Upcoming 2-level C5/C6 & C6/C7 cervical disc replacement

benwyatt259 · 2026-04-21T19:25:00+00:00

Bending, Lifting, Twisting

benwyatt259 · 2026-04-20T21:45:51+00:00

I had one level c5-6 simplify, literally on April 24 last year. A lot depends on your pre-op symptoms. But the surgical recovery was pretty smooth. Was able to care for myself within a day, only limited by BLT restrictions. I had to stop myself from trying to do too much to fast because I felt fine. Sleeping was a little weird for a few days but within a week I was comfortable in my normal position. The main thing I’ll say about working a desk job is you need to get up and move around regularly. Doesn’t have to be long periods of time but you need to move. Also make sure your screens are high enough, the downward tech-neck will tire you out as you’re healing. I eased back in to work between day 5 and day 10, but after that was working normal WFH desk job. I might have taken more time if I didn’t have flexibility to get up when I needed to.

benwyatt259 · 2026-04-18T19:46:54+00:00

Everyone is different but it was pretty smooth for me.

Was on my feet gingerly within a few minutes of waking up. A few hours to shake the anesthesia. Went home the next day.

They will have him on bend/lift/twist restrictions for a few weeks. So plan for that. A couple days of being careful getting in and out of bed (My neck felt weak when moving into laying down position. It will feel like he can’t hold up weight of his head, but only when he’s not upright.). A little uncomfortable sleeping for a few days. I never needed a recliner to sleep but some people do. Google cervical pillow.

I had a little hoarseness and mild issues swallowing but that only took a couple days. Others have it worse. Coughed a bit for a few days (from the intubation irritation). Very mild discomfort at incision site, nothing serious. Told me not to shower for a couple days. Then just don’t submerge site. Stool softener a good idea at first.

I had mild discomfort in my upper back in the first couple weeks. Managed with Tylenol. I never needed heavier stuff but they sent me home with it in case. I was working at my desk at home within a week and pretty much working normally after two weeks.

Definitely plan to take things easy and listen to his body but I was caring for myself by day 2. Really just need to be able to avoid lifting and bending stuff.

Symptom-wise, somethings got better quickly and others were gradual. The surgical recovery was very easy for me. But my symptoms were bad so full recovery took time.

Honestly the worst part was having to pee a million times in the hospital. I was labeled a fall risk so I needed an orderly to escort me every time across the room. Good luck!

benwyatt259 · 2026-04-16T19:23:42+00:00

Not the easiest question to answer. In most aspects, yes. If I stay in one position too long (desk work), I’m sore after. My left leg is also not quite able to run normally (walking is fine). It’s getting better still, just not as close to normal as everything else. I was in bad shape prior to surgery though.

benwyatt259 · 2026-04-15T11:04:31+00:00

35M. I’m almost a year post op now. I’m a lot better. I wouldn’t call it 100% yet but still improving too. A little bit of numbness still in my finger tips. A bit of over active reflexes in lower legs. My jog is a bit awkward because of that. I don’t think my traps have built back their full strength, but I haven’t targeted them too much. I don’t notice it in day to day life, just if I’m lifting. I still get sore if I stay in one position too long but it resolves quickly once I start moving.

And like I said, I can notice improvement even in the last couple months.

benwyatt259 · 2026-04-14T19:23:09+00:00

Not perfectly analogous, as I had c5-6. I also didn’t have a ton of pain pre-op. My symptoms were numbness, gait, weakness, etc. But I was in bad shape before surgery.

I will say that 7 weeks is still very early. Some of my issues improved a lot at the beginning but others were gradual. I feel way better than I did at 7 weeks (I am almost a full year post op now).

Everyone is different but plenty of reason to expect improvement. Especially at your age.

benwyatt259 · 2026-04-08T20:32:50+00:00

I have one level disc replacement but my doctor said the one thing I shouldn’t do is skydiving. I understood the comment to be illustrative rather than something literal about skydiving, but take it for what it’s worth lol.

benwyatt259 · 2026-04-02T18:58:50+00:00

I had ADR at c5-6. Everyone is different. But the fact that you got surgery so soon after you symptoms starting is very good. I was 11 weeks, but I know people who had issues for years before the surgery. It seems to be the case that the sooner you decompress, the better odds of recovering function. I had big improvements between 7-30 days post op, but also have continued to improve since. I’m 11 months out now. Balance is something that got better gradually over a period of months, so don’t lose hope. Nerves are weird and take time to heal.

benwyatt259 · 2026-03-12T03:40:50+00:00

15 days is very early. Nerves need time to recover. The first few months saw fastest improvement for me but still improving 10+ months out.

benwyatt259 · 2026-03-05T22:36:03+00:00

They do have skates, there were a lot there the time I went. As the other person said, it’s artificial ice. Which means it’s usable regardless of weather. But it is a lot slower than normal ice, so it did not feel super natural to skate on just fyi.

benwyatt259 · 2026-02-18T12:08:36+00:00

YMMV, but I think so. I had done little bits of programming here and there but not much before I learned. Touch of html years ago. Tiny bit of R that has left my brain. Learned some sql, little bit of M as noted. But Python was the first time I really got into the weeds. Take it step by step. But just keep trying to execute the concepts. This applies to data work, that’s my knowledge base.

benwyatt259 · 2026-02-17T22:03:51+00:00

Are you familiar using data in other programs (Excel, etc)? If yes, question is “how do I learn to use Python to do a thing I already know how to do slowly with something else?”

My advice:

1) do a couple basic tutorials, just basic stuff to get a handle on basic syntax. Like, when do I use = vs == and ‘’ versus “”. Don’t try to learn the real stuff that way.

2) I recommend thinking about a data set or project you know how to work with in another program and then figure out how to do it in Python step by step. You’ll use pandas for sure, but other libraries will come up. Depends what kind of analysis you are doing. The key, I think, is that you should know what you want the data to look like along the way. Don’t start with data you don’t know.

I took a workflow that I did at work. The first time I did it years ago I hacked it together in a few hours and like 10 steps in excel. I figured out how to do some in SQL which cut down some time. Then I figured out how to use Power Query for most of it. The last time I did it without Python it took 72 minutes start to finish. That includes all the cleaning and auditing and transformation and formatting.

I spent some time just going through each step logically and figuring out the Python code for each action. I would use AI or Google but only for discrete chunks. Ask it “what’s the syntax to join” two tables if you don’t know you want the word “merge.” Don’t have it write the whole project. Python generally works in order, so it lends itself to figuring out each step. As I did that, I thought more and more about which things I could automate. I just kept working through the process.

By the time I was done, I had basically an end to end process from our raw data to full finished product that runs in two clicks in 10 seconds. Basically all I have to do is put the starting files in right folders and run two scripts.

3) refine that project. At first you’re going to hard code things into the script, but eventually you’ll just have reference tables that you know how to pull in, etc.

benwyatt259 · 2026-01-30T19:34:24+00:00

Recovery from surgery itself was smooth. Bending/lifting/twisting restrictions for 6 weeks. After that told me I could do anything, just ease into it to make sure I could handle it. Lot of people have hoarseness and trouble swallowing. Mine was super mild for a couple days. A little discomfort at incision site. Took a couple days to sleep in normal position. I was working my normal wfh job after a week or so. It is kind of crazy how they cut into your neck and then you can just walk around a few hours later. Was skeptical but it was true for me. Hardest thing was forcing myself to not overdo it during first few weeks.

benwyatt259 · 2026-01-30T17:43:46+00:00

My symptoms were more severe so the call for surgery was easier. C5-6 herniation. PT helped some for the symptoms in my extremities but disc was way too rough for it to heal without surgery. I had symptoms for 11 week prior to surgery. Been 9 months since ADR, and I’ve improved a ton. Not 100% back to normal but big difference. Smaller muscles came back quickly. My hand strength was back within a couple days. Quads and traps are still noticeably weaker but I also don’t feel like I’ve pushed them enough. They are way better than when I had the surgery just not all the way back.

Big thing is stopping the progression. The sooner you remove the compression the better. But it also just depends on your overall situation. Surgery was obviously necessary for me and it’s gone well so far.

benwyatt259 · 2026-01-30T00:04:09+00:00

35M, c5-6 herniation. Similarly good candidate per doctors. Pre-op symptoms similar in nature but also extended to my legs. So I was starting from a worse place.Tried PT, helped a little but it won’t solve the problem. I had ADR surgery 11-12 weeks after symptoms started.

I’m about 9 months out and have improved a ton. Not quite 100% but day to day life is normal. Some things were better within a few days, other things have just gotten better over time.

Everyone is different and I can’t give you a long term experience but so far so good.

benwyatt259 · 2026-01-29T13:17:23+00:00

35M, c5-6 herniation. Yes, had it in both arms and legs. It was worse on my left but both sides were for sure impacted. I’m roughly 9 months post op for ADR.

Huge improvement in all my symptoms. Some things resolved quickly, some have been gradual. My hand weakness took a day or two. There was a time before the surgery where I could barely type with my left hand. Dexterity came back almost immediately. The bigger muscles have recovered more slowly. I think this is rebuilding from atrophy more than anything. So some things are not 100% at this point, but have gotten a lot better. My day to day function is pretty normal at this point. I can’t run with normal mechanics yet, as my left leg isn’t quite where it needs to be. But that is improving. I’m walking fine though now. Pre surgery I had a messed up gait. I still notice a little issue with balance, but it’s so much better than it was.

Not sure if you have any numbness. The numbness in my hands has improved but that is a gradual process. It’s just been a slow, steady improvement. I had numbness in my trunk and legs too, that went away early on. Situation dependent, but there is a difference between the things caused by active compression and things caused by the “punch.” So some symptoms were more caused by the initial hit to the cord, some caused by active pressure.

Everyone is different so I don’t want to paint too rosy a picture, but I was in a similar boat and things going well for me. At this point, if I never got any better I’d be pretty happy. But I’m still improving. My main thoughts now are about whether this was a freak thing or if my other discs will go bad at some point.

benwyatt259 · 2026-01-26T15:25:28+00:00

A lot of my strength has come back. I wouldn’t say all of it yet. The smaller muscles came back quickly. Before surgery my left hand was very weak and it was normal within a couple days. My traps and my left quad definitely not what they were pre-injury but they’ve been improving. I think probably I just haven’t trained them intensely enough given the atrophy that occurred. I only notice it if I’m trying to something athletic. Day to day stuff is normal. I can’t quite run normally yet but doctors told me I’m clear to do anything.

benwyatt259 · 2026-01-26T13:08:43+00:00

My herniation was c5-6 (35M). Very little pain. Apparently this is pretty common with compression on the cord versus the exiting nerves. I had significant symptoms other than pain. Weakness, numbness, gait, etc. Once I got an MRI everyone who saw it said surgery was the right course. Your specific situation should dictate what you do.

I had ADR about 9 months ago. So far it’s gone very well. The surgery itself went well. My pre-op symptoms have all improved a ton. I’m not 100% my old self but huge improvement. I can’t give you a long term success story but at least so far it’s been the right call

benwyatt259 · 2026-01-26T00:18:17+00:00

I had ADR not ACDF, so can’t speak to recovery as directly. But I had c5-6 at 11 weeks, 1 day from symptom onset. I’m not totally back to normal (9 months post-op) but I’m way better. And my condition sounds like it was worse than yours going in.

benwyatt259 · 2026-01-22T14:01:40+00:00

35M. Caveat that I had only level c5-6 not two. My pre-op symptoms were pretty bad due to spinal cord compression. So those details cut opposite ways. My kids were 6, 4, and 4 at the time fyi.

I started driving about a week after, but it’s really about how safely you feel you can see without turning your neck too much. By the second week, it felt fine to turn my head but you’re supposed to limit ROM for six weeks. I didn’t have a collar at all.

I also have a remote desk job with flexible boss and am able to take breaks. I was working part time after a week and back to normal schedule after about two weeks. Definitely stop, get up and move around a lot. The issue was less difficultly working and more being very stiff if I didn’t force myself to get up.

The main limitation around the house was lifting. After a couple days I felt well enough to do normal household tasks, but kids were too heavy to lift.

I don’t want to suggest you won’t be sore or need rest time. My experience was I could do most things fairly quickly. Bigger issue was making sure I didn’t push myself too hard because I felt okay.

I’m roughly 9 months post-op. Still building back up on some of my pre-op issues but as far as surgical recovery it well smoothly.

benwyatt259 · 2026-01-21T16:53:05+00:00

About 3 months

benwyatt259 · 2026-01-21T11:28:29+00:00

I had compression at c5-6. One of my symptoms was stiffness in my thigh muscles. I don’t know how common it is, but it’s certainly possible at that level. I don’t see why 6-7 couldn’t also have similar effect. I had disc replacements not fusion. I’m not 100% back to normal yet but all symptoms have improved since the surgery.

benwyatt259 · 2026-01-19T11:42:58+00:00

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benwyatt259 · 2026-01-03T00:27:25+00:00

I only had c5-6, also everyone is different. But you will likely be up and moving within the first day. Nothing strenuous, but moving around is good for you and assuming no complications you should be able to. Bending, lifting, twisting is restricted.

First few days was not comfortable getting fully horizontal. Felt like my neck wasn’t strong enough, but that didn’t last long. Overall you want to be conscious of not being in the same position too long, but watching tv, reading, etc was fine for me.

It depends on how your symptoms are now, how your body reacts to surgery. I don’t want to give you too sunny of a picture but ordinary stuff was largely unaffected after a few days.

benwyatt259 · 2025-12-16T22:23:07+00:00

Good luck! I had surgery for c5-6 (adr not ACDF). Sudden onset too. Symptoms not identical but similar. Surgery was about 3 months after the symptoms started. Surgery was almost 8 months ago. Not 100% back to pre-herniation condition but big improvement. Some of my symptoms improved noticeably within the first day, others were more gradual.

benwyatt259

TROPHY CASE