Cervical Spine Fusion Surgery

I just had my second surgery of the year. This time it was cervical (neck) fusion. The surgery was not an easy one. The surgeon went in through the front of my neck to fuse the back of my spine. A side effect of the surgery is a sore throat. I was prepared for that but what I wasn't prepared for was the inability to swallow pretty much anything. Even medication. And post-surgery a lot of pain medication is needed. Without the ability to swallow it I was in some trouble.

After a little while, I did find a solution: take the medication with as hot of water as I can possibly tolerate. That way the pills started to melt before they could get stuck in my throat. Not a great solution but a do-able one.

A few weeks in a neck brace was also pretty awful. It was uncomfortable but necessary. It was such a contradiction. I felt comfortable without it but I also felt unsafe. I was afraid I would definitely hurt my surgical site without it. So I wore it. Like it or not.

I really have high hopes for some pain relief after this one. Only time will tell.