Laura P
With the two neurosurgeries in the past 12 years (one at C5/C6 and the other at C4/C5), i also have what they call a congenital fusion of C7/T1. Try contacting the "top doc" and ask to be notified of the "first availability from a cancellation"... you would have to be more available then waiting for your set appointment. One thing that I found during my "waits" was to use ice packs throughout the day... leaving them on until the area was basically numb... then waiting about a half-hour and repeating... I can tell you that after the surgery, I awoke in the recovery room and knew the pain was gone. The only descriptor of the pain prior to surgery was that of molten lava being poured down the center of the bone and them being tapped repeatedly by a hammer... unrelenting. The other thing that I found helpful was getting a prescription for anti-depressant medication... while it does not "relieve" the pain it does affect the seratonin levels and can interrupt the pain cycle... also stay out in the out of doors as much as possible... the sun also effects the mind/pain connection... if you are able to walk out doors you may begin to feel a little more relief as well. As for the loss of range of motion after the 2 fusion surgeries and the congenital fusion... I lost very little in the way of range of motion... I can still turn my head from side to side and can still nod up and down... not as much as once was able to, but still can do them. the one motion they said that I would probably lose is the ability to toss my head from side to side... but then I did not do that before... and I still can actually do it somewhat... but maybe not as much as a "ditsy blonde" might to... (no offense to blondes meant)... it is just how I have had the movement described.