on hard completely flat hard benches (which are usually shallower than a normal seat) really takes its toll on the lower back.

I have found that the very worst seats in the Park are in the Laugh Floor. even if you just put a sweatshirt under you on this seat, it will help.

 

[Skmcpher]

I can sympathize with everyone on this thread. I have a fusion at C5-6, another at C6-7, and an artificial disc at C4-5. The last time I went to WDW was about 6 months after my artificial disc replacement surgery, and I made the mistake of going on Space Mountain. I will never do that again, and it is a shame because that was always one of my favorite rides. I am thankful that I can still tolerate all of the thrill rides except for Space Mountain and BTMRR because otherwise I would miss out on a lot of fun at WDW!

 

[orangefan15]

I too suffer from back issues, although lumbar (less than a year out from non-fusion surgery). One recommendation if you are relatively short and do decide to do Star Tours is to avoid the last row (row 5). I found that the seats were a bit higher than the other rows and my feet didn't comfortably reach the floor which negatively impacted my ability to brace myself. Since I figured that out, I've requested not to be in that row and had no issues. If you end up doing BTMRR, I'd highly recommend requesting the front row, it is definitely a slower, less jerky ride up there.