Many people are worried about the recovery process following a surgery. Patients worry about being stuck in bed for weeks and not being able to return to normal activities. The recovery period following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion surgery is not as bad as some people think. Most patients are able to return completely to normal activities within a month. Each person’s procedure is different, but there are certain things you can do to help improve the recovery process and get on with living your life.
The First Month Following Surgery
When you wake up from having the surgery, the nurses will make sure that you can breathe well and that your vital signs are fine. If you have problems breathing or your blood pressure is too high or low, you may need to stay at the hospital for observation. For most people, anterior cervical discectomy and fusion surgery is an outpatient procedure and you can go home the same day.
To help you manage pain for the first month following surgery, you will probably be prescribed a narcotic painkiller. Since these have addictive properties, your doctor will only give you a short duration prescription, usually between two to four weeks. After the prescription lapses, you should be able to manage pain with over-the-counter medication like acetaminophen. To avoid stomach problems while taking painkillers, drink lots of water and eat a diet high in fiber.
Activity after Surgery
The biggest thing people want to know is how quickly they can get back to normal activities. For the first month, you may notice that you have a sore throat and hoarse voice. This is mostly normal. Unless you start running a fever, think you have an infection, or can’t breathe or swallow fluids; most discomfort you feel during the recovery process will be normal.
It’s important that you don’t sit or lie around for long periods of time following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion surgery. Once you regain energy, take slow, short walks to help build up strength and speed up your recovery. By the end of four to six weeks, you should be able to walk a mile or two without too much pain. Although you may be eager to return to regular activities, it’s important that you don’t do too much too quickly. Restrain from performing heavy lifting or hard work until you get the all clear from your doctor. If you end up doing too much too soon, you could end up needing physical therapy or causing damage to the surgical site.
